Noblesse Oblige [Znt/SI]

[shadenight123]

Chapter Fifty-Seven

The next morning, mother said absolutely nothing. Well, no, to be more precise she did say she was going to send me back to the academy at the end of the break for my third year, and while I did not show any outward signs of cheer, inside I was singing in sheer joy. Weeks later, I realized that Pierre had somehow created an entire corner of the garden filled with a pretty, decorative and exotic plant that was eerily familiar to me.

I inwardly sighed. I truly hoped father would use this great power responsibly.

The princess departed back for the castle, much to Louise's sad expression. A few well-placed tickling maneuvers got her back up in high spirits, and soon after, she received her first wand.

Somehow, nobody pointed out how I vacated the premises of the room the moment she aimed it at the feather atop the table, nor did they realize I had come back -then again, with their ringing ears and smoke-covered faces, they should have understood I had seen this coming.

Let us be clear, I waited two days before showing up inside mother's office where she did all of the house-holding and accounting stuff.

"Mother," I said gently, "Louise's magic is...quite the explosive revelation."

Karin eyed me warily, as if expecting me to somewhat hug or give her a peck on the forehead again, but still did answer. "Her tutors are working on it, Henry. She will succeed in the end."

"I was thinking," I said calmly, "Perhaps I could take her mind off her failures by bringing her outside on a manticore ride?"

Karin's eyes narrowed. "Is this a way for you to avoid doing your chores, Henry?"

I shook my head, a hand over my heart. "I swear it's not like this, mother. I'll wake up earlier and get started on them too. I was just thinking about doing something to cheer up my little sister-"

Karin's lips twitched, and then she nodded. "Very well, but ensure you are done with all of your duties before you depart, or I will double them," and as she swiftly promised that, I grinned.

"Love you, mother," and with that, I drew in to give her a peck on the cheek, only to be met with the sharp tip of a swordwand an inch away from my throat. To think I had managed to do this sort of trick half a dozen times before she wizened up...but indeed, I was taking a sledgehammer to the sharp edges of the Heavy Wind, and she was powerless to stop it.

"Your interactions with the Gramont are clearly starting to show," Karin said firmly, "Try not to learn anything else from him, do you understand?"

"Of course," I nodded as I stepped away from the sharp point of the swordwand. "I hope you'll have a pleasant day," and as soon as I said that, I bowed and made to retreat only to swiftly allow my feint to work to its full potential by encircling in a hug from the back Karin for a brief instant, "Got you!" I said with a giggle, giving her the peck I fully intended on giving her, before rushing out of the room, Karin's lack of exclamations a pretty clear sign that my attacks were working against her Rule of Steel.

And if they weren't, then she probably was too busy trying to wonder where she went wrong with my education.

"Louise," I said as I stepped inside her room, just in time to find her face down against the bed, her expression quite disheveled and faint traces of smoke leaving her strawberry blond hair. Once more, the tutors had probably given up. "Something tells me you're sad, and I don't like sadness in this house."

"I'm a failure," Louise grumbled. "I can't even lift a feather. Big sister Eleonore said she managed on her first try-" as she whined softly, I hummed and sat down by the edge of the bed, a hand on her head. Her hair was truly silky and smooth, the kind of hair quite similar to the soft feathers of a bird. As soon as I began to pat her head, Louise shifted her position on the bed so that her head ended up closed to the side of my lap. "What about you, big brother?"

"Well, I managed on my second," I said, "mostly because the first thing I levitated wasn't the feather, but the table." Aiming with a wand wasn't easy, especially when the small object stood over a far larger surface. Louise groaned, but I simply patted her head a bit more.

"Tomorrow, I'm taking you for a ride on Freedom," I said gently. "Would you like that?"

"On your manticore?" Louise whispered. "Is it different from a griffin?"

"It's not as soft or as cuddly," I acquiesced. "Keep this a secret from mother," I whispered, "But I'm going to bring you to a secret place of mine," I smiled. "I'm sure it will cheer you up."

"Really?" Louise whispered in return, looking up at me, "Mother doesn't know?"

"Indeed," I said with a wink, "My secret base."

My secret base wasn't really that much of a secret. The next day, Louise was so excited she woke up as early as six in the morning, which, by the way, was awfully early. I was awake from four though, since I needed to finish memorizing a few chants, and practicing with my spells. Still, as Louise eagerly hopped on the saddle and I held her tight, we lifted off with ease.

In the La Blois fief, a short distance away from the village proper, a small hill stood eerily ignored by the rest of the countryside. A small stream crossed right through the hill, and as we landed by the side of it, I tied Freedom to a nearby tree, Raven's cawing noises coming from the top of the hill, the bird descending quietly and landing in my arms.

"Oh, my Raven!" I said with a giggle, "I missed you!"

"I missed you too!" Raven cawed, using his tongue to lick my chin, before flying on my shoulder, starting to lick my hair. "Missed you!"

I lifted my wand and pointed at the side of the hill, where a few rocks stood on the ground to mark the entry point. The earth spread apart, revealing an unlit passage that descended into the depths of the earth.

You know how kids in front of a beach will build sandcastles?

Well, give a mage a wand, time, and a plot of land...and what you cannot build in width, you can build in depth.

Chanting a spell for a small light, I gestured for Louise to follow me. The walls had been reinforced by transmuting the dirt into rock, and at a certain point the transmutation was no longer needed -due to the actual presence of rock. A small pool rested against the sides of the room, the water seeping in from the wall. Stairs went down in various directions, my inner Minecraft-lover side responsible for the veritable labyrinth of passages I had created. "Now, don't get lost," I said as I pointed towards a small comfy armchair -the product of using a trunk larger on the inside, dismantling the chair into single pieces, and then rebuilding it from the single pieces once it was dragged inside.

"This is awesome," Louise whispered as I tapped with my wand a small floating stone right in the middle of the room, turning on the light and drying the humidity from the air. The Firestones weren't just nukes in bottles, but also used in elf homes to act as heating and drying systems. Importing a single stone had cost me on the thousands of ecus -more than three months of allowance, oh my- but I only needed a few to last me a lifetime. And it floated because I had put a spell on it to make it float. So, there it was, a floating mini-nuke used to heat up the room and make light.

"This is where I keep most of the stuff I can't bring directly home," I said quietly. "If mother found out about this-then I'd be in deep, deep trouble, Lulu," I glanced at her, and then gestured towards a stairway that went down into a brightly lit area. "Follow me, I'll give you a tour of the facilities of...my base."

Louise excitedly followed me, and as we stepped into a large room filled with dripping water and plants, I could see her squirm from the heat.

"This place is my Valhalla," I said as I gestured to the rows of coffee plants that were growing under the shimmering lights of firestones. Tiny droplets of water fell on the ground where they grew at a near constant pace, but at the same time quickly dried up if any excess remained. Perhaps it wasn't the proper care that the plants needed, but they were growing, and if magic had something to do with it, then all the better for me.

"Brother...they're pretty!" indeed, some of the plants had already begun to flower with their bright white petals -perhaps the heat had tricked them into thinking it was summer, but again, magic.

"Don't touch the last row," I said hastily, the plants over there twisted and misshapen. "I think they're poisonous. I was experimenting on shortening the cycle of their fruit bearing and...well, they twitch now."

As if on cue, one of the plants began to twitch at the sound of my voice, flapping its leafs. "That one's Twitchy," I said. "The one near it is-"

"Brother..." Louise whispered, "Did you...did you experiment with chants?" as she stared at me with wide eyes, I smiled in turn.

"Lulu...of course not," I said as I knelt in front of her, a hand on her shoulder. "Please don't even joke about it!" Of course, if by heresy she meant worshiping demons and Satan, then the answer was no. If she meant inventing new chants to get the plumbing of this place working, and the plants to bear fruits faster...then yes, oh hell yes if I was a heretic.

I bathed in my sins and heresy was my blood.

"Then-when I get better, can I help you with your garden?" as Louise asked that with the cutest of voices, I smiled and then ruffled her hair.

"Of course you can," I said with a grin, "But it's our secret, understood? Don't tell anyone, not even Cattleya."

Louise grinned and brightened up considerably, although I should have known it wouldn't last.

Eleonore, after all, came back with a vengeance of firmness and steel-like severity.

I exhaled in relief.

I was, after all, going back to the academy in a matter of days.

 

[shadenight123]

Karin-chan's magical adventures in parenting number three!

Her little Henry was no longer so little, and yet even then-even then she couldn't help but see him, just like his sisters, as cute little toddlers that went around waddling on their four tiny limbs with cute faces while giggling. Well, not really Henry. From since she had recollection, her little Henry had been called Grumpy for a reason. He never cried unless he had a necessity, for example, and even then it wasn't mostly for him.

Whenever Henry cried, one of three things could be going on. Generally, the first was that Cattleya was having troubles breathing -this made him cry so loud that sometimes, Karin had to wonder if he got her lungs, or those of her mother. The second reason was that he wanted something, and the third reason was that Cattleya wanted something.

It was honestly endearing to know that her little Henry would do whatever it took to make Cattleya happy. Whenever his sister went for a toy, he'd let her have it with minimum fuss. Still, he didn't really laugh that much without prompt.

When he learned how to walk, he never did it without purpose. Rather than just scurry around trying to grab the closest thing possible, he took a methodical, somewhat firm approach to it by simply walking back and forth the room until he was tired enough that he fell on his bum -she couldn't help but be proud of her little baby boy that was already a manticore knight even in his mannerisms.

"M-M-Mama!" Cattleya would say with a giggle, extending her hands up and down with delight at saying the right word.

"Mothhh..." Henry would start, then clamp down hard as he somewhat tried to fix his pronunciation by himself. "Mama-" he'd say in the end, as if admitting his own lack of skills and looking downcast all the while.

It felt as if he needed to prove himself to her, and that was so cute she couldn't help but gush, repeatedly, about how much he failed at being a serious young child and instead was just adorable.

And then he and Cattleya grew old enough that it was obvious that they'd remember if she acted tender-like towards them, and so even though it pained her, she began to show them her mask of steel.

Yet, while Cattleya fussed a bit and cried, Henry did not. He simply stared at her.

And then he smiled.

It felt as if he knew what she was doing, and quietly consoled his sister with hugs and pats and toys.

Then one time, while she was walking at night along the hallway to check on Cattleya's health, she heard a voice speak in soft whispers from beyond the doors to her daughter's room.

"Then the snake that devoured the world stared at the abyss of hatred and evil, and he spoke words that clearly meant the world to him. I may have eaten a thousand worlds, and a thousand more shall follow-but don't think I have never cherished them! Don't think I haven't loved them-haven't given them the love they deserved-but all that begins must end, oh great abyss, and so-you too must, one day, come to an end."

Karin actually had to rub her ears for a bit to understand that it was Henry who was speaking, and Cattleya who was awing in surprise.

They both should have been put to bed hours prior, after Eleonore had told them a bedtime story. That was the deal, so why weren't they sleeping?

"Is this the end, brother?" Cattleya asked.

"No, not yet," Henry replied. "There's one more chapter, or perhaps even more. Who knows? I'll tell you tomorrow night."

And with that, Karin heard him move towards the doors. Of course, she reacted swiftly and flew right on the ceiling of the hallway, watching with her breath held as her little Henry stepped quietly outside and closed the door with care, before starting to walk back to his rooms. However, there were no books in his hands, which meant he hadn't been reading a book from the library, but...

Had he come up with the story by himself?

Her cute little Henry was such a precocious young boy who loved to fantasize? But even so, those things weren't great at all! Who cared about a snake? She wanted to hear about valiant knights, Founder's holy maidens saved by dragons-who'd want to hear about dark abysses and-

Could he be under the influence of some sort of dark spell?

Her Henry?

No! Never! She landed with a soft thump back on the ground and then quietly began to make her way towards his rooms. He'd be asleep in a matter of minutes, of that she was sure -although, he really should think about the servants a bit more. If he didn't go to sleep, then neither could they!

After a short wait outside his door, she carefully opened it just a smudge. There was the flickering of a candle light, and the scribbling sound of quill on parchment. She furrowed her brows, and closed the door silently. This deserved a better look from the outside.

Flying out from a nearby window, she crept just her head past the window's edge of his room, narrowing her eyes as she saw him keenly intent on writing by his desk. Was he doing his homework this late at night? The window was open, and she could hear him mutter, a hand rubbing his tired eyes.

This deserved punishment. He'd get bags under his eyes if he kept this up.

"Then the snake..." he stood up and began to walk back and forth in the room, "What does he say?" he mumbled. "Oh-perhaps...no, no," he shook his head. "Ah." He acquiesced suddenly, "That's it."

He returned to his desk, and resumed scribbling it down.

He then narrowed his eyes as he read through what he had written, and nodded to himself before burning the paper on the nearby candle, heading for the window next.

She hastily flew on the upper side of the window, and watched as her son threw the mostly burned parchment out, before closing the window and blowing the candle out. The tiny strips of paper didn't touch the ground, since with a wave of her wand, she not only recovered the cinders, but managed to reform the whole parchment with a quick spell even as she began to fall down from having lost concentration on her flying spell.

The next second, even while in mid-fall, she resumed her flight with the parchment in her hand, landing back inside the house by the window she had opened prior.

"Dear?" Pierre asked as he saw her enter their room with a piece of paper in her hand. "Did a messenger come by with something urgent?"

"No," she replied firmly, unrolling the parchment near the candlelight by her desk side.

"Uh, very well," Pierre said, yawning as he still looked on curiously at the parchment itself.

Thus, the Abyss devoured the snake. No matter how much he tried, the snake would never be capable of defeating the Abyss that devoured everything. His maws that could devour the world would never be big or wide enough to devour such a great evil, no matter the toughness of his scales, the sharpness of his fangs, the strength of his poison-the cunning tongue, the wits of his brains-even then, he could not win, and thus he did not.

But the snake had done, in his evil ways, many acts of good. He had aided those who needed aid, sacrificed scales to protect those he wished to protect. Certainly, though in the end he was evil beyond doubts, such acts of kindness would be rewarded? No matter the great evil he was, he still acted based on a greater good. He acted because that was what was required. Though he might not like it, though he truly might despise his own self, he still did that.

Thus, although the great evil was not vanquished, a lonely woman stepped forth with fury in her eyes and a bow tensed, ready to unleash a powerful magic, of steel and wind-

Karin blinked as a small smile crept through her lips.

Her little Henry was writing a story using her Rule of Steel, and trying to put Cattleya into it too! Aw...how cute! This was truly cute! He was consoling his sister all by himself using a story! This was-This was truly the cutest thing ever!

"Honey," Karin said, trying her hardest not to gush, "Our son's going to be the greatest knight-captain of the Manticores ever."

Pierre blinked. "He might want to be something else-"

"Nonsense," Karin said with a huff, firmly closing the parchment and putting it inside her bed desk. "He's got a good heart, a good head on his shoulders, and he's going to be catching the attention of all the ladies at court, just you see."

"If you say so, dear," Pierre said with a chuckle. "Though I don't think he'd look as good as you wearing short pants."

Karin grinned.

"You know..." she remarked, "I could have the tailor make a new pair~"

Pierre, inwardly, decided that the next time his son asked for a sip of the wines in his collections...

...he might just allow it.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Eleonore looked quite contrite, which became more apparent as time went on. She didn't snap at the slightest provocation, but it was clear something was troubling her. Thus, as the younger brother, it was my duty to console her, or die trying.

"Big sister Eleonore?" I said as I knocked on the side of the library door, where Eleonore was staying perched on a book she had brought in from some unknown magic academy or library she had visited during her trip. "Can I come in?"

"Yes," Eleonore replied, her lips tight as I stepped inside and neared her.

"Are you all right?" I asked gently, taking a chair and sitting down next to her.

"Of course I'm all right, little Henry," she said with a huff, "Why do you think I'm not fine?" as she said that, she moved her hand to grab my cheek and pinch it. "What makes you think that, uh?" as she moved her fingers right and left, I remained quiet. I didn't moan, or groan, but simply remained quiet, my eyes fixed on hers. Eventually she let go of my cheek with a sigh. "It's that obvious?" she mumbled, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "It's just-I've been offered a post at the prestigious Academy, but with the arranged marriage to the count-" she bit her lower lip. "I don't know what to pick."

I smiled gently. "Can't you pick both? Jean-Jacques' parents-weren't they both researchers for the Academy?"

"The Count isn't really interested in researches," Eleonore sighed, her eyes glancing over like a teenager in love. "Still-it doesn't concern you, little Henry."

"I think it does," I said with a huff. "You're my sister, and family matters concern me, because we're family, right?" as I said that, I grabbed hold of her hand with my left, and patted the back of it with my right. "So-if you want, I can talk with mother. I'm sure I can get her to agree."

"Oh, really?" Eleonore said, her eyebrows both rising. "And how would you go about it, uh?"

I smiled. "That's a secret. Just...tell me what you want to really do, big sister."

Eleonore chuckled, shaking her head as she ruffled my hair. "You're a good kid, Henry, but mother's not that easy to convince. Also, studying at the Academy for a woman-it's not something nicely seen by the rest of the court. You know what they say about Wardes' parents? That they were fools for following the research of his mother-that sort of thing, for someone with weak nerves like a woman, it's obvious it will result in madness-"

"Then you should be fine, big sister," I replied with a grin, "You've got mom's nerves of steel," I said with a knowing nod. "So, really, you've got nothing to be afraid of. And if someone says anything bad about you, then I'll duel them to the death," I added sweetly, receiving a blinking stare from Eleonore, who then giggled in turn, before flicking my nose with her index finger.

"Why! That's so improper of you to say, Henry! Seriously-you're reading too much stupid stuff, I guess. That's not what I'd want." She shook her head, but with a warm smile on her face. "You think I can convince mother?" she murmured next.

I nodded most wisely. "I'm sure you will."

Eleonore swallowed her nervousness, and then nodded.

That night, at dinner, Eleonore broke the silence by bringing her argument forth.

"Mother," she spoke, "I received an invitation to do research in the name of the Founder at the Academy."

"I see," Karin said. "Have you not planned to marry the count next year?"

"Yes, but considering this great opportunity, I was thinking of waiting," Eleonore said, "Doing research in the name of the f-"

"Eleonore," Karin said flatly, the temperature in the room cooling noticeably, "How long do you intend to wait? You are at an age where getting married should be your primary concern." Unspoken were the words I'd like to see cute grand-kids soon.

"I understand," Eleonore said, "But something like getting married, it can be done later, can't it?"

"It can," Karin said, "But you should speak with your future husband about it, not me."

"As the one with the highest title, he'd do as I say, but...since I'm not married, it's up to you if I can go or not, mother," Eleonore said. She bit her lower lip. "So...can I?"

She didn't even bother putting up pretenses and asking father, because though the title of Duke belonged to Pierre, it was obvious who was wearing the pants in the relationship. I waited with bated breath. I knew the end result would be an obvious yes, but still-

"No," Karin said in the end. "The Academy isn't a place for you, Eleonore." Unspoken were the words because I really want my grand-kids soon. "Viscount Wardes' parents are proof enough of it-"

Ah, so it wasn't because of the grand-kids, but because of the worry for Eleonore's sanity under pressure. This must have been brought forth from the increased presence of Wardes in the lives of the Valliere family, which in turn meant-oh well, brother Henry, to the rescue.

I swallowed the contents of my goblet, letting it land on the table softly.

"I can handle the pressure!" Eleonore said.

"That is what everyone says before they are put to the test, Eleonore," Karin said firmly.

"Mother," I spoke, "Eleonore can handle it," I said as I swallowed my nervousness, Karin's eyes now on me. "I'm sure that, if she just feels pressured, she can always come back home and get married then-giving her a chance, it won't hurt-she's yours and father's daughter, so she's not as weak as to go mad from whatever she researches...and if she researches innocent stuff like statues and fountains-then, what is there to be worried about?"

"Is that so?" Karin said. "You would research statues and fountains at the prestigious Academy, Eleonore?"

"Ah-Yes!" Eleonore nodded swiftly. "I promise I'd do that-"

"Even if the head of the Academy asked you to do something else? What then? Would you refuse and come back home immediately?" as soon as Karin said that, Eleonore, bless her heart, didn't immediately answer with a yes ma'am, yes indeed! but flinched slightly.

It was all the confirmation Karin needed, and as she opened her mouth to speak-

"I might rethink going back to the academy for my third year," I said abruptly, making Karin close her mouth sharply, her eyes now moving towards me with something behind them that I understood was some form of implicit acknowledgement of what I was doing. "The more it gets closer, the time of my departure, the more I'm thinking it might not be a good idea-"

"Brother-" Cattleya's voice came as a murmur, but I simply gave her a small smile.

"So...I mean, it's still not decided, but..."

"I see," Karin said. "Certainly, having you at home might lift some of my worry," she clenched her hands, "Very well then, Eleonore, unless I change my mind sometime soon, you'll be allowed to go."

Eleonore blinked in surprise, and I simply smiled.

I kept on smiling even though I was crying inside.

The things I did for family.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Fifty-Nine

After dinner, I spent most of the time before bed sitting on the edge of my mattress, looking at the flickering candlelight with half-bored, half-dead eyes. My hands were clasped together, and as I took a deep breath, it was pretty obvious I'd have to rethink some of my plans.

Raven tapped with his beak from the outside, and as I hopped off the bed to open the window, he flew in and dropped on the edge of my bed, flapping his wings and preening his feathers.

"You enjoyed your night flight?" I asked him, leaving the window open and sitting back at the edge of the bed. "Sometimes I'm peeved you aren't a bit bigger," I said to him as I moved to scratch the back of his feathered head. "You'd be like a fluffy black hippogriff."

"Sorry," Raven cawed, rubbing his head against my fingers.

"Don't be, it's not your fault," I said gently. "I like you just the way you are," I sighed. "Well...I'm sure we can look at this through a positive outlook," I nodded most resolutely. "I get to spend more time with Louise, and Cattleya," I hummed. "I can smooth out more of mother's edge, and try to infiltrate father's secret porn stash hidden in the cellar," I blinked. "So..." I grinned. "It's all right."

There was a knock on the door outside, and as soon as I gave permission, Cattleya came in pushed by a servant who swiftly excused himself after leaving her by the side of my bed.

"Brother," Cattleya said with a huff, "Really! After everything you've done..."

I grinned, "It's all right," I said with a chuckle, "Since I could do something about it, then I did. Who says that a younger sibling can't look out for an older one?"

"You won't be sad?" Cattleya mumbled, "Not being able to see your friends?"

I shook my head. "I'll have my cute sisters to take care of," I grinned. "I'm sure Louise will be delighted, but if you don't want me here..."

"I didn't say that, brother," Cattleya said with an offended whine, patting at my arm with her hands, "but..." she gripped my arm with her hands, "It's unfair that brother has to do this, even after everything he went through to go back..."

"Now, now," I ruffled her hair. "It's fine. Noblesse Oblige, sister, Noblesse Oblige."

"That's stupid, and silly, and wrong!" Cattleya huffed, shaking her head. There were tears in the corner of her eyes now. I sighed in disbelief, and hugged my poor crying sister a bit, rubbing the back of her head gently.

"Think of it this way," I whispered. "I make more people happy by doing this sort of thing, than by not doing anything. I wouldn't be happy seeing Eleonore unhappy, so...rather than make the two of us unhappy, it's better this way," I rubbed the side of my cheek against the side of Cattleya's head. "You know I'm a big softy and a lover of happy endings, sister...do you really think I'd stand by and let anyone be sad on my watch?"

Cattleya gently shook her head, wiping her tears away. "Hey, brother," she whispered. "Could you tell me a story?"

I hummed, and then gently obliged.

"This is a grand tale of a blond-haired magical knight, in a far away land known as the land of the leafs, ruled by a wise old monkey..." as I began to narrate, Cattleya calmed down considerably, until she finally closed her eyes and held a content tiny smile on her face. Perhaps she was kind of glad herself I had decided to stay. Whatever the reason, she really was a kind young lady.

If Jean-Jacques made her cry, I'd rip his spine out of his body and use it to play drums with his skull.

The next day, I hummed contently even as I spent the morning memorizing chants under Eleonore's supervision. She looked firmer than ever, as if to prove to mother that she had what it took.

"Henry," she said suddenly in the middle of the lesson, "yesterday during dinner...are you sure?"

I beamed her a smile. "I don't know what you're talking about, big sister," I said with a chuckle, "you've convinced mother pretty much on your own. I'm sure she'd have folded eventually. I just thought it was the right time to voice an opinion I had-"

"Don't you lie to me, little Henry!" Eleonore said with a snap, grabbing on to my cheeks with both of her hands to pinch them. "Why you! You stupid little brother! Where is it written that you have to do stuff like that, uh!? I heard from Cattleya and Louise, how you fought with mother! Seriously, when I heard what happened, you made me grow white hair on the spot!" she huffed, wobbling my cheeks up and down, right and left. I didn't give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry out in pain, so she eventually stopped -even though my cheeks were burning slightly.

"It was just a phase," I replied, "And then I realized I was wrong, so-"

"Right, right, if that's how things are, then fine," Eleonore said once more, before grabbing me by the scruff of the neck and giving me a tight hug. "There you go," she grumbled, her fingers rubbing my head. I blinked at the sudden gesture of affection, but remained quiet through it.

I had a lopsided grin on my face as she broke it off, huffing once more. "Now get to memorizing these chants before mother thinks you're skipping on them."

"Sure," I said with a grin. Inwardly, I was cheering. Eleonore wasn't that much of a challenge to smooth when compared to Karin, and I had successfully managed to weather her down to the point where she actually gave hugs, rather than just suffer through them.

Things were looking up.

"Also, how long is your familiar going to act like a bat?" Eleonore remarked, pointing her slender finger upwards to where Raven was standing on the ceiling.

I blinked and then nervously smiled. Eleonore's eyebrows furrowed as her eyes suddenly lit with understanding as to why my familiar would be there.

And my familiar's eyes glinted as, with dully theatrical precision, he flapped his wings and came down right on the desk to grab at the parchment of evil and death, ripping it to shreds with his talons before stopping right in front of me, with a kind of protective expression that only the most loyal of guard dogs could ever hold. Then he spoke, and his voice was filled with firm desires of justice, of equality and of fraternity between birds and masters.

"Shank the bitch!" Quoth the Raven. "Valhalla awaits!"

"Henry!" Eleonore yelled, her expression going from soft to hard within seconds.

"You'll never catch me alive," I said most seriously, as the famous Gramont method of escape saw me fittingly appear in the kitchens, much to the servants' surprise.

"This way, young lord," the chef said, gesturing towards the backdoor, "It's the same path your grace's father takes when valiantly retreating."

I knew it.

I knew there was a reason I liked the servants of my households.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Sixty

After the floors had been repaired and I had been caught by mother's quite fast manticore, I found myself having to re-memorize all chants. Even those I actually did remember. "Somehow, this isn't what I imagined would happen," I grumbled as I did my best flatworm impression against the floor of my twin sister's room, a tiger peacefully resting its head on my back, while an eagle shrieked at Raven, only for Raven's glare to silence the foolish bird and make it hop away.

"Come now brother," Cattleya said with a giggle, "It's not that bad."

Letters promising to spring me from my prison were rapidly replied to -especially Anthoine's, with my mother actually ensuring I wrote word by word what she wanted me to tell him. It wasn't that I wouldn't have written something similar to what she wanted me to write, although perhaps I might have added a line or two about sending relief packages.

The door clicked open, allowing Louise inside. The faint smell of smoke accompanied her, even as the sniffling girl rushed into the arms of Cattleya. "Oh my," Cattleya said with a concerned voice, "What happened, little Louise?"

"I failed again!" Louise sniffled, "Even after all that studying-and concentrating-"

"Then perhaps your destiny is to make explosions," I remarked from my spot on the floor. "Ever thought about that?"

"What? I...big sister, why is big brother so mean?" Louise muttered, tears in her eyes.

"Wait! Wait!" I said hastily, standing up and raising both of my hands, "I didn't mean it like that, Lulu!" I walked closer, getting down on one knee next to her, "What I wanted to say was that if the only thing you can do are explosions...then, perhaps, you should try doing one properly," I smiled. "Tomorrow, how about we work on making an explosion so big and shiny that even mother won't be able to hold herself from saying how pretty it is?"

Louise's sniffles began to stop. "You think she'll like it?" she hesitated, "If it's really big?"

"I'm sure she's going to love it," I answered with a smile.

Of course, I was also glad there was no sort of protect the trees organization, or they'd have my hide.

"Now, Louise..." I said with a deep breath the next day, as we both looked at the patch of land in front of us, where only rocks, grass and a couple of trees rested. "As you know, a mage's Willpower comes from within ourselves, just like our affinity to an element. Rather than try this method, I'm going to stay right behind you," I said with a small smile, "And you're going to bring your wand up like this," I said as I lifted her wand up. "Now...when you normally fail in casting a spell, you create an explosion."

Louise nodded, her eyes clearly revealing her extreme concentration on the subject. She was such a cute blob of moe that I couldn't help but want to hug her tight and squee, but I couldn't, because I was in teaching mode. Thus, as a teacher, I had to be strict.

"You see that tree?" I said calmly, pointing at a lonely, innocent tree.

"Yes," Louise whispered.

"Now, I want you to hate it."

Louise blinked, and then stared up at me with a cute frown. "What?"

"That tree, right over there...hate it," I said gently, turning her head to stare at the tree. "Strong emotions, like sadness, happiness, anger-they act as a sort of catalyst with the Willpower of a mage. The fires an angry mage emits will be hotter than those of a sad mage, and a happy mage's flame will burn brighter, rather than hotter," I grinned. "So...if we want to make your explosions big, then you need to be angry...so, hate that tree."

Louise blinked once more. "But...it's a tree, big brother," she said. "How am I supposed to hate it?"

I snorted. "I don't know...perhaps because...it's an evil tree?" Louise's eyes widened. "It's such an evil tree that, if it's not removed by sunset, will force me to tell mother that you're to go without dessert henceforth. Forever."

Louise's skin paled, "No! Not that-brother! You can't be so mean!" as she yelled that, I smiled gently.

"Oh, but it's not my fault, Lulu! The evil tree is telling me to do it! You must save your big brother from the big bad tree! Only you can do it!" I brought a hand to my chest and sighed, "I can feel it, his powers are too strong! Soon I'll tell mother that my poor sister Lulu is to go without dessert, or her favorite foods! No more tarts, no more sweets!"

"No! No! No!" Louise yelled, shaking her head vehemently. "You've got to fight it, big brother!"

I smiled, and then grinned at her. "Too late, you fool! Now I, the Evil Tree, will tell everything naughty you've ever done to your mother-"

Louise's eyes began to turn red and puffy as she spun, pointing her wand at the tree in question. With her wand held high, she began to...well, babble, mostly. "You're a big, bad evil tree and I hate you! Give me back my brother! Explode! Explode! Explosion!"

There was a crackling sound, which soon was followed by a pop, like that of a sizzling soda kept under shimmering heat and rocked back and forth before being opened with devastating consequences for the fool in question. In this case, I was the fool, but I didn't really care.

A blinding light of sorts engulfed the evil tree as a thundering explosion swiftly followed. As bits and pieces flew in all directions, I gave an appreciative look at the remains of the poor plant, and then glanced down to where Louise was gasping for air. This was the sort of skill and ability that Karin possessed in the Wind department. Even without the proper incantation, an explosion meant to be an explosion actually produced results.

Kind of like when she tried a fireball, and instead blew up a chunk of the vault of the Academy by simply reciting the fireball spell.

A tree which didn't even have any hardening spells on it was simply wet paper waiting to be ripped to shreds, and as I affectionately rubbed Louise's head, I hummed happily.

"Louise," I said gently, "No matter what anyone will ever tell you, if they give you trouble-just blow them away. Try not to kill them, though."

"Are you..." Louise swallowed, "are you all right, big brother?"

"Sure," I said with a chuckle. "And I'm proud of you, Lulu."

The beaming smile Louise sent my way was enough to rival the rays of the sun, even as she proceeded to hug me really, really tightly.

"So now..." I hummed, "Who wants a piggyback ride?"

"I do!" Louise yelled excitedly, "I do!" and with that, I pulled her up by the sides and onto my shoulders.

Although I'd be gone by the end of the year, hopefully a few more times of making her like her explosions might go a long way.

And if it didn't, I'd teach her just how to properly treat a familiar, or a commoner. Basic human decency and rights and all that stuff would do great good to her...before I got my hands on Hiraga Saito in private, of course.

Oh, the things I'd tell him.

Oh, the things I'd do to him.

 

[shadenight123]

The current age of the characters is something like this:

17-18 for Henry/Cattleya
19-20 for Wardes
21-22 for Eleonore

Louise is currently in the 9-10 bracket.
While Isabella is in the 11-12 bracket.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Sixty-One

The lands of Agincourt were beyond the black forest, which stood firmly into Germania's territory. One who wished to cut the distance would take a straightforward air road, but with the Germanians patrols simply waiting for a diplomatic accident, the wisest course of action was to take the roundabout way through the Gallian border. Of course, being the wise person that I was, I did precisely that.

I had no intention of starting any shitty war with the Germanian over an unauthorized border crossing, so I made the turn on the back of Freedom.

The reason for my presence in the lands of Agincourt was that I had been invited to spend a few days of holiday together with Isabella inside her mansion, doing pretty much nothing but getting to know each other better. Also, I had been told to bring along Louise, since Isabella was there with some playmates of hers and she wouldn't feel lonely, and so there we were, riding atop my manticore.

"Are we there yet?" Louise asked, looking at the horizon with a sour expression on her face.

"No," I replied.

"And now?" she asked once more.

"Lulu, you're my cute little sister, but keep asking that question and I'm going to make this trip far more exciting than it has to be," I said with a chuckle, rubbing with my free hand Louise's head.

"Uh?" Louise blinked, furrowing her brows as she pouted. "But it's boring."

"Boring is good," I said. "Boring is nice. Silence, peace, quiet contemplation of nothingness-enjoy the wind, the clouds-"

"I'm here too!" Raven cawed by our sides, flapping his wings to keep up with Freedom, "I like the wind! Wind nice! I like master more!"

"Raven," I said with a scoff, "I told you to call me Henry when we're alone or with close members of the family."

"Henry!" Raven cawed with delight, "I love you!"

Louise giggled, "I hope I'll get a familiar as nice as yours, big brother," Louise said, "Maybe something strong and powerful, like a manticore! Or a hippogriff!"

"I swear," I grumbled, "If mother allows it, then I'll have words with her about playing favorites."

"Uh?" Louise mumbled.

"Nothing, Lulu, nothing," I said hastily with a small smile on my lips as I plopped my chin down on the top of her head. "I'm sure you'll get the best familiar ever-the strongest one too," Louise giggled at my words, but I simply kept my smile on. "So they'll be able to protect you no matter what happens."

"But I've got you, big brother," Louise said. "You'll protect me too, right?"

"Of course," I said with a chuckle, "But your familiar will be your trustworthy companion, and as long as you treat them well, they'll do the same to you."

Halfway through the trip, a group of dragon knights rose from the ground and began to escort us, the scales of their dragons light blue. By the time we landed inside the courtyard of the majestic mansion fit for a Duchess, Isabella was already outside waiting for us. Normally, I would have had to take a carriage and bring along attendants, but in this circumstance I had easily passed on it. There were more than enough servants in Isabella's mansion to take care of Louise -and by extension myself, even though I didn't actually need them.

"My Henry!" Isabella said with real delight, a bright smile on her face as I dismounted first, before helping Louise get down next.

"My dear Isabella," I replied with a smile as I knelt in front of her, taking her proffered hand and mimicking the kiss -apparently, differently from common conceptions, one did not actually kiss said hand. "I have missed you." Not really, but neither was I actually against meeting her. Just, well, she was a kid, and I had no interests whatsoever in a kid.

"Yuck," Louise mumbled, "you're acting like Wardes and Cattleya," she shook her head, even as behind Isabella a few young girls -Charlotte among them too- came forward with tiny giggles. They were either Isabella's age or younger, which made it clear that I was probably the oldest one present here...

And this didn't look good, it didn't look good at all.

On the plus side, as long as the children enjoyed themselves, I could take my time petting Raven.

I am not bad with children, let's be clear. On the other hand, if I have to choose between dealing with children or reading a book, I'd take the book a hundred times over.

Louise soon began to play with the other kids, while I gratefully kept Isabella company by sitting at an aptly prepared table by the courtyard's side, refreshments brought out soon after. There was even a pitcher filled with coffee, which I was served without even having to ask for it. It was pretty clear Isabella had remembered that.

"How have you been, my dear?" I asked as I smelled in the cup of coffee, sighing in relief as I took a sip of the beverage.

"The land is nice," Isabella said with a huff, "But the mansion's a bit too small for my tastes. It's barely as big as Petite Troyes, and the rooms are half the size," she sighed. "Thankfully I brought my servants with me," she added. "The place was well kept for being under direct control, thank the gods." She propped something like two dozens sugar cubes into her own coffee, soon followed by an abundant dose of milk and honey.

I smiled at that peculiarly cute attempt to imitate me, and gingerly exhaled. "Liking coffee is an acquired taste," I said offhandedly, "Sometimes, it's best to wait a few years and try again later," I hummed.

"Oh look, your sister is waving at you," Isabella said with a small smile on her face, to which I answered by turning my head most politely, also quickly ignoring the clinking of platters and exchange of cups, before turning my head back to watch Isabella sip at her cup without a problem in the world.

Though somehow, she had transformed the milk, honey, sugar and coffee into tea.

Truly, what a master of the craft of subterfuge.

I smiled even as she spoke quite plainly, "You missed it," she said with the most flawless poker face she could ever muster. I simply chuckled, shaking my head and taking a sip of my coffee.

"Also, I've found something interesting," she said with a smile. "The Al Delaware district directly under the Agincourt title -it's got a lot of Zelkova trees! It's quite the profitable business venture," she added with quite the vivid interest, making me blink in surprise. Oh, well, if she had a liking for entrepreneurship, then- "but mostly, you can make the most beautiful furniture out of it!"

"Uh, I understand," I said. "But isn't the forest inhabited by Winged Men?"

"Nothing a group of knights can't clear," Isabella said with a huff, "Primal magic or not, once their nests are all broken up, I challenge them to come back," she added with a smile. "I want the finest of furniture set up for my mansion, and then the palace-when we'll marry, we'll need everything new-" as she began to speak about just how many chests and cupboards she'd have made, I inwardly reeled in at the thought of how many trees would be cut.

I smiled through all of it, but Raven cawed from his spot high in the air, and then departed swiftly.

My familiar had received new orders, and as my most loyal retainer, he'd execute them.

Hopefully, things would go down peacefully.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Sixty-Two

The Black Forest was an aptly dark place, especially at night. My footsteps crunched the branches below my feet, my breathing even. The moons were shining down at their full strength, making it unneeded to light a torch to see. Also, Raven flew in front of me, showing me the way. The Zelkova trees were really large trees, similar to baobabs to be honest. Atop them, the Winged Men preferred to make their nests during mating season, although they called them nests, they were similar to large wooden houses.

Considering Raven had returned intact and with a positive answer, it was only just I headed there as soon as possible to explain the reasons for requesting an encounter with them. The silence of the forest was oddly calming, rather than scary. Then again, when you have magic there's little in the world you need to fear except people who can use your magic better.

The hooting of an owl was accompanied by the breeze growing slightly stronger in front of my face, before it broke off, revealing a winged creature that had nimbly descended from the top of the forest's treetops. Raven made a circling motion, and stopped only once it landed squarely on my shoulder.

"Hello?" I said gently, lifting a hand in a sort of wave. The winged man was wearing a simple piece of cloth, and didn't look much interested in small talk. On the other hand, he didn't look angry either. Just, you know, bored or perhaps sleepy.

"What does a human want with us?" the winged man asked, quite to the point.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that there are plans of cutting down the Zelkova trees near the Gallian border, and if you'll try to stop them, they're going to come with a lot of mages to throw you out," I said, "Which...well, I think it's unfair, but I'd rather it didn't come down to that."

The winged man raised an eyebrow. "How is this different from the norm? You humans always come, always hunt our nests down, and we always allow it. Why would this time be any different?"

"Aren't you...you know..." I blinked, "Aren't you kind of angry about it?"

"Even if we are, the spirits do not wish to be used for fighting, so we won't. It's simpler to relocate deeper into the forest," he said.

"But, eventually, you're going to be running out of forest aren't you?" I remarked.

"The spirits will see to it," the winged man spoke plainly, "Was there anything else you wished to say, human?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Well, see-right now I can't stop the trees from being cut down. But one day, I might have land of my own to administer in Gallia. If that happens, and you'd like to have somewhere you can live without having to move further away due to your nests being cut or burned, well-just come see me, all right?" I extended my hand in a friendly handshake. "Name's Henry, Henry Philippe La Blois de la Valliere, and...well, if things keep going like this, I'll be the future prince-consort, or king, or whatever I'll be called. Kind of like a tribe leader, if it makes any sense to you."

The winged man looked at my outstretched hand, and then at me. "You are a strange human."

"Well...I just want to think of myself as an open-minded person," I answered with a smile. "Also, I don't like violence either."

The winged man nodded, and then flew off, leaving my outstretched hand still there in the air. Well, fair enough.

My walk back happened without much of a fuss, and as I yawned, I allowed Raven to once more scout ahead. This way, I avoided the knights patrolling the premises of the house and made my way right below the window of my room, as Raven stopped on the edge to look inside.

With the coast clear, I flew my way inside and then proceeded to undress, putting the clothes exactly where the servants had deposited them when they had undressed me earlier that night.

Afterwards, I closed the window and quietly placed myself under the sheets of my bed, humming softly as I yawned. Sleep soon claimed me, followed by dreams of flight, of starry skies and of burning bonfires around which people danced. It was a nice dream, one of the many that a crow like Raven could have had during his life flying around.

When I woke up the next morning, it was to the soft weight of Raven on my chest, the feathered bird having decided to nest directly on me. I sighed as I rubbed the back of his spine, hearing him croon in his half-asleep state.

The program of the morning consisted of a horse ride with Isabella, of hearing her play the piano, of waiting a few hours in the same room as her as she went about her accounting-like business, and then we'd spend the afternoon pleasantly chatting in the gardens.

That was the plan, and it worked perfectly, without a hitch. No assassination attempts, no evil monsters popping up, nothing of the sort that could endanger any of us, and thus when the days of holiday came to an end, we bid each other farewell with a smile on our faces.

"Big brother," Louise said once we were airborne once more, headed back home through the roundabout air path while being escorted by the dragon knights of Gallia, "it was fun!" she said with a smile. "Can we come back and play with Isa again?"

I sighed and nodded. "Of course," I said with a smile. Days spent doing this were days I couldn't spend writing, or nights I couldn't work in my man-cave expanding it, or reinforcing the walls, or experimenting with new chants-but still, if it made Louise happy, if it made mother happy, if it made everyone else happy-

Then I'd allow it.

Still, my next book to hit the shelves would be a delight to read.

After all, nothing touched quite the heartstrings like the beautifully haunting tale of Anastasia.

The Gallian knights couldn't escort me all the way back home, but then again once in the Tristain lands, there was little to fear. A lonely knight atop a manticore was quite difficult to track down, unless you knew where to strike. Also, I changed my path going back explicitly to ensure there would be no funny shenanigans occurring from some overeager noble's attempt. This sort of meetings were low-key, and unless a knight of Isabella's retinue spoke, it was unlikely that a plot might ever be hatched to see me dead.

Time thus passed, neither slowly, nor quickly.

Under mother's tutelage, I achieved Triangle, though it wasn't really something I could be happy about.

Because, barely a week later, Lutece's bells rang from the joyous event of the marriage between Henry Philippe de la Valliere, and the Duchess Isabella De Agincourt de Gallia.

Thus, my life in Tristain came to an end, and that in Gallia began in earnest.

Thankfully, my concerns for Isabella's health and youth allowed me the respite of not having to consummate the marriage until she was older, and surprisingly, Joseph approved of it.

Somehow...I had the inkling that he didn't wish for past mistakes to be repeated.

Everything was going better than I expected.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Sixty-Three

It was honestly fun being a Prince-Consort. Especially with the current King still being alive. Although the one in charge was at the present time Joseph, most of the nobles of Gallia looked up to Charles for solutions to their problems. It was pretty obvious how a troublesome civil war could start if something went wrong during the division of power, but I could hope things kept themselves as low key as possible. For the rest, I mastered the art of being the trophy-husband, leaving everything that didn't directly require me in the hands of my lady wife.

She might have been young, but truly...she was a shark. Perhaps, due to the fact that I gave her the responsibilities rather than simply let her have all of the fun in the world, or perhaps because she had been given land to administer-she wasn't bored. She was never bored.

I, on the other hand, had to actively find stuff to do in order not to bore myself to death, although as long as I had quill and parchment, I was set up for life. Parties and celebrations happened with a near weekly timetable, if with different nobles, and for different purposes. Whoever said royalty had more free time than the rest should have been shot dead. I wasn't proper royalty, but pretty darn close to it, so all of the rules applied.

Which included forks, and spoons, and no outwardly show of most of the basic human emotions needed to appear as a normal human.

"I'm not really in love with formalities," Joseph said one day as he called me into his office within the palace, a small crown over his head signaling his status as a regent, "So, frankly, I've been told it would be best to give you something to do lest you drink the royal cellars empty," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. I hadn't as much as touched the cellars once, so this was quite the low blow, Joseph. "I know, I know, they're fools thinking you could manage such a feat alone, even I am not that mad," here Joseph chuckled, and then filched from the top of his desk a hefty looking parchment, "So, here you go. Stuff to do. Go do it as much as you want, or as little as you want. I don't care."

I raised an eyebrow, and then grabbed the parchment in question. "Oh well, if it isn't the County of Brittany, the area filled with problematic Protestants," I hummed, "Having me hunt Fire Dragons in the Fire Dragons Mountains was too easy for me to handle?"

"The difference is that I like fire dragons, but I'm not an enthusiast on religious matters," Joseph said with a snort, "I don't care if you crucify half the population and burn up the other half. Seriously, just as long as they stop prattling to me that something must be done-I'll tell them it's your responsibility now."

I nodded, "Them being? The local lords of the area?"

"And the priests," Joseph grumbled. "And the village heads, and pretty much every single lord that lives in those lands is tired of the commoners fighting each other over gold bits on clothes and not."

I hummed, looking at the parchment and mentally counting the plots of land I actually had the right to investigate and give orders to and..."I'm going to need men for this."

"Sure, take the knights of the East Lily, they're pretty flowers, but they can work if you plant them correctly," Joseph spoke with a smirk on his face, only for me to shake my head in answer.

"No, not knights," I said. "I want commoners. Cavalry and muskets," I turned thoughtful. "No other knight, or mage, if not me. If the commoners see magic coming their way, they must know it is mine and mine alone, or belonging to their lords."

"Oh, very well, have your theatrics," Joseph said with a huff, "No pikemen?" he asked next, curious about my lack of mention of the main commoner force within an army.

"Pikes in villages are simply trouble, give a musketeer a bayonet and he'll be useful no matter where he is," I answered plainly, and to that Joseph nodded and wrote on another piece of paper before apposing his signature and royal symbol upon it. From within his desk, he actually pulled out a small baton of sorts, with small staves decorated over it.

"There you go, now make sure I have less headaches to suffer from," Joseph remarked, passing me over a parchment and the baton that apparently marked me as a new Marshal of Gallia, and to that I nodded and bowed once before leaving. "Also, how about we have a drink together when you get back?"

"Then I'll endeavor to finish this quickly," I answered with a smile, waving with the baton before closing the door behind me soon after. The hallways of the palace of Lutece were wide, tall and long. Mostly, there were rich carpets softening the footsteps and paintings of blue-haired royalty standing in poses across most of the corridors, but decorative suits of armor and stuffed exotic or magical animals weren't that uncommon either.

"This mission is shifty," Raven cawed from the nearest window, his beak clacking once as he shared my thoughts. "The Henry Inquisition-they will never expect it!"

"Yeah, yeah," I nodded towards him, making the baton twirl gently with my fingers as a tiny light appeared at the far end of it by my command. I reckoned it could act as a makeshift staff of sorts, but I preferred my swordwand. "Isabella?"

"Learning magic! The Pink Room with Teapots! Third floor, second corridor, fourth door," Raven cawed, and as I grinned and patted his feathered head as thanks, I began to walk my way there. Flying out of the window and then knocking at the right height was considered crass, rude, uncouth and definitely non-royalty approved, thus I couldn't do it.

I knocked at the door in question, and then politely entered once invited inside.

"Ah!" Isabella exclaimed, quickly standing up with a smile on her face, "my love!" Joseph dared give me the theatrics bullshit, but his daughter was pretty much permanently fixed in such a state where she'd act like a cheap B-movie actress trying to interpret the role of a loving wife. If it weren't for her earnestness in doing such things as holding my hands and looking up at me with wide star-filled eyes, I'd think she was playing me for the fool.

On the other hand, this Isabella was quite earnest, so she was honest about her actions.

"Hello there, my dear," I answered with a smile of my own. In the corner, the private instructor stood up from her chair and bowed, the your highness pretty much obvious. "I won't take much of your time," I continued. "I just thought it would be best to tell you ahead of time that I'll be leaving for the County of Brittany to deal with its religious problems."

Isabella balked slightly at my words, and then she looked at the baton resting under my arm. "Did father...did he nominate you a Marshal?" she looked back up at me, "Is the situation so bad there is a need to mobilize the army?"

"No," I answered with a grin of my own, "Nothing but strongly worded letters yet, but I rather prefer to carry with me a big gun and not have to use it, than go unarmed and face hostilities. Also, he did say I could torch the countryside down if I so wished...but I'm not going to do that. You wouldn't like ruling over torched grounds, would you?"

"I most certainly wouldn't care," Isabella said with a sigh of relief, "As long as you're kept safe, you can tell the soldiers to do whatever they want with the commoners. If father's fine with burning them down, then just do that if they oppose you too much."

I blinked, and then inclined my head, "That's...not going to happen," I said quite gently. "Commoners they may be, but...it would be too cruel."

Isabella exhaled and shook her head, smiling softly. "Maybe so! But I don't like this-" she huffed, "will you be taking the knights of the Eastern Parterre, or those of the South Parterre?"

I shook my head in answer, "No knights, only part of the army. I do not want this to be seen as the nobles oppressing the religious views of the commoners, so I'll have commoners capture the troublemakers."

"I don't approve!" Isabella yelled, much to my wincing, she planted a hand right against my chest, "At the very least, you need a honor guard of sorts! Going without any is foolish!" she narrowed her eyes, "I'll have some knights prepared and ready to follow you by tomorrow. You will not go without proper escorts."

"Just as long as they're few in numbers, dear," I said. "You tend to exaggerate sometimes."

"I do not," Isabella huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest and looking sideways, her chin raised high.

"When I cut myself with paper, you wished to see the head of the servant who brought the blank parchments to me detached from his neck," I said with a drawl. "That, my dear, is exaggerating."

"Still," she grumbled, "You're too lax. That's why I have to worry for you too. If I don't, then you'll fall head first in a pit or something, and probably laugh rather than cry for help. I'm sure you'd even excuse the guy who made the pit in the first place, you and your bleeding heart."

"I am a soft-hearted person," I said with a nod of acknowledgement, "But this and that are two different things, Isabella."

"I have lessons to attend to," Isabella said in a murmur, "But I expect you in the gardens to keep me company before dinner, since you won't be here by tomorrow."

I bowed, and gingerly claimed her hand for a kiss on the back of it, "Very well," I said with a smile. "It will be my pleasure."

And with that, I left Isabella to her own devices.

Honestly, I had done this to see if she had already acquired the command of the knights of the North Parterre or not, and not simply because I didn't want a knight guard. On the plus side, the travel to the County of Brittany would take a few weeks by foot that would bring me away from most of the complications of court. While I could reach it by flight, the army that I needed to rally would march by foot for the most part, and thus I couldn't outrun them.

Although, it might take even more than that. When I said that I'd get a few soldiers, I meant that I had to spend most of the day sending servants to the barracks, to the royal armory, and then get more along the way.

I wanted to put the fear of the Gods into those imbeciles that thought that fighting over decorative ornaments was worth the risk of getting crucified, or burned to the stake. Even worse, if the Pope felt like it, he could ask for a squad of mage knight to deal with the problem personally. The only reason it hadn't happened had been because somehow, Joseph didn't care about the Pope, and in Gallia, his word was law.

I didn't feel the same for Charles however, which was quite the pity.

Charles believed wholeheartedly in the cause of the Gods, in the Promised Land, in making Gallia great and in so doing, he stood amidst those firmly in the camp of the Pope's beloved. Joseph was more of a Protestant, but largely because he believed that if a priest wants to hold mass, then he needs only his voice, and not also the wealth associated with it.

It was a unfortunate situation, but if I managed to solve this with minimum fuss and lack of bloodshed, then perhaps I might get some support, which in turn translated to giving Joseph support for the crown.

If one is stupid, after all, then he must simply surround himself with smart underlings.

Oh hell.

Since when did I start rallying for Joseph?

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Sixty-Four

I think it was Napoleon that said that a successful campaign involved ninety percent marching, and ten percent positioning. Whatever the reason, King Joseph had allowed the movement of a couple hundreds of men from the local garrison, and with the baton that marked me as a Marshal of Gallia, I had the dubious privilege of requisitioning more from whatever lord I came across if I so wished.

Hell, if I really wanted to make enemies, I could pretty much tell them to suck it up and get armored, because they were coming to the front-lines with me. The baton of the Marshal was pretty much similar to a Rod of Absolute Command, if without any magic associated with it. A wave of this, and any random noble in the street that swore fealty to the King would hurriedly follow, since otherwise they'd be marked as traitors of the crown.

Of course, it was always better to simply accept what a lord gave you, rather than requisition from them.

The lands of Gallia were beautiful to behold. Lots of rivers, forests, mountains-the entire country was a beauty unlike any others, and as I couldn't help but admire the countryside, a nearby knight with a crimson rose etched over his armor drew nearer. He was middle-aged, with salt and pepper hair, if by pepper one intended a light hazel-like color.

"The knights are wondering why the army is necessary, your highness."

"Lord...Castlemorre," I said, remembering his name. "The reason is that I wish to avoid bloodshed. My hope is that at the sight of overwhelming odds, if anyone wishes to act as a troublemaker, they'll rather surrender. I sure hope there won't be the need to spill any blood," I smiled. "My dear wife thought I might be in danger though, but rest assured, except for protecting me, you will not have to do anything else unless the situation drastically changes."

"As the knight-captain of the Eastern Rose, whatever is to be done will be done, your highness," Lord Castlemorre said plainly, "but going so slowly, won't the troublemakers know of our arrival?"

"It's what I'm hoping, honestly," I said with a sigh. "That way, if they go into hiding it is because they have something to hide, and if they do not, then they'll face us head on. In matters of religion, I have found that the best key to deal with it is a mixture of moderation, and a firm hand."

Lord Castlemorre perhaps didn't share my ideas, but he didn't voice an opinion, nor a suggestion, thus I let him be.

The County of Brittany was divided in small areas under the control of various petty nobles, who normally made their castles the hubs of commerce throughout the region. Isabella had explained it once, but it hadn't become clear what she meant until I saw it with my own eyes.

In this world, whenever there was trouble, a villager sent a letter to his village head, who in turn sent it to his lord, that in turn mobilized his knights, or called for the knights of a greater still lord. If the troubles reached a certain point, they sent a letter to the king himself, asking for his knights to provide aid.

I had expected the situation to be resolvable not with ease, but at least with a modicum of decency.

I hadn't expected the stakes to already be filled with the burned corpses of Protestants in the town square as we went by it, headed for the castle. The sour look in the people's faces told me everything I needed to know about how much they enjoyed such a thing, even though some were relatively happy. Honestly, whenever there's misery, extremism brews. So, if you want to avoid extremism, rather than burn people to the stake, start burning pigs and cows and giving food to everyone. The Romans might have crumbled, but they knew the truth of the world.

A population with a full stomach and entertained has no reason to rebel to their government, or to as much as lift a finger to right a wrong.

"It appears Lord Nantes has taken things in his own hands," Lord Castlemorre said, his lips twitched in displeasure from the sick, cloying smell that hung in the square. "He must have left the carcasses there-"

"Have them cut down and buried," I said flatly.

"They must have been excommunicated-"

"By the local clergy, but unless the Lord here has a letter signed by the church of Romalia, he had no right to a Heresy Inquiry. Thus, they are still our brothers in the faith, misguided as they might have been," I drawled, locking eyes with the Lord in question. "Rather than leave their bodies to be eaten by the vultures-have them cut off and buried. It's an order, Lord Castlemorre."

The middle-aged knight nodded, and then gestured to a few musketeers who sharply saluted before rushing to execute the order.

The citizens looked on with puzzled, or perhaps glad looks -having to sleep or live with the smell of rotting corpses in their squares might not have been the best thing for them.

The city itself was called Naintais, and while it wasn't big -and definitely stayed into the village bracket- it still had a few amenities that many smaller villages lacked, like barracks, an official church, and stuff like that.

The Lord of Nantes was a portly man with a pair of thick mustaches, hair orange -I had stopped bothering about the bizarre colors that the genetics of this world brought forth, but still, flamboyant orange had been a color I had been missing from my roster up until now- and with a severe sweating problem. He arrived in the middle of the square with a small retinue of soldiers, who however remained uneasily back at the sight of my own men -or perhaps, at the retinue of knights that escorted me.

"Lord Hugh Nantes?" I remarked from my manticore, Freedom staring at the man like someone would a tasty marshmallow, drips of saliva actually falling from his tongue. Bad manticore, you can't eat the noble. With all of the cholesterol in his body, he might just give you a heart attack.

"W-What is the meaning of this?" he said hurriedly from atop his horse -the poor beast panting already from having been pushed to a gallop, "I gave orders to keep the corpses in display! I don't know whose knights you are, but-"

I raised my baton and very, very calmly waved it right and left in front of his eyes. The paling of his skin made it clear he at least understood he was in no position to counterman any of my orders, and his own retinue actually took a few more steps backwards, as if to say he's the one you want, right? We're just commoners, and we're going to do our very best to become part of the furniture, or the landscape. "The letter, Lord Nantes," I said flatly.

"The...the letter?" the man mumbled.

"The letter from the Church of Romalia that allows you to do a Heresy Inquiry," I said calmly, "The permission of the Bishop and a letter from the Church of Romalia allowing it. Do you have both?"

"The Bishop-he said to go ahead," the Lord said.

"I understand," I nodded, "But the permission from the Church of Romalia?"

The man began to sweat visibly more, clasping his hands together. "They were commoners-certainly for such things-it was quicker this way."

"Better to ask forgiveness later, than permission? Is that it? Are you telling me you did this on your own? Lord Nantes, this isn't how things work. The Crown deals with this. Do you understand? Do you have any heirs?"

"Ah-yes," he nodded, "My beautiful daughter, Clementine! Would her grace, the marshal, like to meet with her?"

"No," I said flatly. "It's unfortunate," I sighed. "Really unfortunate." I raised a hand, and the musketeers formed a line right in front of me. First row down on one knee. Second row standing up. At that, the retinue of the Lord took a few more steps back. While some of them perhaps had a musket or two, the vast majority that had followed their lord was made of pikemen. "Lord Hugh Nantes, in my name as Prince Henry Philippe de la Valliere, marshal of Gallia, you are under arrest for the unlawful execution and burning of innocents."

The lord's eyes widened as no words left his open mouth. He shivered quite violently, and then hastily turned his horse kicking it as hard as he could, trying to escape. He could have surrendered, but he was probably scared senseless.

He couldn't hope to corrupt a Prince. If it had been any petty noble, or simply a bunch of knights-

"Shoot him down," I said, and the muskets did so.

The line of bullets traveled forward, impacting more than once against the horse, and the noble's back. As he fell down, a cry left his body even as I neared, the line infantry breaking up to allow me passage. The retinue of the lord didn't even bother rising to his defense. Honestly, they were far more busy kneeling and keeping their eyes down.

"You shouldn't have run, Lord Nantes," I said calmly. "Unless...is there something else you wanted to hide?" the soft groaning that came from the body riddled with bullets told nothing new, even as Lord Castlemorre drew near.

"Your grace-permission to use Water Magic?"

I thoughtfully looked at the bleeding noble, and then at the citizens that had gathered at the sound of gunshots to stare from the windows, or at the edge of the square.

"Why? I was going to sentence him to death anyway," I replied as I raised a hand. "Citizens of Naintais!" I roared, and my voice came out as strong as possible, making the commoners flinch. I had good lungs for a reason. "Henceforth, your territory is under direct control of the Crown of Gallia! The house of Nantes is from this moment forth cast into misery!"

"Permission to at least end his sufferings?" Lord Castlemorre asked as I finished speaking to the people gathered in the square.

The whimpering of the lord on the ground -it actually made my blood boil. What right did he have to meow like a simpering kitten, when he had burned people to the stake like slabs of meat? Did he think he'd get off this easily? Did he think I'd let him get away with this if he pleaded strongly enough?

"No," I said flatly. "You," I pointed at a random musket-wielding commoner, "Come forth." The man widened his eyes as he did so. "Affix bayonet."

"Y-Your highness-" the commoner actually stammered, understanding dawning on him.

"Affix. Bayonet."

The man did so.

"Your grace!" Lord Castlemorre exclaimed, "At the very least-"

"Lord Castlemorre!" I snarled, turning my sight on him. "Death on the stake is one of the most horrible deaths there can ever be!" I growled, my hands clenched tightly. "I will not have any of the subjects of this reign, be they commoners or nobles, think for just one second that using it wrongly will be approved by either me, or the Crown! So I want this to be remembered, and I want you to remember it." I narrowed my eyes. "The day we leave behind the laws that make the Kingdom of Gallia strong and just is the day we lose more than just our honor," I raised a hand towards the commoner, who swiftly affixed the bayonet. "It is the day we lose any right to call ourselves nobles! And thus-if we lose our right as nobles..." I brought my hand down, and the commoner obeyed, the last whimper of the lord coming with the choking on his blood, "Then we must die like commoners."

I took a deep breath and turned my sight away from the dead Lord. "Your name," I said to the commoner.

"Ah...ah..." the man looked at the bloody tip of his bayonet, and then up at me. "Arnold-your highness!" he hastily lowered his gaze.

I nodded. "Next time I tell you to affix bayonets, Arnold," I said calmly, "I expect you to do so without being told again." The man shuddered, head low. "That said," I continued, "job well done. Return to your post."

"Y-yes, your highness!" and with that, he marched hastily back in place.

I hummed as I looked at the silent crowd. "Now," I said with quite the calm tone, "did he say something about the bishop?"

Lord Castlemorre recovered his composure surprisingly fast.

Though by the time we reached the church, he was honestly expecting me to burn it down to the ground.

Silly Lord Castlemorre...

...you really know nothing of the Rule of Steel, do you?