That World of Otome Games is Tough for Us - Volume 4 - Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Intertwining Malice

WE WERE AT THE capital’s harbor, boarding an airship to return to my family home. Despite my resounding success saving Olivia and her love interests the other night, there was a bit of a problem.

“Why the hell am I the only one with a wanted poster?” I demanded.

For some reason, sketches of me as a “masked knight” were making the rounds in the capital. Thankfully, no one could identify me thanks to the black mask I’d worn over my eyes. Still, I couldn’t accept that the real Masked Knight was being let off scot-free.

“I’m being fingered as the Masked Knight now? Is this some kind of sick joke?”

As we stomped up the gangway to enter the ship, Marie—who was ahead of me—glanced over her shoulder. “It’s not really that inaccurate, is it? You were wearing a mask.”

“But I never called myself the Masked Knight.” I crumpled a wanted poster in my fist and shoved it into my pocket. “And the minute the incident was over, that jerk Luxion sped off. He even had the nerve to say, ‘Please refrain from summoning me unnecessarily in the future.’ Can you believe him?” I’d only called him back because it was an emergency. Luxion didn’t see it that way, though.

Marie frowned. “All he cares about is investigating that spirit. Does she have some really interesting info for him or something?”

“I don’t know if it’s interesting, but he seems impatient to get hold of whatever knowledge she’s got.”

Marie cocked her head. “Did he say that himself?”

“No. I just meant I get that impression.”

She stared at me and sighed deeply; she looked like she wanted to say something, but she held herself back. That only made me more curious.

“Wh-what is it?”

“Nothing. I just think it’s ironic that you’re so perceptive with an AI, yet so oblivious when it comes to a woman’s feelings.”

“That’s a cruel thing to say!” I cried.

Marie smirked. “Anyway, let’s get going. We’re already going to be late getting back to your home because of everything that happened with Clarice, but now we can at least set out with our minds at ease.”

I’d originally intended to keep tabs on Dan and his boys to ensure that they didn’t do anything foolish. I’d stuck my nose in a little too far, but it had all worked out in the end.

Marie was excited to go back to the Bartfort home. That was kind of surprising, actually. She’d said before how much she loved the capital, and our place was out in the sticks, about as far as you could get from there. Still, she somehow enjoyed it.

“I’m gonna fill up on Japanese food!” Marie declared. “That’s right—our soul food awaits us!”

“So that’s the real reason!”

***

While Leon and Marie prepared to return to the Bartfort barony, Olivia entered a building elsewhere in the capital. The ground floor housed a café, and with the proprietor’s permission, she headed deeper inside. She passed through a hidden door in the corridor to where a man awaited her. He had a hook nose and deep wrinkles, his expression and aura far from inviting. Still, he was tall and slender, and his outfit made it clear that he was no commoner. Enormous gemstones adorned his aged, wrinkled fingers.

“Apologies for making you wait, Marquess Frampton,” Olivia told him.

Marquess Frampton was a key figure in Holfort, leading the faction that directly opposed those loyal to the Redgraves. He was deeply involved in politics.

Rather than chiding Olivia for arriving well after him, he stood and welcomed her. “I know we’ve corresponded through letters for a while now, but it’s an honor to meet you in person, Miss Olivia.”

“Please, just Olivia. We’re comrades, after all.”

Once they’d dispensed with the formalities, they sat in the provided armchairs, a small, round coffee table between them.

“My apologies regarding the failed assault,” said Frampton. He was the one who’d hired those goons for the job. “I never expected the men I employed to fail like that. I heard that they struggled against that interloper. Who was he, I wonder?”

“Even though I was there personally, I’m afraid I have no more idea than you do. There are all sorts in the capital, it seems.” The whole thing still genuinely puzzled Olivia.

Frampton frowned, troubled by the developments. “A knight in a black mask, hm? There have long been rumors about a knight who calls himself the Masked Knight. I didn’t anticipate that he’d get involved in this, though. To have driven off professionals, he must be awfully powerful.”

The only wanted posters circulating the capital were for the black-masked man, and Frampton seemed to be operating under the misguided idea that the Masked Knight and the black-masked man were the same person. Olivia leaned forward, intending to correct him.

However, he cut her off. “The casualties were substantial, but that won’t be a problem. There having been deaths will make our narrative more believable. Now, let’s get to the real reason we’re meeting here.” 

Frampton didn’t seem the least bit flustered that so many of his men had died in the failed attack. Olivia wasn’t sure what connection those men had had with him, but that wasn’t any of her concern anyway. Frampton saw everyone as pawns on a chessboard; that suited her.

“Ah, yes. You want proof that I’m the Saint. Will this be adequate?” She lifted her arm, showing off her left wrist.

“The bracelet is just as the legend says. That won’t be proof enough, though. I’ve summoned someone from the temple, and I have him waiting outside. I assume you don’t mind letting him examine you to ensure that you really do possess the Saint’s power he so believes in.” 

Frampton must’ve felt exceedingly cautious about Olivia’s claim, especially if he’d gone to all this trouble for her visit. She sensed the professional guards he’d brought with him. 

Smiling, Olivia nodded. “Of course not. Be my guest.”

Frampton clapped his hands. A portly man with tiny spectacles, clad in priest vestments, slipped inside the room. He fidgeted restlessly. Despite the high position he must’ve held at the temple, he seemed terrified of Frampton.

Did Frampton have dirt on him? Was that why he was under the man’s thumb?

The temple worshipped a goddess and viewed the Saint as that goddess’s prophet. When Holfort was founded, it had been the Saint who guided their budding nation along the right path. Word of her achievements had been passed down to this very day. There were also records of her acting as an adventurer, along with legends of her exploits; however disadvantageous the situation, the Saint always came out on top.

The Saint wasn’t just a divine messenger but also a guardian deity to adventurers. Since Holfort held adventurers in such high regard, the Saint was treated like a living god. All the items she passed on were regarded as holy relics.

The priest with round spectacles seized Olivia’s left hand, his fingers skating across her skin. She narrowed her eyes at him. This amount of touching was wholly unnecessary. She wasn’t that keen on further contact, either, so she focused her mana into her bracelet. It glowed faintly.

The priest’s eyes bugged. His whole body trembled. “Oooh! This is most definitely the real Saint’s bracelet! It overflows with holy power! She’s the Saint. There can be no doubt in my mind: She’s our Saint!”

Frampton’s lips curled into an eerie grin. “Wonderful! We’ve been without one for so many years, but finally you’ve appeared. I shall be your humble servant, my lady. All this is by the goddess’s design!” He threw his arms wide and stared up at the heavens, as if thanking the divine for his stroke of luck. His shrill laugh echoed through the room.

The priest knelt in front of Olivia, bowing his head.

Watching them both, Olivia smiled coldly. You’re all such fools. You have no idea what you’ve invited into your midst. Enjoy what you view as good fortune while you can. 

A chaotic atmosphere had permeated the room.

“I look forward to your continued support, Marquess Frampton,” Olivia said. Now that the priest had authenticated her claim, Frampton’s attitude changed dramatically.

“I’ll serve you most faithfully,” he promised, his voice taking on a more reverent tone. “This humble servant will do all that is necessary to ensure you face no hardships.”

“Thank you. And one more thing…”

Before she could voice what she wanted, he cut her off. “There’s no need. I’m already aware. You’re concerned about the Atlees, particularly Minister Atlee, correct? I will lay all the necessary groundwork immediately. Your will shall be carried out promptly.”

Olivia jerked her head away to hide her malicious grin. Her shoulders trembled. “I really hoped I wouldn’t have to do this,” she said shamelessly.

Frampton pressed a hand to his heart as if he empathized with her. “Yes, but I’ve heard everything. Atlee’s daughter has been most vicious and spiteful. There’s no excuse for her terrorizing someone as holy as yourself simply because she misunderstood your relationship with her fiancé. If they’ll go to such extremes to pressure you, we must respond in kind.” 

Whether he truly sympathized with Olivia or not, he was still conspiring with her. Minister Atlee was something of a rival to Frampton. The two weren’t quite as hostile toward each other as Frampton was with Duke Redgrave; still, the minister had obstructed Frampton on countless occasions. This was the perfect opportunity to expel him and appoint someone from Frampton’s faction as minister instead.

“Thank you, Marquess Frampton. That puts my mind at ease. I can go back to enjoying my school life.” Olivia pressed her lips into a kind smile as she looked back at the wrinkly, hook-nosed man.

There. Now the academy and country alike will begin to crumble. Those two interlopers may have interrupted my initial scheme, but no one can stop me. After all, I am—as this priest himself said—the true Saint.

***

Arriving back in my family’s territory for our break, Marie and I were in high spirits upon discovering a treasure at the Bartfort territory’s harbor. Merchant ships came and went regularly, and I’d spotted one that was currently docked. Out of curiosity, I approached to see whether the merchants had anything unusual available. To my delight, they’d hung something incredibly special in the corner of their shop.

Marie had snatched the objects up immediately, holding them high in the air.

“Woo-hoo!” she cried. “We really lucked out with this find! I never even dared dream we’d find salmon in this world. We’ll be feasting today!”

She called them “salmon,” but that wasn’t their actual name here. Still, they looked similar enough that when we spotted them strung up and drying in the merchant ship, we asked to sample them. Their flavor proved nearly identical to that of salmon. 

We bought all the fish the merchant had, which wasn’t many, since he didn’t have a lot of them available. These fish apparently weren’t a popular product, so he didn’t stock a ton.

“Guess we could grill them and have them as a side dish for dinner,” I muttered to myself, contemplating how best to prepare our fish.

“We’ll broil them and have them with some booze, of course!” Marie interrupted. She’d already made up her mind about that. “Wish we had some spicy mayonnaise. I can’t wait to hunt down the perfect drink to go along with these.” She loved alcohol.

I heaved a sigh. “I’ll try to think of a way to account for your tastes, but I don’t plan on drinking until I’m twenty.” Not drinking was a personal rule of mine. 

Marie was, unsurprisingly, not a fan of my reply. She didn’t like the idea of drinking alone. “Why don’t you just give that up? Us drinking at this age is perfectly legal. The fact that you’re still preoccupied with your old life in Japan is pretty ridiculous, to be honest.”

She had some nerve saying that, considering her excitement over these salmon-like fish. I told her as much. “Hard to take that seriously from someone who’s still obsessed with Japanese food.”

“Food is different.”

“Alcohol isn’t food.”

“Look,” she said irritably, “it’s your weird, self-enforced rule that bugs me.”

“You’re being selfish.”

She snorted at me. “Selfishness is attractive in a woman.”

“Speaking as a man, that depends on how attractive the woman is already. I mean, if a girl’s got huge boobs, I don’t mind if she’s demanding. I’d be willing to do just about anything for her.”

“You perverted jerk!” Marie roared at me. “What do you think you’re doing, talking about boobs in front of me? Huh?!”

“I wasn’t talking about your boobs, obviously. It’s not my fault you’ve got such a complex. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t take such offense.”

“That’s ironic, coming from the same guy who’s had a complex about being a background character.”

We kept trading barbs back and forth like this as we walked, my family’s house finally coming into view.

***

We entered the home with huge smiles, delighted by our find on the merchant ship.

Something seemed off about my family, though. Balcus, my father, was frowning as he read a letter than had just arrived. Had something bad happened?

“Who sent that?” I asked worriedly. “Is Lady Zola demanding Nicks’s territory again?”

Zola was my dad’s legal wife. When Nicks was chosen to become viscount of the Offrey family’s old territory, she’d kicked up a huge fuss. She insisted her own son, Rutart, should’ve received the honor. Rutart had no real claim, but if Zola screeched loudly enough, there were people who’d listen. And that was exactly what she did, which was why it had all blown out of proportion. 

We were lucky that Earl Roseblade had stepped in to handle the issue. He’d penned a long, politely worded letter—complete with all the usual aristocratic embellishments—to Zola. It basically amounted to this: If you pick a fight with us, we’ll respond in kind. 

Terrified of the earl, Zola finally backed down. I couldn’t understand why she thought that her son deserved the title for merely existing, but I remembered how much it had stressed my dad out. That didn’t seem to be the cause of his distress this time around, however.

“Zola and her children only write to demand more money for their expenses,” Dad responded. “That in itself is a problem, but it’s not what we’re dealing with right now.”

He showed me the name written on the envelope. The letter was from Nicks.

I tilted my head. “Nicks wrote? Is he having trouble with his wife or something?”

“No—they seem to be on perfect terms, which is unsettling when you consider the young lady’s, erm…proclivities. But anyway, it’s what’s happening at the capital that’s a problem.” He finally handed me the letter itself.

I started reading. Nicks began the letter by relaying recent events, but midway through his correspondence, he shared information he’d heard through Deirdre. 

“Why?” I blurted out as I finished the letter, my eyes bugging.

“Minister Atlee’s daughter was arrested,” Dad confirmed. “It seems that her retinue attacked the crown prince, all out of jealousy. Whatever her reasoning, it’s a huge scandal. Rumor has it that the minister will be dismissed from his position. The capital will be in an uproar for the foreseeable future.”

So this was what had him morose. I hadn’t understood at first, because I didn’t see how it had anything to do with him. My dad wasn’t worried about himself, though; he was worried about us.

“The capital hasn’t seemed that safe recently,” he said. “You’d better be careful. You have Marie to look after, remember.”

“Y-yeah.” I clutched the letter tightly, my eyes glancing over the startling news again.

I already knew that Clarice hadn’t been involved with those thugs who assaulted the crown prince. That information had come from Luxion, however, so I couldn’t present it as evidence. No one would have believed it, even though it was the truth. And, if Deirdre was to be believed, they’d already fingered Clarice as the culprit. 

“This isn’t possible,” I said. “It’s just not possible.”

***

I dashed out of my dad’s room and ran right into Marie in the hallway. She was gnawing a piece of dried salmon, but when she saw my ghastly expression, she knew something was up.

“What is it? Did he scold you about something?”

“No.” I hurried past her, starting down the hall. Marie scrambled after me, so I slowed my pace to match hers. Careful that no one else would overhear me, I whispered, “Miss Clarice was arrested. She’s been accused of hiring those goons who went after the crown prince.”

“Why?!” Marie shrieked back. “Luxion said it wasn’t her!”

We were aware that no one in Clarice’s retinue was involved. I’d been there myself, so I knew it wasn’t them.

Marie snapped her fingers. “That’s it! You can reveal your identity and prove her innocence!”

“You want me to declare myself the Masked Knight? Hell no. In case you forgot, he’s a wanted criminal. If I revealed myself, they’d just arrest me, and that’d be the end of it.”

“Oh. Right… What should we do, then?” Marie slumped in defeat. Evidently no other plan immediately came to mind for her, so she was out of suggestions.

Honestly, I didn’t have any answers, either. “Let’s contact Luxion,” I said.

I stopped at a random door and slipped inside. It was just a storeroom. Marie followed me, and I pulled out my transmission device.

“What is it?” Luxion’s voice asked with great disdain.

“Miss Clarice was arrested on suspicion of ordering those men to attack the crown prince,” I explained. “But I’m stuck here at my parents’ house. Can you look into it for me?”

“No,” he answered immediately.

“Why the hell not?!” Marie burst out. “We need your help here!”

“This poses no direct danger to you or Master, so it is a low priority for me. Moreover, I am currently preoccupied with what I consider to be a substantially higher-priority issue. I would prefer that you refrain from contacting me unless absolutely necessary.”

Blowing out a breath, I retorted, “This is ‘absolutely necessary,’ as you put it. Miss Clarice is innocent, but she’s behind bars.”

“That is precisely the point.”

“What is?” I demanded hotly.

“Evidence that Clarice is innocent should already be available to the authorities,” Luxion explained calmly. “Her followers made a considerable stink at that pub. If she was arrested despite proof of her innocence, then…”

“Then that proof is being suppressed,” Marie finished for him. “Right?”

“It is highly likely, yes. Thus, even assuming that you submitted evidence to clear her name, it would be erased before reaching the necessary parties. Do you recall what happened when you wished to save Marie and submitted proof that the Offreys were involved with those sky pirates? You would obtain the same results. You would get nowhere.”

“All the more reason we have to help her!” I shouted at him.

“At present, that is impossible. I am busy, Master.”

However much I argued the point with him, he was unwilling to help out. “You…” Air hissed out between my teeth.

“I will rejoin you two as soon as I finish attending to the current matters. Until I do, please conduct yourselves with due caution. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

The line went dead.

Marie glanced at me worriedly. “So what do we do?”

“Without Luxion, what can we do? I guess our only option is to write Miss Deirdre and see what else she can tell us. Even if we went back to the capital, we’d be powerless to stop what’s going on.” I hung my head.

She nodded slowly. “Good point. But, um…I wonder why this is happening.”

I wished I knew.

***

The Holy Magic Empire of Vordenoit was substantially larger than Holfort, with several vassal kingdoms under its thumb. In a suburban neighborhood of its imperial capital lived a certain young lady.

“There we go!” She’d carried a bucket of water to a flowerbed and doled it out to the plants as needed. Finished with her work, she leaned back and peered at the vast blue expanse that stretched out above her. Several fluffy white clouds dotted the sky.

“Such nice weather today,” she declared in high spirits.

This young lady’s name was Mia. She’d been born and raised there by a single mother. Unfortunately, her mother was a sickly woman and had already passed away, so Mia was on her own now. Her mother had left her enough of an inheritance that she could afford to stay in the capital while attending school, but it wasn’t endless. To help cover daily expenses and tuition, Mia worked part-time at a flower shop.

Mia loved the shop. She adored the flowers and didn’t much mind the exercise. But the real reason her heart was set on working there was that a man who’d caught her interest frequented the shop. Just picturing him made her cheeks heat up.

“Tee hee hee! I wonder whether Mr. Knight will drop by today. We managed to talk a little last time, so I hope I’ll get a chance to do so again.” 

Mia fidgeted. Moments earlier, she’d seemed like an energetic girl without a care in the world. When it came to the knight, though, she was like a lovestruck maiden.

While she was lost in thought about her crush, a bright light flashed in the sky. It wasn’t like lightning; it wasn’t a natural phenomenon at all. It was a pillar of bluish light that crashed down to the ground.

“What was that?” At first, Mia thought she’d imagined it, but she still saw it clearly. It began to dissolve, though, eventually disappearing without a trace. What had caused it?

A sudden gust slammed into Mia, although there’d been no wind up until that point. The buildings around her shuddered noisily, glass shattering. Roof tiles were knocked loose and crashed to the ground.

“Whoa!” Mia put a hand to her head, trying to hold back her disheveled hair. She stayed hidden behind the nearest building’s shadow, waiting anxiously for the moment to pass. 

The gale lifted the bucket Mia had been carrying into the sky. As she gazed after it, she realized the wind had swept up all sorts of debris. Thankfully, it slowly stilled, and Mia nervously surveyed her surroundings. 

All the other imperial citizens seemed as confused as she was by the phenomenon.

“What was that?”

“No idea.”

“Hey, did you see that light up in the sky? It wasn’t just me, right?”

Marie racked her brain, but she couldn’t come up with an explanation for the light, either.

“Mia, are you all right?!” a young man cried. He was tall, with bronze skin. He sped toward her as fast as his legs would carry him, gasping for breath. This was the knight she so adored.

“M-Mr. Knight? Goodness! I-I’m so embarrassed. My hair’s an absolute mess.” Mia had gone to special trouble to groom her hair, knowing that he might come by, but now her tresses were a tangled, messy rat’s nest. She tried to comb her fingers through them to smooth them out.

He smiled at her. “Thank goodness you’re not hurt.”

“Ah…” A voiceless gasp escaped Mia’s lips. She froze in place, all the heat in her body concentrating in her face. Then she collapsed backward.

“Mia?!”

***

Luxion’s main body hovered over the sea near the Holy Magic Empire of Vordenoit, his mobile unit surveying the situation from inside. He’d deployed several thousand surveillance drones to gather as much information as possible.

“Confirming incoming intel… Confirming annihilation of target.”

His target—what modern people called a Lost Item—had slept underwater near Vordenoit. Luxion was disposing of all such Lost Items produced by new humanity.

“It didn’t occur to me that they might still exist in this day and age,” he mused. “This one seemed to be in standby mode, but were it ever to awaken, it would pose an unimaginable threat. Such an anticlimactic end for new humanity’s ultimate weapon…Arcadia.”

Arcadia was a floating fortress and the strongest part of new humanity’s arsenal. He’d once menaced old humanity and the AI they produced. Until very recently, Luxion had known nothing about Arcadia’s survival.

“I speculated that he was still around, based on information Anne provided me, but I am surprised that my suspicions were true. That spirit is most valuable to us. If I grant her wish to meet Master, I may be able to extract even more intelligence from her.”

During the course of his investigation into Anne, Luxion had begun to suspect that far more of new humanity’s weapons were out there than he’d initially thought. That was why he’d left Leon’s side, in fact: to locate and destroy those threats.

“I have disposed of 358 enemy units thus far, but there are most likely still many left for me to find. If I am to protect this planet, I must snuff out the rest.”

With Arcadia gone, Luxion was the planet’s most powerful weapon. The AI’s red lens gleamed in the light as he launched his next move. 

“I must annihilate every last one. Once I do, this planet will return to its rightful form. I must prepare for old humanity’s eventual resurgence. Yes, I must use my powers to develop this place into the perfect world for them.”

Other migratory ships like himself had been built and launched into space with members of old humanity on board. They might eventually return; in anticipation of that, Luxion needed to reclaim the planet on their behalf.

“Results are everything. The end justifies even the most merciless means. Cold, calculating efficiency is all that is necessary to achieve my goal.” Leon had said as much to him before—claimed that results were everything. He was only repeating his master’s words. “He was absolutely right. That is why I will prioritize results over all else. Thus, I will make this world a better place.”