Friends Who Became Villainesses

By Henry Cobb

Chapter Twelve: Hunting Incident

"Amy, I have been invited to what I believe qualifies as a 'date'."

She looked up from the letter she was writing in her room, "And you said yes, right?"

"As per Your -- As you have instructed me, I agreed."

"Excellent!" Amy rushed over and intertwined her fingers with mine. "Remember Angie, that all of this is a dating sim with extra steps and that tsundere really doesn't suit your nature. You only have the right to consider saying no if you have something better in hand. Now, who is the lucky boy?"

"Sir Toregres has invited me to a hunting trip to his estate over the holiday, along with Sirs Lehuag and Roslev and Dame Hasiag."

"Oh! We're in the plot now. All four are fifty percenters."

"What is that?"

Amy released my hands and walked over to knock on the maid's door, "Synthia, go tell Ladies Depecia, Yeuxpera, and Malheurfla that I am holding a tea session. And send Miss Chiskei to fetch tea and cookies."

"As Your Highness commands."

Amy then led me to her tearoom and waited until we were both seated before continuing. "Angie, I have told you that the membership of the cult is randomly generated. The dozen fifty percenters in our class have the highest chance of being cult members and each is in the cult in half the games and is innocent the other half."

"So, there is an equal chance that this is a cult plot or not?"

"What? Haven't you been paying attention to Yuki's class? If you had randomly picked these four names yourself then there would only be a one in sixteen chance that none of them were in the cult and also a one in sixteen chance that all of them were. But you didn't select this group, they did. This is most assuredly a cult plot and if one of them is innocent then this is only because the cult has picked them to take the blame for what they have planned. The most suspicious item is the inclusion of Hasiag. I can see an innocent explanation for bringing in one of the three dames in our class to keep this from looking like a total sausage fest. They could have used one of our several daughters of barons instead, but somehow they wanted to keep it down to knight rank."

"Do they intend to kill me?"

"I doubt it. Not after you've put in all this hard work for them to name yourself The Saint. If they offed you then they'd need to grab Miss Chiskei away from my grasp, and then promote her to the public as The Saint. I don't think they're that stupid."

"Will they kidnap me?"

"There is a slight possibility of that, but they haven't laid the groundwork to abduct one of us two yet, and it's way too early to put their end game into motion. So, I doubt that."

"They why do they want to separate me from you at this time?"

"They want to get to know you better and possibly try to recruit you into their cult. If they do then you will say yes, of course."

"What?"

There was a knock at the door, then the three friends entered without waiting for a response.

"Daiya!", Amy turned to Lady Depecia, "You won't be returning home this weekend."

"What did Angelica do this time?"

Amy switched to their Japanese language as she spoke to her friends, but her gaze was on Benci, as the younger girl brought in the tea and snacks, placed these on the table, then withdrew.

The four friends continued their conversation for a while then Amy turned and spoke to me in the Common tongue. "Angie, by a three to one vote we've decided to recruit you into the cult. We'll need to go over how you will respond when they ask various questions of you. For example when they ask how I've mistreated you reply that I have you sleep like a dog on the floor, torture you every day, laugh when you cry out in pain, and have carefully adjusted my techniques so that your healing power erases every mark before you appear at the academy."

"But Amy, you wouldn't do any of that!"

"I wouldn't, but Princess Amesombra would, and we need to hide that we four are more than we seem. Note that you will use that response only for that one line of questioning. We'll need to train you to respond in the ways that they expect and then we'll test your ability to wing it when they respond to what you say. Next up is your relationship with the church. Who wants to handle that? Yes, Daiya."

The discussion continued through the evening and Amy had dinner served for us all in her tearoom, as the four "isekai" wove for me a narrative for me to paint them as vindictive monsters who seemed to draw breath only to cause me distress. The most disturbing element of their discussion wasn't when Amy complemented the anguish I felt at saying such lies for completing the act, nor when it became clear to me that they were not inventing these lines as they went along but instead reciting them from well-practiced memory, no it was the sick feeling in my gut that the alternative version of myself that took pleasure from her cruel attentions that Amy had spoken of might not be too far away from myself.

After dinner the three ladies excused themselves in order to return to their dorms before the curfew. Yeuxpera and Malheurfla also said they needed to prepare to present their classes the next day. This later point bothered me and as we settled into bed, I lay on my back to continue the conversation. "Amy, why are your lady friends giving me such a distorted picture of themselves for me to recite, while showing such a different face to the students at the academy?"

Amy reached out to hold my hand. "The less public evidence there is for what they want to believe the more the rank-and-file cultists will firmly hold on to this obvious evidence of suppression of the truth. This also gives strong reasons for the cult leadership to keep my friends alive to provide what they see as irreplaceable service for the society they will strive to build from the ashes of my kingdom. Their plans for all five of us will ensure that they dispose of none of us before their scheme blows up in their face or is hopefully prevented."

Friday afternoon after classes I met with Amy in the Palace stables to go over the plan then once she had left summoned Yinshou with my power and put saddle and packs on him.

I then rode across the city square to the Academy stables where I met with the four alleged conspirators. I saw that Lady Depecia's mare Jumentbru wasn't there.

Sirs Toregres and Lehuag led the way along the road. Dame Hasiag rode aside me, and Sir Roslev followed behind us.

We rode out of the captial and then along the fields to the west for a while until Dame Hasiag asked "Miss Pureheart, where did you ever find a unicorn?"

I then replied as I had been instructed. "Princess Amesombra abandoned me to be torn apart by wolves, but Yinshou saved me and has been with me ever since. Her Highness has expressed jelousy that Yinshou refuses to let her ride him."

"Oh? Is that because of Her Highness' Black Magic nature, or is there something else about her?"

"I do not know, as Yinshou is just a unicorn and hence doesn't speak."

Yinshou snorted at this.

"In what other ways has Her Highness mistreated you?"

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"Oh, please forget I said that. I'm not permitted to speak ill of Her Highness."

"Rest assured, Miss Pureheart that we're all your friends here. Your secrets are safe with us."

"I would not wish to give Her Highness cause to strike down my friends."

Dame Hasiag frowned at this then continued. "Where did you get replicas of the bow and dagger we then saw on the statue of The Saint in the dungeon?"

"Her Highness had these made for me."

"Why did she do that?"

"She says that it amuses her. She likes to play Saint and Demon Lord when she ties me up and ... Please forget I said that."

"What do you think of the prophecy that The Saint will soon return?"

"I trust in the teachings of the church that The Saint destroyed the Demon Lord and hence has no need to return. If I ever encounter the ghost of The Saint, then I would have many questuions about how to properly use White Magic."

"The Demon Lord was not destroyed."

"But the church says -"

"That is just a cover story to placate the masses. The Saint merely sealed the Demon Lord away for a while and now the church scrambles to find a replacement for The Saint."

"Even if she were a fake, I'd still like to meet this so-called Saint."

Dame Hasiag paused for a moment then replied, "Yes, I'd like to meet her too."

We rode in silence for a while as I pondered what I had recited wrong that had failed to advance the conversation to the next point.

That evening we stopped at an inn that was on the edge of the "capital duchy" whose barons served under the royal family directly, rather than through a duke. I offered to pay for a room, but Sir Toregres insisted on paying for a room for himself, a room shared by Sirs Lehuag and Roslev, and a room shared by me and Dame Hasiag.

When we went upstairs Dame Hasiag opened the door to our shared room and said. "Miss Pureheart, the window faces east, and the room is already dark. Please excuse me while I buy some lamp oil from the innkeeper."

"No need." I summoned a wisp light and flew that into the room.

"You must have spoken that incantaion very softly."

"I didn't use a chant. It's a very simple spell."

"Well let's put our things away quickly, before your strength runs out."

"I can maintain this simple light all night, but generally sleep in the dark. If Your Dame requires a light throughout the night I can maintain this level or dimmer even in my sleep. I used to fear the darkness Her Highness would plunge me into, but I overcame this when my power awakened. Oh, please forget I said that. One moment away from Her Highness and my tongue has become so loose. Whatever shall become of me?"

"Which bed do you want?"

I did a quick mental calculation then said, "I would perfer the bed on the left, if it pleases Your Dame."

"That's fine, but can we please forget my modest title and just speak as friends on this trip, Angelica?"

"As you like, Hasiag."

We dropped off our bags and returned downstairs to sit at a table with the three boys. As all four served under different barons, and those under two different dukes, it was unclear to me how they ranked relative to each other, but the boys seemed to defer to Dame Hasiag. She told the boys that titles were forbidden during this trip, and we should all treat each other as friends, and they nodded to this.

I found that the one lamp the innkeeper hung in his common room provided little light so I resummoned my wisp light. After the meal when we returned our dishes to the innkeeper, he asked me. "Excuse me, mylady, but might you be the one called Pureheart?"

"Yes, I am Miss Angelica Pureheart."

"Miss, could you please come see my son?"

"Yes, I can spare a few minutes."

"May I come along also?" Dame Hasiag asked.

"Yes, of course." The innkeeper led us to his family area where his wife sat next to a bed on which an eight-year-old boy lay.

"May I examine the boy?"

"What?" The mother asked, but her husband said "It's Pureheart!"

"Oh, yes. Please excuse me, Your Grace." She stood and bowed to me.

As instructed I did not correct her on this and simply took the chair and reached towards the boy.

"Your Grace!" The mother held up her hand. "He has the fever!"

"I am immune." I put my hand on his forehead. "Yes, it is intense. I fear that without treatment he may not last the night. Please bring me a bucket of water and a small clean cloth."

I dampened the cloth and put this on the boy's forehead then took his hand in mind. "Please be very quiet while I focus on this." I closed my eyes and felt for the boy's magical essense. "Is he earth aspected?"

"We are common folk without the powers of the nobilty." The innkeeper replied.

I nodded and returned to my efforts. I gently probed the boy's essense then extended the tiny fraction of mine that would but boster his enfeebled strength rather than overwelming it.

I ignored the gasps of his parents as he began to softly glow and continued my work for twenty minutes. I ended the session at that point not because I was under strain, but rather that he was.

I released his hand, saw that he was now visibly breathing, and turned to his parents. "I have done all I can without the princess. Change the cloth every two hours until the fever breaks."

"Yes, Your Grace." The parents bowed to me.

Back in our room I asked, "Hasiag, may I maintain this light to read for a bit?"

"After that session you are not completely exhausted?"

"Haven't you seen me working all day long in Professor Hirudine's clinc? As I told the parents I did what little I could tonight. Her Highness is much more effective at diagnosing and killing diseases. I can merely strengthen the afflicted slightly."

As I had arranged beforehand the cover of The Companions of The Saint that I read was clearly visible to Dame Hasiag, but she did not rise to this bait.

Instead, she asked, "Angelica, what sort of men do you like?"

I paused for a moment then replied as I had been instructed. "I like Bishop Jules."

"But he is so old!"

"His age has given him much wisdom, and his mind remains sharp."

"Like much of the church he remains bound to anchient doctrines and so pays no heed to the creaping shadows. What do you think of our three traveling companions?"

"They seem to be nice enough boys, and I know that I am supposed to respect titles, but are they not students much like outselves, and not even yet inheirted of their knighthoods?"

"Sir Toregres has inherited his title."

"Oh, how is this?"

"His parents passed away last year from the sleeping sickness."

"I have heard of the toil this has had on the nobility and some merchant families as of late, but I have not seen it in the capital."

"If only you had revealed yourself at the time."

"Revealed what? Her Highness has me put on a light show to suit her fancy and everybody gets so excited. Did you see how those parents reacted downstairs to my own feeble efforts? It's so embarrassing."

The next morning the innkeeper reported that his son had recovered from his fever and had eaten his porrage. "What do I owe Your Grace for this treatment?"

"Her Highness has told me to demand the life of your son."

"What?"

"You are to raise him to be honest, trustworthy, dependable and a loyal subject of the royal family so that when he inheirts this inn he will always run it in a manner that brings credit to the nation."

"Yes, I will do as Your Grace requires. May I display a portait of Your Grace in my common room?"

"Only if beside it you place a portrait of Her Highness that is no smaller, by her command."

"I will do as Her Highness commands."

We reached Sir Toregres' estate just before noon, had lunch there, then set out for afternoon hunting.

Dame Hasiag seemed disappointed that I responded to the small game the boys shot with tips I had learned from Lady Depecia on how to prepare these.

As we rode alone for the moment she turned and asked me. "Angelica, if you were to imagine your perfect man, what would he be like?"

I thought for a moment then responded as Amy had told me. "My ideal man would be slightly mature, well learned, and with a commanding presence who would lead my way through all the confusion of the world. As a commoner I could not hope to be the wife of such a man, who would surely already have claimed a bride of his own, but I would happily serve as his mistress." I tried to smile dispite the disquiet in my gut at what I had said.

"Well, I think you might just meet the man of your dreams."

At this point Dame Hasiag's horse reared up and threw her against a tree, narrowly avoiding a snake bite at his foreleg.

I had just barely registered all of this when I noticed I had drawn my bow and shot a glowing arrow when the head of the snake exploded.

Dame Hasiag's horse galloped off and I dismounted and walked over to her. "Hasiag, are you okay?"

"My left arm, it hurts."

"Hold that steady please."

At this point one of the boys galloped up and asked. "What happened?"

"Lehuag, Hasiag's horse threw her. Please find me a suitable pair of sticks to prepare a splint." I then turned to my unicorn. "Yinshou, please bring Dame Hasiag's horse back here."

Yinshou nodded at this, sniffed at the location the horse had reared up at, then set off at a trot.

Once Dame Hasiag's arm was in a sling I adjusted the bone as Amy had taught me then cast a healing to mend the bone back together.

We returned to Sir Toregres' estate where we rested the rest of the day.

On Sunday the boys went hunting again while I stayed with Dame Hasiag who was still pained by her arm. Without Amy there was nothing I could do about the pain itself as White Magic sharpened senses, while Black Magic dulled these. Dame Hasiag's gentle probing gave way to ranting about the poor state of the nation and how this was all the fault of the royal family, whose sins were exposed by the birth of the princess of darkness. As instructed, I did not object to this, but instead paid careful attention to the names that Dame Hasiag mentioned.

We spent the holiday on Monday on a slow ride back to Mursol. I said farewell to the four of them at the city square and returned to the palace, where I found the four friends gathered in Amy's tearoom.

I gave my report and Lady Depecia filled in the details of what had been said that I had forgotten.

"Lady Depecia, I did not sense your presence at any point during this trip."

"You can sense non-shadow aspected creatures now?" Amy asked.

"Not as far as yourself or Yinshou, but the magical essenses of your three friends are especially intense."

"Angie, I think I have the edge in detection range over you, but it is easier to see the light from the shadows."

Tuesday at the Academy I overheard Dame Hasiag explain that her arm was in a sling because she had broken this in a riding accident, but that The Saint had healed her, and she should be fine in a day or two.