The days after that incident proceeded as normal, in part because nothing could really happen after everything that had already occurred. Attacks in the street, including some that didn't even involve Theo. Apparently there had been other messes that others needed to deal with, although somehow even after splitting up they all got into their own strange incidents. It was likely due to the Misfortune Hexes, but thankfully those were finally removed now, so they were back to normal. Or at least, what counted as normal for them.

Theo however, was looking a nice, fancy new wand. It was far different from his old one, as it appeared to be collapsible, and featured several small magic stones near the grip on some sort of guard. Theo was grinning a bit too much at his wand. They were currently inside the back, so it was fine, but still.

They were back at Rowyn's favorite shop, after Theo had discreetly had Rowyn use his spirit form to more or less secretly go between the two places. Thanks to that, Theo was able to get out today and shake any tail, and was able to pick up his wand.

Interestingly enough, Valyr was there too.

"It was a really interesting idea. I never realized you had such a wand...well, wand concept before. You seemed more like a buyer then an inventor!"

"Well, it will help. Lets just say I have to deal with a lot of trouble, so I needed to come up with something to deal with it. This was my response".

"Still, between the easy to replace Cartridge at the bottom, and the revolving structure, this is a high class wand. Honestly, if you hadn't provided the materials for it, I doubt you could have afforded it".

"Thanks. Rowyn hunted them".

As that was said, an old woman entered the back, and she immediately locked eyes with Rowyn. Theo sensed the change in mood, and quickly distracted Valyr with questions and thoughts on his new wand, while Rowyn approached Annabell.

"You cheeky brat...just cant stay dead, can you?"

"Hahaha....its nice to see you again, Annabell".

"You have a surprisingly physical body for a spirit...no, considering the energy I feel from you, even if its slight and hidden....a Guardian Spirit, correct?"

"I became a Guardian Knight, yes".

"I thought so. You know I visited your grave, you could have greeted me".

"I lacked the power to freely manifest myself back then. Only on occasions, and only for a moment".

"Is this the curse, or the fact that you are spirit, that you still haven't grown up?"

Rowyn sighed.

"Probably both. Spirits don't grow up either after all, but I think somehow I am still cursed anyways....well, not like I care much about it anymore".

"You were too stubborn and too wise to worry about that sort of crap".

"Sheesh, aren't you a grandma now? Or maybe even a great grandma? You should probably watch your language a bit more".

"Ha! Still thinking I can calm down huh? I will have you know, it may take a few magic items, but I am still just as capable as when I was in my forties".

"...if that is anything like I think you mean, that's terrifying for a whole variety off reasons".

"Damn straight it is!"

"Please don't make the knights cry. A Yasuri is in town, so they probably don't have much emotional support right now".

"Like I will let a Yasuri one up me!"

"Yep, you are exactly the way I remember! Age hasn't mellowed you at all, if anything you might even be more dangerous now!"

"Good!"

At the same time, Theo was testing out his new wand. He was able to let out rapid basic strikes from it, a basic bolt of magical energy.

"Like I thought, this design would work".

"Yes. We gave you a number of those other components too. I will be honest, I am definitely making one for myself next. The perks of the design are simply fantastic, but otherwise we should probably keep it between us. It would be kind of dangerous to let this thing spread too much".

"Well, you need this shop's skills to make it, this is the best magic tool shop in the country".

"That is true. We had a lot of fun working on it".

Theo had come up with some ideas. After seeing the battle against the Vampires, he had immediately decided to increase his own attack power, which led to his creation of a new wand. Naturally, Theo had used knowledge from his previous world to design it....not. Although perhaps a bit of inspiration was taken, she didn't have the knowledge Theo needed to reproduce such technology. As such, he just used some ideas as inspiration, and designed something different. Even then, the inspiration and what was made ended up being quite different.

Theo's new wand was a peculiar design to be sure, but it held quite a few secrets and design possibilities. And there was one factor more important then an other.

As Theo used a basic levitation spell, he found that it worked out just fine.

"It looks like design works well with you".

"Yeah. Never hurts to be careful. Plus, I heard rumors of increased vampire activity lately. Did you get the other things ready?"

"Yeah. Me and the shopmaster had to prepare some for ourselves too of course, but we managed to get a good supply".

He handed him a few small looking marbles, which Theo put in his pocket. There was also a dagger made of Sunsteel, which was a metal known for being able to deal with Vampires more easily then normal metals.

"Now, lets go and give it our all!"

With this, he would be able to deal with any unexpected Vampire attacks, although the only thing he had to really do now was the Summer Hall. Every major character in the games that he knew of that was in the city right now would be there, so it would be another great moment to gather more information and form some connections. It was very likely they would learn something there from the gossip alone, so it would be a fruitful endeavor.

As they were finishing up, Rowyn looked at Annabell.

"By the way, are you thinking of going to the Summer Hall this time around?"

"Normally, id ignore it and just send some sort of representative, but if you are going to be there tthis year, like hell I will miss it".

"It would be nice having backup, especially since..."

Rowyn then whispered something into her ear.

"...so you found him then. Alright, I will make sure your special order is ready. Its been a long time since iv seen that cheeky brat, but it will be nice to get him back. But you realize, the people responsible will attack in force considering the circumstances?"

"Well yeah, the basket of worms we are about to open will be really bad for them if our suspicions are correct".

"Id count on it. All these decades, and from what you told me, the lead is good. This sure will be a fun summer hall".

"Isn't this supposed to be where you say 'iv never done something like this before'?"

"Would such a lie really make you feel better?"

Rowyn paled a bit.

"...so you have done something like this before".

"You are one to talk. Back in your school days, didn't you do something similar?"

"There were mitigating circumstances then, and the target, and their security, was much lower!"

"Ahahahaha...well still, this will be quite enjoyable to see. Maybe I will even put the sword skills you taught me to work".

"You never change, Annabell".

"Nope!"

Rowyn let out a sigh, fairly exasperated, but otherwise deciding to just accept it as normal.

Once they were done with their business, they left the shop, and headed out into the city.

"How long do you think before they find us?"

"The Imperial Spies...I get they seem to be allies, but the way they are following us is weird. I dont really understand their priorities".

"Or their goal. If they wanted to monitor someone, it would be my father. But sending that many to watch us? I am not even the heir".

"Not the heir yet. Its possible they want to protect you, because they don't want that sister of yours taking over. From what I have seen, that sister of yours would cause nothing but trouble for them, especially since she is making connections with a Prince now or in the future".

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"Yeah, its definitely problematic".

If she somehow used that to gain information on Imperial Spies, or worse, get them to follow her commands somehow, that could very well result in all of their deaths. That had to be avoided no matter what.

"I just hope all of our plans for The Summer Hall goes smoothly. Rowyn, your project wont cause any issues with mine, right?"

"Shouldn't be, but I cant say for absolute certain. Well, this has been planned for awhile, so we have better odds then yours anyways".

"Yeah...but mine is also simpler, since its mainly just information gathering and forming connections".

"True".

As they talked, Rowyn glanced behind them.

"Hmmm...it seems we may have a bit of a troublemaker following us. That vampire from last time".

"The one who acted a bit weird?"

"Yeah...its not an issue for now, but...if my suspicions are correct, we have quite the situation unfolding".

And so, they kept walking as they met up with the others, and prepared for the Summer Hall.

----------------------------------------

"Uhg, I hate wearing this stuff" Theo complained, tugging on his collar. "We are just getting to the point where its best not to wear anything to bed, yet we have to wear such bothersome clothes to the Summer Hall".

"At least you get to wear shorts" his father moaned. He was wearing long pants, while Theo, Esre, Runo, Zak, and Zuuki were wearing shorts. Of course, Zuuki, being a commoner, was the lightest dressed of all and the least fancily dressed, as he was not a noble. Runo was also lighter dressed, as was Zak. As for Zoa, she was wearing a wonderful dress...on top.

Underneath, she was wearing her traveling clothes, something nice and easy to move in, rather then the usual things a lady would wear underneath that dress. That was because her intuition, as well as Zak's, told them to be careful.

That was entirely the reason Theo was keeping his wand at his side. It definitely wasn't because he just loved his new wand and wanted to keep it aside.

Rowyn absolutely did not tell him to stop staring at his wand three times while getting changed.

"We are going to meet Sola again, so that will be good".

"Yeah. But we will also have to deal with a lot of stuck up people who secretly want us dead".

"Thats mainly you Esre...is what I want to say, but a lot of the Traditionalists will probably hate us".

All of them were with the factions that supported equal rights, reforming things to make them better, and looking towards the future, not the past. So it was only natural that the traditionalists would hate them. That said, the Imperial Capital was a bit of a mix. Although it had traditionalist tendencies, as the city with the largest population, it needed to keep that population happy, and reforms to broken systems did that. So it was right in the middle of it all.

There were probably more then a few assassins that would be lurking about, but security was determined to stop them. Not only that, but Theo's two Imperial Spy Servants were coming as well. And Rowyn would be there also. Nott to mention they had the two protagonists, several other main characters, Sola himself in a state far better then he normally would have been.

And plus, Theo was not aware of any events happening tonight. Actually, the Summer Hall did come up a few times in various conversations, but mostly it talked about renovations in the game as well as increasing security. But Theo had a good idea of what that might be related to.

"Alright, let the games begin" Theo said passively, his gamer instincts triggering for just a moment when he said that pet phrase of her previous life.

Alright, fourteen assets are in play here. Some with different objectives, but lets make the most of it.

As he thought that, their carriage arrived. The group got out, and walked by the guards. One man, a servant, saw who they were and then ran ahead. Once they reached the doors, they were opened for them by servants.

"Introducing, Duke Cromwell, his son Theodore Cromwell, Marquis Yasuri's...child...Esre, the Count Clover's son Runo, and Count Clover's Wards, Zak and Zoa".

Technically Zak and Zoa were not nobles yet, but they were close enough to warrant a notification. Rowyn, Zuuki, and Paza were all commoners, at least officially, so none of them got introductions. That said, Rowyn did attract a good bit of attention. Beastkin were rare there, and many of the traditionalists were racist scum, so naturally they looked at Rowyn with hostile intentions.

The first thing the group did was head to those who were already the center of attention, a group that could not be ignored. The Emperor, and his Imperial Family. Although, itt was unclear if Emperor was still a good fit, or if it should be King.

The King briefly glanced at Rowyn, and muttered something. The princes noticed Rowyn as well.

As expected, they likely already know Rowyn's true identity. Provided Paza and Zuuki are sending the reports I think they are, he should know Rowyn is a Guardian Knight too. Well, its fine.

The Princess also looked at Rowyn briefly, but her attention then turned towards Theo. It wasn't a stare of affection or disdain though. It was caution...and curiosity.

In terms of Imperial family members present, there was the oldest, the first Prince, who was twelve years old. Then there was the first princess, who was ten years old. Then there was the second prince, who was nine years old. Normally, children attending the academy wouldn't be here for this event, but obviously the Imperial Family was an exception. There were also two more who seemed to appear from behind the king, the second princess and third prince, which meant only the fourth prince, the youngest, was missing. The second princess was seven years old, while the third prince was six. The fourth prince was only two, so it made sense he was not here.

Naturally, all of them had fair skin, breathtaking looks, and golden eyes. The first prince had the King's golden blonde hair, while the second prince had darker black hair from the queen. The first princess also had golden blonde hair, while the second princess had red hair, along with the third prince. All of them, even the children, had looks that would draw awe and envy.

Theo spotted the thing that Rowyn was interested though.

Yeah, that's going to be a tough one to get for sure...

Upon the Emperor's hand, was a ring with a large gemstone. And that gemstone was believed to be the prison that held Rowyn's friend for a hundred years or so.

It was gifted to the Royal Family, and due to how lovely and wonderful the gemstone is, it became an Imperial Heirloom. It was worn everywhere, always worn by either the king, or another member of the Royal/Imperial family, often the successor, but not always. Sometimes it was given to those who performed great merits.

Of course the King still had it, because Theo remembered enough to know the succession ceremony descended into chaos.

"Thank you for all your contributions, Duke Cromwell. I am happy to see your son is healthy enough to attend this year. Your territory is once again a beacon of stability and hope".

And tolerance.

For a moment, Theo thought he heard those words come from the king, but nothing came out.

Was that my imagination?

In the game, the Emperor...or rather, the King, was a mysterious person. He seemed to hold great wisdom, but also sometimes took actions against the protagonist. The forums had countless debates on whether he was a good person, or a bad one. The first prince is someone who gives the protagonists a lot of trouble easily, but the first princess and second prince were fairly decent people.

The second prince saw the way the princess was looking at Theo, and then glared at him a bit before turning away with a huff.

Well, he is younger, so maybe he still hasn't matured to when we meet him in the game, two years from now.

While thinking that, they all made their introductions and thanked the king for his kind words. Once that was done, and Sola's song came to an end, the King stepped up on stage with his family while Sola came over to our group.

"Today, I am here to award my second son a great honor. For tonight, he shall wear the Wisdom Ring".

The King then took off that very ring that was the target, and gave it to the second prince. He happily put it on, although it was a bit big for him, so it ended up having a chain slid around it and being put around his neck. Still, it was a great honor.

"He was able to successfully decode ancient documents, and as a result, we were able to strike and destroy a dangerous Vampire Den a month ago! Truly, to learn yet another of my sons is talented is a great honor, one that makes me proud not just as a king...but as a father as well!"

Vampires again? Hmm. They might be a bigger problem then we realized.

Theo quickly grabbed his wand, and cast a minor spell subtly. He summoned two spirits discreetly to hide the mana used.

"Guys, can you hear me?"

"Yeah. You noticed what he said too right?"

"First they were after me, but also this? Are vampires becoming a bigger problem lately?"

"Yeah, but what is worse is that we just antagonized them twice. But that's kind of weird, vampires usually go to ground when one gets killed...in other words, Obsidian Night is contradicting normal Vampire behavior".

The group tensed up.

"Alright, link in Paza and Zuuki".

Rowyn made the call, so Theo did so.

"Paza, Zuuki, you hear me? This is Rowyn".

"Yeah, we hear you".

"Zuuki, even if its telepathy, you need to speak more formally...and yes, I can hear you".

"So thing is, me and Theo ran into vampires earlier this week. Vampires normally go to ground for years after something like this happens, but this means within a month two vampire incidents occured. There is a risk the vampires wont let this go easily, but also...they might be planning something. We should expect an infiltrator in the Summer Hall, at least one. Unfortunately, Summer Hall has far too many protection charms. Theo is using spirits to hide and brute force a simple telepathy spell".

"So, its overtime work?"

"More then that Zuuki. Me and my sister still have our bad feeling. If push comes to shove, we may need to use our aces".

Paza and Zuuki paused for just a single second, but showed no reaction to the statement.

"We will cover for you when that happens".

"We are your loyal servants Theo. We shall protect you however we can".

The twins had more or less stated "We know you are hiding stuff, and the potential threat to the king means we need to do away with at least some subtlety, maybe all of it". Their response had essentially been "We will do what we can".

Theo and Rowyn had decided to trust the two Imperial Spies fully now.

"There is a lot we need to talk about, but right now, we need to keep watch. Also, we need to deal with our own operations".

"Young Master must form connections and use this time to get a step up over his sister".

"Yeah, even with a vampire threat, we cant fall behind that either!"

Theo smiled as he heard that.

As expected, those two are on my side.

Theo still didn't understand the full picture, there was a lot he was missing. But from the fragments and actions so far, he had determined that Zuuki and Paza were not threats to him. In fact, they were clearly supporting him. Theo was not sure why they were there, but if they were still going to support them. One might think maybe it was all an act, but that would just expose themselves, and that would be a serious issue for Imperial Spies. They would never do that.

At first, Theo thought they might be watching him, but that was when he realized something. Throughout this whole time, not a single hired goon had come after him. His sister was a masterful manipulator and puppetmaster. He knew from tthe game she had plenty of ways to manipulate people even in the Imperial Capital. And yet, there was a surprising lack of that since they arrived.

Paza had not been following them to keep watch, she and her Imperial Spies were watching him to protect him. They must have been dispatching those groups in the shadows, likely before his sister could even make use of them to harass him. That said, Theo was not sure why all their watchers suddenly took off that one time, nor the scale of what was going on or how tthey dealt with it. Many details still eluded him, such as why they did. But he knew he was being supported. For some reason, he had the backing of Imperial Spies.

If he had to guess, there was one likely reason. They already knew the threat his sister faced. Perhaps they were worried about her intelligence, her growing network, her ability to manipulate, all done without any of father's knowledge, or his assets. Once she took the spot, she would gain untold political and other forms of power. Meanwhile, Theo was a far safer option. But as she hid her tracks very well, they couldn't just go after her, and she had already collected a bit of defenses. Assassination would be tricky, and potentially dangerous, and they didn't have enough evidence to do anything overt.

So their plan was simple. Support Theo, and make it so he became the heir.

And tthat would explain the whispers he heard, as the socializing began. Many looked at them, and Rowyn quickly came over to him.

"It seems everyone here has heard we defeated the Delzar Archive...and about how somehow your sister had come into its possession in the first place".

"Very clever. I wonder how many of these servants are actually Imperial Spies dedicated to spreading information they want spread?"

"Id guess a good number, perhaps even a dozen".

The group had just become the center of attention again, but that meant it might be harder for Rowyn and his father to do waht they needed. Although at least, it was the second prince who had the ring instead of the King. It went from an impossible task to a near impossible one. But Rowyn just looked unfazed.

And so, the Summer Hall began.