Slightly off-tune whistling floated through the carriage. A dark-haired boy frowned and put his hands over his ears. “Annaliese, can you shut up? You’re hurting my ears.”

The blonde-haired girl shot her brother an annoyed look. “Why? What’s wrong with my whistling? I think it’s perfectly fine.”

“It’s worse than when you sing,” he replied with disdain. “I get that you’re happy that we’re finally back at the Commission, but I don’t share your enthusiasm.”

Annaliese gave Raegan a surprised look. “You don’t like coming here?”

“It’s better than being stuck at our house I guess…” He hesitated and then jabbed a finger at her. “It doesn’t matter. I just said I’m not as excited as you are.”

“Hmm…” Annaliese let out another whistle and then smiled. “Maybe if you say please then I’ll stop.”

Raegan narrowed his eyes at her. “Fine, your noble ‘Prophetess-ness’. Please.”

“Say it like you mean it.”

He groaned. “Please.”

Annaliese blinked. “I didn’t hear you. Could you repeat that?”

Raegan buried his head in his hands. “Please.”

His sister grinned. “Nope.” Then she returned to whistling.

Raegan scowled and the tired guardian of the two teenagers let out a sigh. “Stop annoying Raegan, Prophetess Verdon. We are barely five minutes from the mansion, so I think it would be simple enough to sit in peace for only several minutes more.”

The Prophetess blew him a raspberry but huffed and looked out the window.

Jasten Albrecht rubbed his temples and then paused to stare at his armoured hand, realising that behaviour was becoming a frequent habit.

…he still sometimes wondered what the Great Sage saw in him to place those two troublemakers under his responsibility.

…

“Lucy!”

The look of resignation on the face of the Aurelian Commission Head made Jasten feel a sense of commiseration oddly similar to his self-pity. While he had his suspicions and scepticisms about the strange young woman, he could understand her desire for peace when she ran an organisation as large as the Commission.

“I see you have returned,” Lucille Goldcroft stated blandly.

Annaliese blinked. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Jasten raised an eyebrow when Lucille gave him an unreadable look.

“…I suppose I expected things to be different after recent events,” she replied. “If you’re here, the Citadel must’ve not heard anything important. Never mind.” She turned on her heels and walked off. “Scytale’s been messing around in the sitting room with Garthe and Larena if you want to see him.”

“Then let’s go!” Annaliese went to grab Lucille’s hand and drag her off.

Lucille gently removed it and shook her head. “No, I have work to do. You’ll see me at dinner.”

“Awww…” The Prophetess looked briefly disappointed until she spotted the red and blue-haired figure of Hargrave coming out of a room. She regained her energy and picked up her skirt to run after him, who had flinched and tried to back away before she noticed him. “Hargrave! You need to tell me how you got your bloodline!”

“And she’s off,” Raegan stated. He looked around and then shrugged, heading in the direction of Lucille’s quarters. “I’m going to go mess with whatever game they’re playing. It’ll keep me entertained I guess.”

Jasten automatically began to follow after Annaliese until Lucille walked up to him and snapped her fingers. A silencing spell of some kind was cast, preventing anyone from hearing their conversation.

“Sir Albrecht, I need to speak to you,” she began seriously. “If you don’t mind, I’d like for us to go in the room next to your Prophetess and Hargrave to speak privately.”

He looked in the direction of his ward, who could be easily seen in his mana sight. Jasten nodded… because it was about time he asked the young woman in front of him something as well.

…

“I hope you’ll excuse me for not offering you a drink as is customary when having an important discussion, but I didn’t intend for this to last long,” Lucille said, sitting down on the couch opposite him.

He frowned and crossed his arms, not liking how this was beginning. “This does not appear to be a normal conversation, Count Goldcroft.”

She crossed one leg over the other and rested her gloved hands in her lap. “I’m sure you’ve noticed I… haven’t particularly welcoming towards you. The reasons for that are numerous, but I apologise for that.”

He stared when she gave him a slight bow, wondering what scheme she was up to now. For Jasten, it had been easier knowing she was confrontational because then he didn’t have to pretend to be friendly. “…why apologise now?” he asked suspiciously.

Lucille Goldcroft sighed. “Because I need a favour or… information from you. I need to ask: why did you bring Annaliese here after what happened?”

“…what happened?”

She waved a hand. “It’s not great for the Aurelian Commission head to spell this out, but I’m referring to the intruder that came here two weeks ago. They slipped past our defences and entered my floor, nearly coming in contact with Sedric.”

“I have no recollection of hearing of this,” he refuted. “If I had, it would’ve been due to the Sages informing me, and they undoubtedly would’ve withheld the Prophetess from returning here so soon.” Jasten scowled. “If this is true then I need to discuss this with them when we return.”

It was Lucille Goldcroft’s turn to stare. “But the Citadel has one of the widest-reaching information networks in the realm. They must’ve told you something, especially if it’s regarding cul-” She didn’t finish her sentence and furrowed her brow, holding her chin with a hand.

“…Count Goldcroft?”

She blinked and then shook her head. “Ah… if you haven’t heard about it then there’s nothing more we can do. I’m sorry for requesting to speak about something so minor.”

Something was definitely going on that Jasten needed to find out more about, but he didn’t want to get mixed up in any complicated situations. “Why is it so important that you know why the Prophetess returned? Others would take this as a sign of trust from the Great Sage,” he pointed out.

“What? No, that’s ridiculous.” Lucille Goldcroft firmly shook her head. “It’s far better for Annaliese to stay near the protection of her private guards. Raegan too. It’s too risky for those two to be here right now.”

“And I don’t understand why you care.” Jasten leaned forward, observing her solemnly. “If your dislike towards Prophetess Verdon’s monthly visits is true and not a scheme, then you would’ve pushed her away more firmly. But if this is a scheme to draw her closer to your side, then you would risk having her be here so soon after… whatever event happened with this ‘intruder’.” He narrowed his steel-grey eyes. “Your actions don’t reflect your attitude.”

Lucille stayed silent. Then she tilted her head. “Are you an idiot?”

“…what?”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“What person in their right mind would be willing to let two high-profile teenagers return to where someone may harm them?” she asked with disdain, gesturing to the wall behind her where Annaliese was on the other side. “She’s just a sixteen-year-old girl, not even mentioning her brother, so why would I let them happily prance around the Commission? I’ll end up in even more trouble if something occurs to them while under my protection.”

She’s not treating them like members of her generation.

“If you’re doing this to protect them, explain your dislike of their visits,” Jasten retorted.

“Because I need to work,” Lucille argued back. “I have a job to perform as the Aurelian Commission Head. Just like how even though everything is perfectly fine here, you’re not willing to abandon your post beside Annaliese for even a minute.” She scoffed and gave him a dismissive wave. “You should’ve noticed I’ve given up trying to prevent her from coming here. All I’m doing now is keeping her distracted through my other guests so she doesn’t get into trouble.”

She stood up, and Jasten Albrecht did the same. “…then what changed?” he asked quietly.

Lucille frowned as she looked at him and then shook her head. “I’m just… taking responsibility for introducing her to the truth of her situation. It’s too late to let her and her brother remain in ignorance.”

Before he could respond, she opened the door to where Hargrave and Annaliese were outside. After a brief discussion with Annaliese complaining about Hargrave’s reluctance to answer her, they set off. Soon, Annaliese and Hargrave were walking ahead again – the one-sided conversation being fully carried out by the energetic Prophetess.

“Still, I would’ve thought that the Sages would’ve sent one of their own to meet with me,” Lucille murmured beside Jasten. “Knowing what they would about my knowledge of Raegan and my ‘anti-fate’ physiology…”

“Why would they know anything about that?” Jasten interrupted, overhearing her. “The Prophetess and her brother wouldn’t have told the Sages.”

“But there’s still you,” Lucille said with mild bemusement.

“Me? I haven’t said a thing.” He shook his head. “It would make things complicated and they wouldn’t believe me unless I pushed. It’s too bothersome to deal with complex situations like that and I can’t protect the Prophetess and her brother to the best of my ability in those situations.”

Lucille stared at him for a second and then smirked. “You seem to care more about those two than I thought. Hiding things from the Sages so that you can perform your job better… I suppose only the highest-ranked Paladin can think of things like that.”

He coughed lightly.

Lucille shrugged and walked off. “I guess the Paladin who gained his title by conquering a city for the Citadel through crawling through its sewers must have a particularly creative mind.”

Jasten stiffened and walked forward to place a gauntleted hand on her shoulder. “How do you know about that?” he asked in a low voice. “The Sages hid that fact because they deemed it ‘dishonourable’.”

“I know just like how you heard me say I snuck into the Great Sage’s library,” she replied blithely. “And you might want to stop discussing this.”

“Lucy?” The Prophetess looked back. “What are you talking about with Sir Albrecht?”

The Paladin scowled as Lucille smiled brightly. “Nothing. Just discussing the logistics of the new Protection Subdivision.”

“Ah.” Finding the answer sufficiently boring, Annaliese nodded and returned to chatting with Hargrave.

Jasten Albrecht scowled deeper when Lucy patted his shoulder and grinned. “Cheer up, Sir Albrecht. As long as you keep doing what you have, I won’t reveal anything.”

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

Lucille absent-mindedly spun her pocket watch around her finger by its chain as she read the book in her hands, lying down on the couch. It was a geographical compendium of some of the lesser-known regions of the Beast Realm. Her plans for each of the Counties were progressing, but she needed to take the next step relating to Chavaret.

When the Dark Wizards of the Dark Tower arrived, several members of the Violet Order would visit with them to discuss the private dimension with Count Ravimoux. Evisenhardt was busy working to strengthen the Commission’s authority among central nobility and its Aeternus families, while the dwarven craftsmen had begun to build the first prototype mana engines for the locomotives.

But only the Spirit Seer region of the Kitsune wasn’t enough for her plans for that realm. And she needed to access the Beast Realm without the military might of Chavaret’s mercenary legions to back her up.

“What are you doing, Lucy?” Annaliese asked curiously. She was sitting at a table, playing cards against Raegan, Hargrave, Marellen and Roa. It seemed the magical card set artifact that Marellen’s party had brought back from the Sundown Continent was giving them plenty of entertainment. Raegan was sitting there with bright pink hair, trying to peek at his sister’s hand.

“I am considering which region of the Beast Realm to visit,” Lucy replied, flipping a page. “I need to establish ties with another region’s enclaves, but if they’re too strong, their pride will make it difficult to trade with them. They can’t be weak either, however, as they’ll become our protectors when transporting goods convoys through the realm.”

“Sounds complicated.” Annaliese placed a card down and punched the air. “Two scores of four!” The air above her head lit up with magical fireworks as she won the round and eagerly took a card from each of the other players’ hands.

“Could you not form alliances through trade with several dispersed but independent enclaves?” Roa spoke up. She calmly placed her card down and skipped Annaliese’s next turn. “You will gain a greater variety of natural resources.”

Lucy shook her head. “No. Even with the Commission’s size, we don’t have the manpower to reach across zones as expansive and treacherous as the regions of the Beast Realm. I need us to form ties with an independent, large Supreme Enclave that will command all the surrounding enclaves to support the deal.” She frowned and closed the book. “However, I also need to consider what resources the Commission has available to trade. All of this would be sorted if I just formed connections with an emerging powerful clan. Preferably a young one.”

“You mean like my clan?” The sound of paper hitting her couch above her head drew her attention and she looked across the room to see Scytale concentrating with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. He threw another paper plane and watched as it lazily slid to a stop on the floor, a good metre away from her couch.

Scytale flopped on his couch with a groan and gave up. “All these other nobles get bonds from Supreme Enclaves just so they can trade and stuff, but you’re the first bond I’ve ever heard of who are barely interested in their bond’s Supreme Clan.” He sat up as he held his chin pensively. “Hey, Lucy? Could you buy the Supreme Serpent’s Silent City for me?”

Lucy paused as she realised where her bond was going with this. She sat up too. “I suppose if the City Lord accepted my offer of joining the Commission. Why?”

“Well…” Scytale twirled a finger in the air. “People began to know about my home because of you, right? Lots of people are going to start heading there when they know about my Ancient Clan. It’s the only city close enough to my enclave for it to be worth it, so if you just went and bought the place, you’d be good.” He shrugged and leaned back. “I’ll admit that it’s being selfish on my part. If anyone discovers who I am, they could use the city to threaten my clan. It’d be better if you just bought it first.”

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “But I thought you promised Verdilast that you wouldn’t return until you reached Rank-3 at the very least.”

“Eh.” He waved off her answer. “I’ll be visiting the city, not the enclave.”

“Hmm…” Lucy considered it and then rested her chin on her hand. “Is there a condition you have in mind for essentially granting me full control over all your enclave’s imports and exports?”

Scytale opened his mouth to say no, but then an idea came to mind and he grinned wickedly. “Actually, yeah.” He jabbed his two thumbs at himself. “Transfer the City Lord title to me.”

“To you?!” Annaliese abruptly spoke up, forgetting about the game in her astonishment. The others turned around to hear the snake explain himself.

“Yep. Always wanted a fancy title of some kind.” Scytale smirked. “City Lord sounds like a good starting point.”

Lucy wryly shook her head. “But you don’t actually want to rule it, I take it.” She thought for a bit longer and then nodded. “Alright. If we can convince the City Lord to sell the city to the Commission, I’ll give you the City Lord title and appoint the present City Lord as Governor. There’s no benefit to inciting hostility by replacing the current capable leader with someone unfamiliar.”

“Nice!” Scytale lifted his hands to cheer and then dropped back on the couch. “It’s not a noble title, but I get bragging rights, so it’s good enough.”

“While I’m at it, I may as well purchase all the other cities in the Violet Luminosity Jungle region,” Lucille commented offhandedly. “That way all the trade routes will be under my control, including the connecting borders. With the Supreme Enclave backing me, there’ll be little complaint.”

Scytale frowned. “Hey, wait a minute. That’s going to diminish the value of my own!”

“It’s a frontier region, Scytale.” Lucy shrugged. “You’ll be one of five City Lords anyway.” She opened her dimensional bag and began taking out leaflets of paper and ballpoint pens. “If I want to monopolise an entire region, I’ll need to put effort into this. The first would be constructing efficient routes to the enclave itself with monster-repelling materials, and then expanding the Supreme Serpent’s Silent City into the Capital… I’ll need to put aside crystalline tokens for the upgrades.”

Scytale clicked his tongue and pulled a pillow over his eyes. “Just tell me when you’re ready to go there. I won’t miss the chance to be back in my home realm.”

“Okay.” Lucille nodded. “I’ll take you and Sedric in about a week.”

Her serpent bond paused. “That’s soon… no, wait. Why Sedric?”

Lucy glanced at the five playing card games and smiled. “It will be good for Sedric to learn to select the best materials himself. He’s going to be working on my artifact in a couple of weeks.”

Roa and Marellen paused and then traded looks. “Lucille, do you need protection?” Trisroa asked. “Marellen and I would be willing to come, if only to visit that particular region once more. It is always spectacular to study the wild mana of the Beast Realm.”

“Sure.” Lucy narrowed her eyes at them. “Would you two be opposed to re-exploring the location of the avalanche afterwards?”

They slowly shook their heads. “If Larena and Garthe are willing to come, then we want to check it out,” Marellen said.

“That’s sorted then.” Lucy gave a satisfied nod.

“Lucy! Can we come to?” Annaliese asked brightly.

Her guard sent her a flat look as Lucy gave her a deadpan stare. “No.”

The girl pouted as Raegan snatched the victory from her while she was distracted. “Ha! Take that, Anna, with your cheating Fate powers! I win this game!”

“I believe you are mistaken, young master Raegan,” Roa calmly replied. She placed down her entire hand. “For I have a full run.”

The boy’s face fell and Annaliese began to laugh.

“Right, well…” Lucille checked her pocket watch. “I’ll update Vincent on our plans for the following week. Sedric too, although that shall be kept until last minute so he doesn’t have time to protest.”

“Oh, wait! Lucy, Lucy!” Annaliese jumped up and ran over to hook Lucy’s arm in her own. She pulled her out the door. “Let’s go together! I want to hear more about your magic.”

Lucille sighed as she was dragged along by the girl barely more than 5% of her age. “As you wish. I’m not sure how explaining it this time will make it any clearer for you.”

“I’ll get it eventually. Hearing you talk to Marellen and Roa about magic makes me want to learn how to use my Fate essence better!”

…

It was midnight when Lucille heard the knocking on her balcony window. With a strange expression, she slid off her bed where she had been sitting while reading and then stood in front of the glass door. She crossed her arms.

The dark-haired phantom dressed in black clothes to mask his identity scowled and started gripping the door handle. The glass pane rattled with force but didn’t budge.

After a silent staring contest, Lucy stepped forward to open the balcony door.

“Could the honourable Count Goldcroft allow me to enter her room and relay a message?” Kozzazan asked sarcastically. Said message seemed to be the black envelope in his coat pocket.

“If you’re irritated about your peaceful day job being disturbed to be the point of contact between the House and me, then take it out on your superiors,” she stated blandly. She stepped back to let him in. “Don’t forget that you’re the suspicious figure climbing up to the fortieth floor to enter the private quarters of the Aurelian Commission Head.”

Grumbling to himself, the phantom took out the letter and passed it to her. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Do you think you can deal with demons?”

She paused midway through cutting the envelope open with a letter opener and looked up. “Demons?”

He gestured to the city outside. “Some fool got himself possessed and now the demon’s parading around the Malediction cesspit, with collecting Heretic items having become his new obsession. I’m sure you’re aware of demons and their fixations on things.”

“They can be loosely described as a collection of sociopaths and psychopaths, yes,” she replied, unfolding the letter. Uniquely, she couldn’t use her spiritual perception to scan-read the letter before taking it out. “And the solution is to deal with the root cause in the Demon Realm?”

“Yes.” Kozzazan crossed his arms and frowned. “The Mystical Realm is fine, but… we have strict orders to not enter the Demon Realm unless necessary. For some reason, there’s someone among the higher-ups who believes you’ll be heading there and have a chance to deal them a devastating blow on our behalf.”

“…I see.” Lucille folded the letter, put it back into the envelope, and both crumbled into dust, never to be seen again. “But what’s this about ‘liquorice’?”

“Er…” He hesitated. “I’m not sure. Apparently a superior wants you to bring some of this liquorice stuff with you the next time you visit them. The information I was given mentioned ‘one of their children liking it’.”

I didn’t know Vessel was part of the orphanage. I had heard from him that once one of them turns sixteen, they never meet again.

Lucy smirked. “I’ll see what I can do. About both the Demon Realm and the liquorice.”

“Sure.” Kozzazan walked out onto the balcony and began climbing over the edge. “I’ll see you around sometime, Count Goldcroft. Please take as much time as possible before calling me to deliver any messages.”

With that, he left, and Lucy returned to her bed. She cleared away the documents on top of it to consider the new task she had.

Lucius… wants me to ask the Demon Emperor for permission to let some of his forces eradicate the demons supporting Malediction. Does he even know what relationship we have?

She placed her hands behind her head and closed her eyes.

Well, if I can give a satisfyingly convincing reason as to why this will preserve the integrity of the Tower and its realms, I’m sure he’ll let anything happen. As long as he doesn’t have to do it himself.

The following month would be September, nearly a full year since she had met the ruling demon for the first time.