Subaru and Emilia wandered through the Archives in awe. The building that had looked so big and imposing from outside, staggered the imagination from inside. The building was nothing but books. A six story building the size of a stadium with books covering every inch of the walls and lining countless bookshelves in between.
“Subaru,” Emilia whispered. “We thought that searching the archives might take weeks. Now I’m worried that it might take years!”
“Yeah,” Subaru agreed in awe. He looked at Victoire who wasn’t bothering to hide her amusement at their shock. “Is there a system here for the books?”
Victorie smiled at him. “There sure is but good fucking luck figuring it out! I still need to ask the librarians if I want to find anything! Patriarch Gustov will be your best resource for finding the info. That old man is responsible for every fucking book in the Archives. No one knows them better. In the meantime, I’ll go grab his assistant librarian. That bozo should be able to help you make a start.”
“Great,” Subaru said. “Hey, where do I use this?” Subaru asked, holding up the key Anri had given him.
“Over here,” She said, leading them out of the vast main room and down a hallway. The hallway was full of doors. A few of these doors were open and Subaru saw that each room was also overflowing with bookshelves.
Of the doors that were closed, some of them had keys that had been left in the locks.
Subaru absently looked at one and realized it was very much like the one he held.
“What are these?” Emilia asked.
“These are the restricted sections. Of course, some are more restricted than others. They deal with information thought to be too dangerous or too valuable to be exposed to the public. The Princess’s key is special, of course. It opens the inner library where we hold the books that date from the Old Kingdom and other priceless resources. That library is forbidden even to Shadows without explicit royal permission. Even I’ve never fucking been inside!”
Victoire led them to a huge ornate door at the end of the hall and waved Subaru forward.
Subaru took Anri’s key and slid it into the lock, opening the door.
The library inside was small and sedate. Just another room full of bookshelves with no evidence of any earth shaking secrets inside.
Although the inner library was much smaller than the main library, it was still enormous.
Subaru looked around and sighed. “Victoire, any suggestions on where we should start?” Subaru asked.
Victoire made a face. “Like I said, I’ve never been in here either. I’ll go fetch the Head Librarian. He’ll be able to tell you where to start.”
Victoire hesitated. “Also, Lord Subaru, since you’ve already used the key, would you mind if I locked it up in the safe until we leave. We’re pretty sensitive about the key being lost.”
Subaru nodded, pulling out a book at random and trying to read it without success. He didn’t even recognize the alphabet.
He handed her the key. “If Anri asks, tell her that I made you swear that weird oath she said before I gave it to you.”
Victoire nodded, studying the key. “I’ll do that. Hang tight, I’ll be back shortly.”
Subaru nodded, picking up another book and flipping through it.
She walked back down the hall with the key.
Crusch was awake before dawn. She had received the document containing Felix’s testimony about Subaru Natsuki late last night and now she brought it to the castle.
Finally. I have real evidence of Subaru Natsuki’s perfidy!
Subaru Natsuki was seen having dinner with an Archbishop of Sin. They were recorded discussing Subaru’s membership in the Witch Cult!
This will shake the hearts of even Subaru’s most fanatical followers.
I admit that the evidence is weak. It’s Felix telling us what a dead man told him that Subaru Natsuki said and did. But it is evidence nonetheless and at the very least, no man could possibly question Felix’s integrity. If he claims that this ‘Pierre’ said these words, then these words were said. We have no way of judging Pierre’s honesty but why would a dying man make such an accusation if it were untrue? What would there be to gain?
But what does all this mean? Prior to this, all evidence suggested that the Witch Cult was actively trying to kill Subaru Natsuki and his witch. Now they wish to recruit him?
Could Subaru have caused a schism within the Witch Cult? That might explain the attack at the castle the other night. No one near the blast was taken alive to question or provide a report but a distant observer claimed that the ostensible Witch Cultists began to attack each other.
Rumors claim that the Witch Cult is strongly divided between those who worship the Witch of Envy and those that hate and fear her. Now that the witch is free and wandering the world in Subaru Natsuki’s company, perhaps Subaru is inflaming that division?
The weaker faction of the Witch Cult that openly serves the Witch might have been empowered by Subaru Natsuki finally liberating her. What order of fanatics would not surge in power and conviction if their goddess was openly resurrected?
Were the Archbishops that Subaru Natsuki killed part of the faction that worships the witch or the faction that hates her? I’d suspect the later but maybe the leaders of the pious side of the Cult were feuding with the man who would threaten their authority. I could argue the evidence either way with ease which is of no help in solving a riddle.
I must simply wait for now. As Father would have said: Truth will out. I must have faith in that.
Moreover, I have greater matters to attend to. The capitol was attacked by radicals the other night who blew an enormous hole in the land right outside the castle and now Gusteko plans to attack northern Lagunica. I must accept full responsibility for that blunder. I was so busy trying to prevent Vollachia from taking advantage of the chaos of the past few weeks that I completely ignored the threat from the north!
She entered the council chamber but to her surprise, the entire sages’ council and royal assembly were present.
McMahon looked surprised to see her. “Lady Crusch?”
Crusch was thrown off step for a moment by the huge crowd before she managed to recover herself. “Minister McMahon,” She said formally. “I recently came into possession of evidence that I felt the royal assembly should be privy to. I came to submit it.”
Crusch approached the bench which the sages sat behind and handed them Felix’s sworn testimony.
The sages read it quickly and their faces filled with dismay.
“Your excellencies,” Crusch interjected.
The sages all looked at her.
“I would like to remind everyone that although Pierre can not be cross-examined, and this evidence perhaps could not be admitted at trial, it should be considered as new grounds that requires us to find Subaru Natsuki immediately and ascertain the truth of these allegations.”
The sages were all staring at Crusch incredulously.
McMahon seemed horrified. He struggled to speak. “Lady Crusch… how many… other people are aware of this evidence?”
Crusch frowned. Why would he ask me that? “Sir Felix has already submitted it to the Ganaks archive as required by law. And I have already dropped a copy of this deposition off at the capitol archives before submitting it to this august body as the law dictates.”
McMahon’s jaw worked but no sound emerged. Finally he murmured. “How… efficient of you…”
Crusch began to feel uncomfortable. Why is McMahon reacting like this? He never seemed to be devoted to Subaru Natsuki before. Why is an unsubstantiated accusation against Subaru affecting McMahon this way? Why does the entire sages’ council look so uncomfortable? She cleared her throat. “Excuse me, but I can’t help but notice that the entire assembly has been convened. May I know the question at issue? Also, as a member of this assembly in good standing, might I ask why was I not summoned to this debate?”
Victoire stood in the underground depths of the Archives, her delicate, manicured hand wrapped around the throat of a skinny, bald man. She effortlessly held him high off the ground, his feet kicking the air.
In her other hand, she held a key.
Victoire stood in a massive underground room, bigger than a house. A huge concrete stairway led down to a smooth flat floor and an enormous vault door easily sixty feet across. It was made of smooth concrete and was emblazoned with an enormous, stylized sun symbol.
“Open the Vault,” Victoire hissed.
“I… can’t!” The librarian protested.
The old man choked as Victoire’s grip tightened. “Old man, I have been working on this fucking plan for decades. On top of that, I have just spent a truly aggravating couple of days, dealing with my least favorite person in the world. You do not fucking wish to make me any angrier. Open the Vault before I open your guts!”
“I… can’t!” The old man rasped. “I… need the key!”
Victoire waved the key back and forth, right in front of his face. “Are you fucking blind as well as stupid?” Victoire asked in a mock-patient voice.
The old man struggled to shake his head. “That’s… not…”
“Hey, Victoire!” A voice rang out across the cavernous room.
Victoire spun around and saw Subaru and Emilia standing calmly at the top of the stairs.
“Looking for this?” Subaru held out Anri’s key.
Victoire’s face went stiff. There was a snapping sound from the bald man’s neck and his body went limp. Victoire dropped the old man’s body without a backward glance. She held up the key in her hand inspecting it. “How-”
“I swiped one of the keys from the hall while you weren’t paying attention,” Subaru explained. “Honestly, you made this embarrassingly easy.”
Victoire scowled up at them. “Give me that fucking key!” She hissed.
“You know, Victoire,” Subaru mused. “You’re actually pretty decent at this.”
“I believed you,” Emilia admitted.
“We both bought it hook, line, and sinker,” Subaru agreed as they started to walk casually down the stairs. “You made just one mistake.”
Victoire’s eyes narrowed.
“You mentioned us meeting a Sin Archbishop in Ganaks,” Subaru said.
“But we never told you that Subaru met Lye,” Emilia added.
“We never even told Anri!” Subaru said. “So how did you know that I met him?”
“Now that I think about it, Subaru,” Emilia mused. “Victoire was the one who told you to go to that restaurant, wasn’t she?” Emilia said.
“And that’s where I discovered that the ‘contact’ that she told me about didn’t exist,” Subaru said.
Emilia glared at her. “You knew that Subaru met Lye because you knew that Lye would be there that night. You threw Subaru into Lye’s path hoping that he’d kill Subaru for you!” Emilia hissed as they reached the bottom landing of the enormous stairway.
Victoire scowled up at them. “Give me the key, you dirty faggots.”
“Yeah, that’s going to be a hard pass, Victoire,” Subaru said, slipping the key into his pocket.
Emilia summoned her ice sword.
Victoire flashed them a wolf’s smile. “Good!” She breathed as she started walking up the stairs toward them. “You’ll never know what this fucking week has been like for my marvelous person! Having to stare into your ugly faces when all I wanted to do was give you bamboo manicures right up to your knuckles!” She hissed. “But that’s all over now. I couldn’t steal the key from Anri or the magic would be broken. But I sure as fuck can take it away from you!”
Victoire burst into insane laughter. “You should have just handed me the fucking key, you festering cock-stains! Now I’m going to peel the skin off your bones nice and slow! I’m going to enjoy this!” She screamed as she rushed toward them, her hands raised and her fingernails lengthening into claws.
Subaru didn’t blink. He triggered Indomitable and punched Victoire in the face as hard as he could. She went flying the other way and with a sound like thunder, Victoire crashed into the Vault door-
Where her body exploded into black sludge that ran down the stone wall.
Subaru stared in shock as the viscous black goo gathered together and reshaped itself into a short, slender girl with blond hair and burning red eyes that blazed with hatred. Her face was fixed in a lunatic grin.
“Capella?!” Subaru gasped.
Emilia’s eyes widened and she fell into a guard stance.
Capella had changed her outfit. Now she was wearing a skintight black outfit that left her shoulders bare. She wore tights and a flashy, red half-skirt that spread out in strips of cloth like the petals of a flower. The garish ensemble brought to mind images of a twisted, nightmarish showgirl or stage performer.
Capella laughed shrilly. “The Gospel said that I wasn’t supposed to kill you! And I couldn’t risk tipping off Anri about who I was! I had to play nice with you fags all week and wait for Anri to trust me! Wait for her to get scared! Wait for her to get desperate enough to open the Vault! But you kept getting in my fucking way! I kept trying to get someone else to kill you but you just wouldn’t fucking die! Elsa should have been able to kill you and then I would have killed her to earn Anri’s trust! Instead you somehow managed to kill that numb cunt!
“I tried drinking all the medicine to finish you off but that just made that tit-less wonder Anri angry and she sends me away to play mailman! Lye should have killed you! But you actually sat down with the useless queer and had a romantic candlelight dinner! Finally, I got frustrated and just told Griest where to find Anri but then you attacked the whole fucking army before I could sneak in and ‘rescue’ her!”
“Do you think that we care?” Subaru demanded incredulously. “Do you think that we’re looking to hear more about how ‘tough’ you’ve had it?”
“Maybe we should come back later, Subaru,” Emilia said, sounding bored. “We have a lot to do. We aren’t accomplishing very much by just standing here and listening to Capella feel sorry for herself.”
Capella hissed. “I’m not supposed to kill you,” She said doubtfully. Then her face brightened. “But you’d be surprised what you can live through. I’m going to make you watch. I’ll make you both watch while I slowly peel off your lover’s skin layer by layer. I’ll break every bone in your bodies and then I’ll suck out your organs.
“Then I’ll use my Authority to bring you both back to perfect health! I’m going to do it over and over for weeks until I finally get bored and then I’ll leave you both blind, deaf, mute paraplegics. I’ll leave you both living corpses unable to think of anything but death’s release but I’ll give you no way to obtain it! I’ll-”
“Mili,” Subaru sighed. “Do you think that she’s almost done?”
Emilia shrugged.
Capella gaped in shock at being interrupted. “Fuck you!” Capella screamed.
“Witty retort,” Subaru yawned.
Capella fumed and her face became very still. “What’s all this? Just because you have the strongest Authority, you think that you’re better than me?” Capella whispered in a tone which suggested that the consequences for giving the wrong answer to that question would be truly dire.
“Of course, we are,” Subaru said scoffed.
Capella’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened. For the first time in God knew how long, the Sin Archbishop was rendered speechless.
Subaru folded his arms with a smirk. “Like you said, we thwarted your plan every step of the way. And we didn’t even know about it! That’s how clumsy all of these stupid ideas you’re pitching are! Listening to you bitch is boring because none of your plans make any sense! You were never able to convince Anri to trust you enough to go off alone with you and open the Vault because you’re a terrible actress and you have no idea how to manipulate people except for terrorizing them! You never even gave Anri a decent reason to consider opening the Vault! Hell, you probably couldn’t have convinced her to open it even if we hadn’t been there!”
“You could have just told Anri that we were dead after we went into Ganaks,” Emilia shrugged. “She probably would have believed you.”
“Yeah!” Subaru snorted. “If you’d succeeded in bringing Anri back to Siros, how long do you really think it would have been before you were found out? Did you actually think that she would open that Vault without talking to her Grandfather first and asking about you? What were you going to say when he revealed that he’d never heard of you before?
“You never even had a coherent plan for getting in the Vault! Instead, you’re just blundering around and trying to succeed by accident,” Subaru said contemptuously. “You had an unbelievable advantage! You knew all of your opponents’ plans and goals! You even sat there while we were cooking most of our strategies up and you still found a way to lose! You played this game so badly that your opponents didn’t even realize that anyone else was playing! There’s a term for people like that, Capella: losers,” Subaru said as insultingly as he could.
Capella was panting for breath and her red eyes were completely mad. Her mouth stretched into an inhumanly wide, lunatic grin. “I don’t care anymore!” She whispered. “I don’t care if the Gospel says not to kill you! I’m going to rip you both limb from limb!”
Capella sprang up the stairs, her limbs stretching and elongating grotesquely. She bounded up the steps on all fours, her long thin limbs lifting her high off the ground, leaving her looking like some monstrous spider.
“Ready?!” Subaru shouted.
“Ready!” Emilia nodded.
The pair bolted back up the stairs.
Capella roared with laughter. “You’re not getting away! I’m going to-”
Her foot slipped out from underneath her and Capella went cartwheeling down the hard stone steps where her face smashed hard against the concrete floor. Most of her body broke apart into a puddle of black slime.
Capella pulled her body back together and stood up, disoriented and shaking her head. She looked at the stairs and saw that they had been coated in a thin layer of ice.
“Hey, you were right, Mili!” Subaru called in a good-natured tone.
Capella looked up and saw Subaru and Emilia smirking from the top of the stairs.
Subaru laughed. “She really was dumb enough to fall for it!”
“I told you, Subaru,” Emilia said smugly. “You owe me a gold coin.”
Capella screamed in rage and her body swelled into enormity, becoming the colossal, red eyed, black dragon.
“Come on!” Subaru shouted as he and Emilia sprinted around the corner and out of sight.
The Marquis de Feir was an extremely old man. Even in his youth, physical exertion outside of the bedroom had never appealed to him and with each passing decade it had appealed to him less.
Feir had spent a little over a week at his summer estate just outside of Fleur enjoying a brief absence from the busy life at court, as well as the attentions of a few eager young maids, now that his nosy relatives were no longer in attendance to disapprove of his harmless fun.
Feir had found the long carriage ride home to the capitol extremely fatiguing and had been fighting a monstrous headache. He wanted nothing more than to retire into a warm bath liberally sprinkled with frangipani that morning. However, a note had been handed him almost as soon as he walked in the door.
“Urgent. Come to the palace immediately. Brook no delay. Georg of Monmouth.”
Thus, the Marquis had jumped right back into his carriage and raced to the palace hunting up and down the halls for his dear friend.
He was currently searching the balcony seats above the royal assembly chamber.
“Feir!” Georg whispered.
Feir saw Georg sitting some distance away from everyone. Georg had always been a serious man, rarely given to mirth and levity but today his features were carved with an extra gravity.
Feir rushed over to his friend and collapsed into the comfortable chair beside him, panting for breath.
“I haven’t… run that far… since I was twenty,” The old man gasped.
“It was not wasted effort, my friend, believe me,” Georg said in a grim voice. “Have you been following what has been happening?”
“My dear Georg, I have been incommunicado outside of Fleur for the past week! I left shortly after Priscilla Barielle’s triumph following the Whale Hunt! What could possibly have happened to demand this kind of response?”
Georg stared down at the royal assembly chamber. Much larger than the fairly small council room reserved for the ranking sage council, the royal assembly boasted several dozen members including nobles of note, powerful merchants, and influential figures of all kinds.
Georg’s lips thinned. “I think that you’re about to witness a coup.”
“What?!” Feir shouted.
Georg shot Feir a dirty look and Feir wisely lowered his voice. “What?”
Georg was silent for a moment staring darkly down at the gathering royal assembly. “In the past two weeks, Subaru Natsuki’s faction has slain the White Whale, rescued an entire community of demi-humans and a separate community of human refugees from certain death at the hands of the Witch Cult, and personally killed two Sin Archbishops with his bare hands.”
Feir stared at Georg, waiting for this to be one of his friend’s extremely rare jokes. “By the Gods,” Feir finally whispered. “I never imagined that we had underestimated Subaru Natsuki to this extent. These would be legendary achievements accomplished over a lifetime, much less over two weeks. I suppose the royal selection is effectively over.”
“Oh yes,” Georg said bitterly. “It’s over.” He emphasized.
Capella dragged herself up the stairs and thrust her immense body through the huge concrete tunnels that lay under the Archives. Her only thought was to catch the objects of her loathing and devour them. Logically, Capella knew that this enormous body was a hindrance in the tight confines of these tunnels but Capella was beyond caring. Capella was angry. Like everything else about her, Capella’s rage was grand, profound, and all-encompassing. The Sin Archbishop simply demanded a body large enough to express the magnitude of her rage.
The tunnels were a tight fit but Capella was still moving fast. She forced her body through the passage like a burrowing snake, snapping at the fleeing Subaru and Emilia who ran just ahead of her jaws.
The pair turned the corner and Capella’s eyes lit up as they made a mistake. They turned down the wrong way of a passage. There was no exit from there. Just a blind wall a dozen yards down.
Capella thrust herself forward, anxious to cut off her prey’s retreat before they realized their error.
She found Subaru and Emilia in the narrow tunnel, staring at the walls around them in horror.
Capella flung herself forward, her huge snapping jaws filling the entire tunnel.
Then she slammed them shut on empty air.
Capella inspected the tunnel in a fury. The tunnels on this level were just a bit narrower than the others below. She couldn’t fit through as a dragon.
Capella glared in fury at the two tiny insects standing just inches away from her snapping fangs.
Capella considered shifting to a smaller form then decided against it. Instead, her reptilian lips took on an amused smirk.
She opened her mouth wide to show them the fire building up deep in her gullet. She’d let them savor their own approaching deaths before she cooked them to ash.
Capella took a deep breath and opened her jaws wider in preparation of releasing her fire. She met the noxious worms’ eyes and a shadow of doubt entered her mind. She had expected eyes that were filled with fear, hopelessness, and despair. Instead, Subaru and Emilia’s eyes were hard, cold and fixed.
Subaru leaped forward and triggered Indomitable. He punched her lower jaw hard and forced her mouth to slam shut, her sharp teeth spearing into the roof of her own mouth.
Capella tried to roar with pain but her jaw wouldn’t open. She suddenly realized that the elf had frozen a dozen rings of thick ice around her jaws, clamping them shut.
Capella sensed the pests bolting past her but at the moment, Capella had bigger problems. The fire that she had summoned was still building up inside of her and it had nowhere to go. Capella fought desperately to open her jaws, slamming her head against the concrete in a desperate attempt to break the ice that was lining her jaw but the ice bands were in a place that she couldn’t reach no matter what she tried.
She tried to change shape but the pressure building up inside of her was too great.
Capella’s body bulged grotesquely as it struggled to contain the fury of her fire.
Then the dragon exploded like an overstuffed water-balloon. Black flames filled the hall and black sludge splattered everywhere.
Capella slowly and painfully pulled herself back together, taking on her ‘young girl’ appearance. Her head was spinning and her legs were wobbling as she struggled to collect herself, physically and mentally.
A moment later, her eyes cleared and blazed with hatred. She flung herself up the tunnel toward the entrance, her shape becoming… loose. Parts of her body grew dragon claws, bear fur, human skin, and other features more exotic still. Capella was too enraged to control her shape any longer. She raced after Subaru and Emilia, loping on all fours like an animal.
“Ladies,” Lord Montefort said bowing to the three princesses, “You wished to see me?” A hooded man in sandals and a strange pink robe stood just behind him.
“Yes, Lord Montefort,” Crusch said struggling for calm. “Thank you for seeing us all on such short notice. The three of us actually share some concerns. There is a rumor going around that the royal council intends to suspend the royal selection.”
“Regrettably, this is true,” Montefort commiserated. “With Subaru Natsuki and the Witch of Envy roaming the land, we are now in a state of emergency. It requires a certain… flexibility.”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“I don’t understand,” Priscilla said through clenched teeth. “When will the selection be restarted?”
“When the situation is again under control,” Montefort said in a friendly tone. “And when we have decided the victor.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Anastasia demanded.
“The three of you are all fantastic disappointments,” Montefort continued in the same kind voice. “The first duty of a king is to protect his people from external threats. The three of you failed to protect the Kingdom from a no-name foreign interloper of no known lineage who came here with nothing but the clothes on his back. This is a comical lack of political ability. It has required us to take matters into our own hands. This is extremely inconvenient to me personally as it was I who convinced the others that allowing the election to occur in the first place was in our best interests. It’s all turned out to be rather embarrassing for me, I must say.”
The three princesses gaped at him. Priscilla shook her head. “You can’t just… cancel the selection! You don’t have that authority!” Priscilla cried.
“Between myself, Willard Picket, and Lord Zyst, we control the royal assembly. You’ll find that we have all the authority in the kingdom,” Montefort continued in the same friendly voice.
“No wonder you want to cancel the selection,” Crusch growled. “A new king would threaten your power!”
“Oh, Crusch,” Montefort shook his head fondly. “You’re so much like your father. We aren’t electing a king. We’re electing a hat-rack.”
The princesses looked at one another in confusion.
“Your purpose,” Montefort continued, “Is simply to wear the crown, mouth polite formula phrases to the dragon to keep our alliance intact, and have fat babies to continue your bloodline.”
“I hope you realize that if I am elected King, the pact with the dragon will end,” Crusch said firmly.
“And I hope you realize that you will have no say in the matter, whatsoever,” Montefort continued in the same kindly tone. “The dragon gives our kingdom an absolute guarantee of protection from hostile incursions. Can you even imagine the advantages afforded to Lagunica by not needing to devote substantial military resources to defense? You or Anastasia will be king, we’re still debating the relative benefits you offer. Anastasia will be easier to control but her gutter born blood is of no value, while Crusch would be more difficult to control but has the benefit of a long and noble bloodline. Oh! And congratulations, Lady Crusch! At the moment I think that you are in the lead for the throne but there’s still a great deal of discussion to be had.”
Crusch’s mind filled with flames. “I will not endure your insolence any longer, Montefort! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now!” Crusch said, drawing her sword.
“Felix Argyle,” Monteford said calmly, not missing a beat.
Crusch’s blade froze in place. “What?” Crusch gasped.
“Yes, I meant to offer my sympathies to you today for his strange disappearance,” He commiserated. “I can only imagine what you’re feeling at the loss of that… person,” Montefort said curling his lip in distaste. “However, be of good cheer. I’m certain that if you and I work closely together, we can find a way to restore him to you.”
Crusch’s hand was shaking.
Montefort turned to face Anastasia who wore a snarl on her face. “Oh, and Lady Anatasia I’m terribly sorry about Julius and your… kitten,” Montefort’s face again took on a look of disgust.
Anastasia looked shocked.
“Apparently your spirited little animal Mimi became involved with last night’s riot. Numerous witnesses saw her attacking the city guard and working with the Witch Cultist saboteur. I’m afraid that she’s been arrested on charges of sedition.”
Anastasia was pale with rage. “That’s not possible! She was with me last night. She was nowhere near the castle! I demand to speak with these witnesses!”
“Oh, I couldn’t allow that,” Montefort replied in a friendly tone. “You might intimidate them. I’m afraid that these witnesses will have to remain secret. But rest assured, I will not permit the judge to render a verdict until he is absolutely certain of their truthfulness.”
“And just what have you done to Julius?” Anastastia demanded.
“Oh, it was simply terrible. I’m afraid that he died in battle near Ganaks. A tragic loss for our country. Unfortunately, the Juukulius family is quite influential. While no one would particularly care about the disappearance of a jumped-up cat demi-human, even if he is a knight and the theoretical bastard of a noble family, making Julius disappear was more trouble than it was worth. An investigation would certainly be called for. Thus he gets an honorable death and Miss Mimi takes his place under our care to ensure your good behavior.”
Anastasia’s face went pale.
Priscilla folded her arms. “I assume that you’ve also kidnapped Al.”
“Indeed.”
“I hope you don’t think you can control me that way!” Priscilla sneered.
“Alas, I have belatedly come to that conclusion,” Montefort admitted. “I always believed that there was indeed some affection between the two of you and that you were some manner of tsundere. I now realize that you are simply a bitch.”
Priscilla’s jaw dropped.
Montefort shrugged. “In point of fact, Aldebaran managed to escape from my trap. I have no idea where he is or what he’s doing. However, that fortunately is not a problem as I have recently discovered that I don’t really need to control you. You are now out of the running for the royal selection.”
“What?!” Priscilla shouted.
Montefort looked apologetic. “Initially, I thought that your Vollachian royal blood might be a useful means of seeking closer ties with our greatest foe but I recently spoke to your beloved half-brother, Emperor Vincent-”
Priscilla snarled in rage.
“And he explained that he considers you to be mainly an irritant. Thus, you have no value to our country’s goals and beyond that, you are annoying as hell,” He said bluntly. “Therefore, you may consider yourself out of the running for the throne. I must suggest that you remove yourself from Lagunica entirely, for reasons of your health.”
Priscilla glared at him but she now spoke in a calmer, more measured tone. “You do realize that if I return to Vollachia, I will certainly be killed.”
“You should also realize that a similar fate awaits you if you remain here. I’d say that you have quite a problem,” Montefort commiserated.
Priscilla bared her teeth. With a savage yell she drew her Yang sword out of thin air and lunged at Montefort’s chest.
The sword stroke was parried.
“Come on, pretty girl, you should smile! You’d look so much more beautiful with a smile on your face!” The hooded man said in a friendly voice. He pulled back his hood revealing blue hair and a face that was handsome to the point of being pretty.
Priscilla glowered at him. “Cecilus Segmunt. Montefort, what is a Divine General of the Vollachia Empire doing here?!”
“He’s something of an ambassador of good will,” Montefort explained calmly. “Emperor Vincent shares our concerns about the state of the royal selection and has offered to assist us in dealing with Subaru Natsuki.”
Anatasia stared at Montefort open mouthed. “Why in the world would the Emperor of Vollachia possibly care about Subaru Natsuki?” Anastasia demanded.
“Oh, isn’t it obvious? No, I suppose not. My fault. I forgot that I was speaking to children,” Montefort mused.
The three princesses scowled at Montefort.
“Can I assume that the three of you are at least passingly aware of the great civil war that occurred in Lagunica fifty years ago? The war where demi-humans across the country took up arms to demand equality and respect? Can anyone tell me why the right side won that war?”
Crusch gave him a baffled look. “Because the former Sword Saint finally started assisting us-”
“No, no, no, Lady Crusch,” Montefort sighed. “You really are so much like your father. You simply don’t see the webs within the webs. Theresia van Astrea’s assistance was simply detail. The war could have ended in three years or thirteen years or thirty years but victory was inevitable from the start.”
“Because?” Anastasia said in an unsteady voice.
“Because my grandfather, and a variety of other farsighted men of the kingdom, spared no effort to remind the human peasantry that any social and economic gains made by the demi-humans would come directly at their own expense,” Montefort explained. “This ensured that the human lower classes viewed the demi-humans as threats to what little they had, as well as dangerous enemies. The war might have ended swiftly or it could have dragged on but because they were fighting alone, the demi-humans simply lacked the power, both militarily and politically to make any significant changes in the kingdom. Unfortunately, now we have to deal with Subaru Natsuki.”
“Stop speaking in riddles!” Priscilla growled.
Anastasia frowned. “Subaru rescued the humans of Arlem village,” Anastasia said in dawning understanding. “Then he rescued the demi-humans of the Sanctuary. He’s spoken over and over again about equal rights for demi-humans as well raising the standards of living for the underclasses. My reports indicate that the demi-humans of the Sanctuary have fled to Arlem and been welcomed with open arms. They’re building a thriving community together, humans and demi-humans living side by side.”
“Very perceptive, Lady Anastasia,” Montefort complimented. “Subaru, by accident or ingenuity, has stumbled upon a very dangerous political strategy. Therein lies our problem.”
Crusch’s eyes widened. “Subaru Natsuki has convinced both the poor humans and the demi-humans that he hears their sorrows and that he will be their champion,” Crusch continued Anastasia’s point, her tone one of shocked revelation. “If they start viewing each other as allies instead of rivals, they’ll break the power structure of the kingdom wide open. If those two factions joined forces, that’s an army numbering in the millions! There aren’t enough knights and mages in the kingdom to fight that many people!”
“At last you understand,” Montefort said smiling. “Sir Reinhard would have made the situation manageable, once we had convinced him that him slaughtering these subversives would prevent more bloodletting in the long run but Subaru Natsuki has managed to acquire his loyalty as well. Subaru Natsuki is either an authentic strategic genius or the luckiest bastard in recorded history. Regardless, he is a threat that has been ignored for too long already. Subaru must be done away with immediately.”
“I don’t understand,” Priscilla said. “Why wouldn’t you wait until the election was over before making this move? If the vote shifted you wouldn’t have had to do anything. You could always just kill him after the election if he won.”
“Do you really think that I’m going to give Subaru Natsuki another two years to build his power base?” Montefort asked in disbelief. “Besides, by your own admissions, you think the selection is over! None of you have the ability to compete with that boy politically. You simply lack the skills and the talent.”
Anastasia shook her head. “You’re making this all very complicated. Why not just rig the vote then?” She asked in confusion.
Montefort sighed. “So very naive. Even if by some chance Subaru Natsuki were to lose, he would certainly raise a rebellion and bring a civil war down on all our heads.”
“And you think that killing him will avert that?” Crusch demanded. “You’ll just make him into a martyr!”
“Doubtlessly,” Montefort agreed. “But his killer has to be either a human or a demi-human, doesn’t it? As long as one side blames the other, our problem is solved!” Montefort shrugged. “In any event, ladies, I need to get ready to present evidence of Subaru’s witchcraft to the council. If you’ll excuse me?”
“Do you have any evidence?” Crusch demanded intently.
“No, not that it really matters. Your ludicrous report of the Witch of Envy being freed was most useful however, Lady Crusch. I was worried that I couldn’t make a flimsy accusation stick but now I have the unassailable integrity of the House of Karnstein backing me up. I can’t imagine what you were trying to accomplish with such a ridiculous gambit but it serves my needs well enough. Subaru Natsuki will be declared a Witch. I’m sure that you’ll be only too happy to vote for it in council, Lady Crusch. Felix will be terribly disappointed if you fail to vote the proper way.”
Crusch bit her tongue.
“In the meantime, I strongly suggest that you and Lady Anastasia start deciding which one of you most wants to be our obedient little hat-rack,” Montefort said pleasantly.
Anastasia scowled. “What if neither of us is willing to work for you?” Anastasia demanded.
Montefort looked thoughtful. “Well, Mimi and Felix would suffer for your intransigence but I assume that you already knew that,” Montefort mused. “I suppose that we could find other ways to control you but that really does sound like too much bother. I suppose we’d simply crown one of you and explain your disappearance from public view by your poor health. You will become pregnant as soon as possible, even if narcotics or restraints are required, and once you deliver your heir you become expendable. A regency would suit us right down to the ground. That’s how my grandfather managed to keep King Gionis so obedient. He raised Gionis like his own pet, you know. I’ve always admired Grandfather. It would please me greatly to be able to follow in his footsteps,” He finished with a smile, entering the council chamber.
Cecilus blew the princesses a kiss and then followed Montefort inside.
Crusch and Anastasia were ashen faced while Priscilla was livid was rage. She glanced at her peers. “You both realize that you’ll never get your people back, right? They’ll be permanent prisoners and they’ll be tortured and executed at whatever moment most benefits Montefort.”
“We know that, Priscilla!” Anastasia snapped at her, her eyes wild. “We are very clear on our current situation! Now, do you have any suggestions for some way for us to get out of this situation?”
Strangely, Anastasia losing her temper seemed to have restored Priscilla’s. “I might, in fact,” She said. “But I scarcely think that this is the right place to discuss it.”
Crusch let out a long, slow sigh. “I need to cast a vote, ladies. As long as Montefort’s dagger is at Felix’s throat, I am truly a prisoner. However, once the vote is cast, might I offer you the hospitality of my estate? I think that we have a great deal to talk about.”
Anastasia and Priscilla nodded.
Subaru and Emilia raced out of the tunnels into an enormous concrete room beneath the Archives where the tunnels met the library. They saw Anri racing toward them, a legion of soldiers beside her. Anri was once again dressed in her traveling clothes and her rapier was belted at her side.
“Subaru!” Anri screamed. “The Vault! Did she-”
Subaru pulled the key out of his pocket and showed it to her. “Capella got nothing!” He shouted.
“What’s going on here, Subaru? Who is Victoire?” Anri demanded as she and her men took position around the top of the huge winding stairwell that led down to the vault.
“Capella,” Subaru said shortly. “She’s the Sin Archbishop of Lust. She has the ability to change her shape and regenerate from seemingly fatal wounds. Her favorite shapes seem to be a black dragon, an enormous bear, and a little blond girl who needs to have her mouth washed out with soap!”
At that moment, Capella came charging up the stairs, running on three limbs. Her left arm had vanished and been replaced by a profusion of other limbs that grew out of her shoulder: an octopus tentacle, a chicken leg, two human hands, a limb that ended in a hoof, and something stubby that looked like a giant caterpillar’s leg.
Capella threw herself up the stairs with a roar, heedless of the crowd of soldiers waiting.
Capella leaped high into the air and landed on a soldier like some mad octopus, grabbing him with all her arms and ripping his body to pieces.
Emilia blasted Capella with a hurricane gust of wind that was cold beyond imagining. The Sin Archbishop was blown back against the wall where she crashed to the ground, shivering and struggling to break a thin layer of frost off her body.
The soldiers around Capella sprang into action, jabbing her with their spears but Capella barely seemed to noticed. She swung her strange deformed ‘arms’ and the soldiers all went flying, many of them striking the walls with crushing force and then falling limp to the ground.
Subaru triggered Indomitable and threw himself at Capella. She dodged his first punch so Subaru gave her a hard kick to the stomach and the Sin Archbishop exploded into slush, the remnants of her body flying backward to splatter and slid down the wall in a wet heap.
The black muck dragged itself together again, albeit more slowly this time. Capella got back to her feet, now having the right number of limbs. She looked both tired and livid.
“Keep it up!” Subaru shouted at the surrounding soldiers. “She’s slowing down!”
The soldiers sounded a cheer that sounded as frightened as it was enthusiastic.
Capella scowled and threw herself at the soldiers. Her body grew a huge number of long, sharp, insect-like limbs out of her back that lifted her high above the ground. “Enough of this bullshit! Get out of my fucking way!” Capella charged forward on her long spindly limbs like some monstrous spider, her own body dangling comically in midair.
Capella’s sudden rush took everyone by surprise and even Subaru and Emilia were sent flying. Subaru triggered Indomitable to try and protect Emilia from the hard collision with the wall.
Capella raced for the exit back to the Archive proper and to freedom.
Anri stood in her path.
Oh God! Anri! Subaru thought.
Subaru and Emilia fought their way back to their feet and raced toward Anri but it was clear that they’d be far too late.
Anri’s face was pale but composed. Capella saw Anri and her face twisted with hate. She dove at the girl thrusting all of her sharp, stabbing limbs at her.
Anri desperately slashed her rapier through the maddened Archbishop’s throat.
Capella screamed and jerked back. The cut had already healed but her eyes huge and her hands wrapped around her throat. Her extra spider limbs retracted.
“The fuck?!” Capella demanded, looking like an ordinary girl and shaking her head in obvious pain. “What is that frigging sword?”
Anri briefly looked startled but then she smiled. “This is the Royal sword of House Ithil!” Anri declared proudly. “My dear friend Subaru enchanted it. It is now a bane to all evil things! It may not harm your flesh but each cut will score your soul!”
Capella’s eyes bulged. “Bullshit! There’s no such spell! Get out of my way, you posturing tit-less wonder!”
Capella lunged at Anri but Anri slashed her rapier through Capella’s arm and the Archbishop gave a startled yelp. She leaped back, staring at Anri in disbelief.
Subaru and Emilia reached Anri’s side, flanking her.
Subaru let out a loud, cold laugh. Everyone in the room turned to him. “When was the last time that you felt pain, Capella?” He asked conversationally.
“Fuck off, you limp-dick cock-sucker!” Capella hissed.
“I bet it’s been a while,” Subaru mused. “I mean, your body is very impressive-”
“My body is perfect,” Capella whispered in a deathly voice. “Beauty and grace incarnate…”
Subaru coughed. “Yeah yeah, sure, whatever,” He muttered. “Still, no matter how resilient your body is, it’s not much help if you fail to protect your own soul, is it?”
“How much shit do you eat for all of this crap to be falling out of your mouth?!” Capella snapped.
Subaru shrugged. “You’re right, I’m lying. That sword doesn’t hurt you at all. It doesn’t bypass all your defenses and cut at your very being…”
Capella blinked and her face suddenly looked uncertain. “I’m immortal, dickweed!” She proclaimed.
“Really?” Subaru said with a knowing leer. “Let’s just put that to the test, shall we?”
Capella screamed in fury and flung herself at Subaru, Emilia, and Anri. She began to swell into enormity, becoming the gigantic black bear.
Subaru triggered Indomitable and punched her right in her frothing maw.
The bear bellowed in pain and dismay as it exploded out around Subaru’s fist.
The vile sludge landed everywhere. Large clumps of it lay still on the floor for a moment before they slowly began to move together again.
Subaru tried to stomp on the sludge but this had no effect.
Emilia froze several pieces but the sludge shuddered and shook until it broke free of the ice blocks and continued to reassemble.
Anri slashed several pieces which jerked away from her sword. Anri kept stabbing the sludge but for each piece she harassed, more and more rejoined the main body.
Capella slowly took shape as a vague outline of a girl with muted colors.
“I’m going to feed you all to rats when I’m done!” Capella screamed, sounding like she was talking through a mouthful of jelly.
Anri abandoned the clumps and rushed at Capella.
The Archbishop raised arms that were as undefined as lumps of clap and as big as cricket bats. She swung a heavy blow at Anri.
The princess dodged it and thrust her rapier at Capella’s heart.
Capella leaped back to try to avoid it but her form wasn’t solid yet and her body broke apart at the thighs.
The Archbishop landed heavily on her back and Anri charged toward her, stabbing at her head but Capella rolled away. Her body was rapidly reassembling itself and her normal colors returned.
Before Capella could move, Anri stabbed Capella right through her back, desperately trying to pin the Archbishop down. The Archbishop screamed, more in fear than in pain.
The center of Capella’s torso split apart into what looked like thousands of wriggling black tendrils that writhed and lashed convulsively, struggling to avoid the rapier blade that lay through her torso.
“Get away from me!” She screamed, trying to pull herself off the rapier. Her arms formed enormous bear claws that sank deep into the stone floor. Capella dragged herself away from Anri using furry arms that were at least twice the size of her torso, slowly tearing herself free of the rapier, inch by inch.
Capella swung an enormous arm at Anri. Anri leaped back to dodge it.
Subaru and Emilia threw themselves on top of Capella and pinned her down.
“Get off me, you sweaty piss-ants!” She screamed, her head growing enormous as she shifted into a dragon.
Subaru triggered Indomitable and punched Capella’s head as hard as he could. Capella’s ‘dragon head’ burst into black sludge, falling off her normal face as if Capella had just vomited up buckets of black sludge.
Anri raced forward stabbed her sword through Capella’s shoulder. Her shoulder began to lose shape and form as it unraveled into black tentacles that twisted and writhed to avoid touching the rapier.
Emilia blasted Capella with ice magic and a thin layer of frost covered the Archbishop like a full-body cast. For a moment, she struggled to move, even the tentacles slowed their writhing.
Capella collapsed on her face, looking like a normal girl again. “You can’t kill me!” Capella screamed. “You can’t kill me and when I get loose, I’m going to chew off every single one of your bits!”
“We can’t hold her!” Anri screamed. “She’s too powerful!”
“Powerful,” Subaru whispered. “Hang on!” Subaru shouted, reaching into his bag.
Emilia and Anri tried desperately to restrain Capella as she quickly broke free of the frost. She began to shift into the dragon as Subaru pulled out the bracelet of black stones that he’d taken off of Julius.
Subaru brought them to Capella’s still human arm and they snapped in place around her wrist as if they were magnetized.
Capella gave a deafening screech as her body vibrated and shook. Her body glowed bright red for a moment and then she collapsed limp against the floor. Subaru, Emilia and Anri lay panting on top of her.
Subaru looked down at Anri’s sword that was still cutting through Capella’s shoulder, making a small wound that was… bleeding.
Capella screamed and shook herself. “Get off me!”
Capella laboriously pushed Anri, Emilia, and Subaru off of her. They didn’t try very hard to hold on but Capella still struggled to move them.
“I’m going to eat the shit-fucking lot of you, you pustulant bitches!” Capella screamed, making a face like she had a dragon’s crushing teeth.
Capella blinked in surprise.
She swung her arm at a group of soldiers standing several yards away as if she intended to knock them flying with an enormous limb. The soldiers flinched but nothing else happened. Capella’s arm didn’t change a bit.
Capella’s face went blank, staring at her bracelet in horrified realization. Capella wrenched at the bracelet but was unable to move it an inch. She fought to pull it off but succeeded in nothing more than breaking her fingernails.
With a maddened howl, she brought her arm to her mouth and sank her teeth into it, gnawing on the limb like a wolf trying to escape a trap.
Subaru sighed and looked over at the shell-shocked soldiers. “Any of you feel brave enough to try and restrain the powerless, one hundred pound girl?!” Subaru demanded loudly.
Several soldiers started, then leaped up and grabbed Capella. By now, Capella had gnawed her own limb down to the bone but her teeth couldn’t manage to cut through it. Capella threw her head back, her face painted with a dark-red beard of blood. She fought like a wild animal, contorting and throwing herself around, kicking the soldiers, and desperately trying to get her face close enough to them to bite. As she was barely a hundred pounds of short, slender girl, this had little impact on the burly soldiers.
Anri stood up and marched over to Capella with a hard look on her face. Subaru noticed that the deep, gushing wound that Capella had chewed in her own arm had already healed.
Capella stopped thrashing around long enough to give Anri a look of loathing and a lunatic grin. “I will get out of this, Anri,” She promised. “And then the first thing that I’ll do is I’ll find you, no-tits, and then I’ll rip-”
Anri smacked Capella across the face with the hilt of her sword.
Capella’s face was a hilarious caricature of shock.
Subaru snorted with laughter.
“That’s for lying to me!” Anri said coldly. “And you don’t get to call me ‘Anri.’ That privilege is reserved for my friends. Take her away!”
Capella screamed, spitting and cursing as the soldiers carried the helpless Sin Archbishop away. “You can’t kill me! Even like this, you can’t kill me! I’ll get out of this, you limp-dick fuck-wits!”
Montefort approached the council chamber with a smile on his face and a song in his heart. Things had gone better than planned.
“Montefort!” A voice snapped.
Montefort turned around to see Lord Vatu, a powerful noble from northern Lagunican who had been a strong ally for many years. Vatu was scowling at him. Six other powerful nobles were with him and they all looked furious.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” Montefort said with a smile. “What can I do for you?”
Vatu bared his teeth. “Is this your idea of a joke?!” He demanded.
Montefort frowned. He was unaccustomed to being addressed that way, especially by his own allies but he let it roll off his back. “I’m not sure that I understand.”
In answer, Vatu held up a sheet of paper and literally slapped Montefort’s chest with it.
Montefort glared at Vatu for a long moment and then took the paper and read it.
His eyes bulged out. “Where did this come from?” He whispered.
“Your pet, Crusch Karnstein, dropped it on the floor on the council chamber this morning!” Vatu yelled.
Montefort looked up from the paper, his jaw hanging open.
“When Crusch submitted this into evidence, we all almost died of shock! Are you trying to make us look duplicitous?!” Vatu demanded. “We’ve stuck our necks out to support you in this ridiculous witch trial! Now you pull a stunt like this? Last minute testimony that arrives in the nick of time from an untitled, dead man who can’t even be questioned?!”
Montefort took a deep breath. “My lord Vatu,” Montefort said, fighting for calm. “I assure you that I knew nothing of this. Crusch Karnstein acted entirely on her own.”
Vatu looked away with a snort. Montefort realized uncomfortably that the others looked equally skeptical.
“Montefort,” Vatu spat, “This is absurd! It is the most transparent, ham-fisted attempt at political manipulation I have ever encountered! What is wrong with you?! Your grandfather would never have made a blunder like this!”
Montefort’s face went blank. He put a calm smile back on his face by sheer will power. “Whatever blunders have brought us here,” He said in a dangerously quiet voice. “The important thing is to put the trial behind us as soon as possible. That way we can all focus on opposing Gusteko’s territorial ambitions and reclaiming Ganaks. I assume that we are still all united on that front?”
The other nobles scowled and looked at each other. “Yes,” Vatu grumbled. “We are agreed in this matter.”
“Splendid,” Montefort said calmly. “Now, if you will all excuse me for a bit? I have something I must attend to straight away.”
Montefort walked away and his normally placid face twisted into a rare scowl.
Anri rubbed her head. “Ugh. I’m exhausted. How is it still only morning?!”
Subaru, Emilia and Anri were standing outside the Archives, enjoying the morning sun. They were all exhausted.
Subaru shrugged. “Fighting a Sin Archbishop takes a lot out of you. Take my word for it. This was my sixth fight with one of them!”
Anri shook her head. “The mere fact that you can say that and not be lying raises serious questions about your sanity, Subaru. After all this, I’m not sure that I’m willing to just let you two leave,” She quipped. “I might need you guys to fight the next avalanche or summer storm!”
Subaru chuckled. “Yup, that’s Gusteko hospitality for you. They never let you leave!”
“Hospitality is one of our country’s most sacred traditions!” An enormous man boomed as he emerged from the Archive. Radu walked out beside him.
“Subaru, Emilia, this is my grandfather, Patriarch Gustov of the Holy Church,” Anri said.
Subaru bowed slightly. “Patriarch.”
“Lord Subaru,” Gustov said bowing low. “My deepest thanks for your heroism that protected my people and still more for your safekeeping of my granddaughter!”
Subaru gave a weary smile. “Really, we were happy to do it.”
“Anri is a dear friend,” Emilia agreed.
Gustov smiled. “And I must also thank you for helping to protect our sacred Archives from that monster. I know of that changeling. She’s been trying to break into the Vault for centuries, if not longer. To see her actually captured is a wonder to behold.”
Anri shook her head. “This time she seemed to have come up with a more elaborate plan that very nearly worked, Grandfather.”
He nodded. “It is thanks to all of your courage that it did not.”
“Grandfather, was anything taken from the Archives?” Anri asked intently.
“Oh, right,” Subaru said, pulling the key out of his pocket and handing it to Anri. “I almost forget to return this.”
Anri tied it to her necklace with a sigh of relief.
Gustov shook his head. “All is present and accounted for. The monster sought only what was in the Vault.”
“What’s in there anyway?” Subaru asked Anri.
“Good question,” She replied, looking up at Gustov meaningfully.
Gustov shifted uncomfortably.
Radu chuckled. “I think that you can tell her what we know, Father. She’ll be your ruler in a few months.”
Gustov gave him an amused look. “Son, did I ever tell you that you share your mother’s bluntness?”
Radu shrugged. “Family trait,” He gestured toward Anri.
Anri slowly processed what Radu had said and looked at him in shock. “Wait! Uncle Radu, what do you mean ‘a few months?!’”
Radu gave her a look of fond exasperation. “Anri, the nobles were already prepared to back your claim to the throne. Now you’ve faced down a Sin Archbishop and captured her! When the nobles find out, I fear that if I don’t announce your coronation at the next council meeting, I will be facing down a lynch mob!”
Anri didn’t appear to know what to say. Her eyes darted back and forth between the old men. “Grandfather, what’s in that Vault?” She said, desperately trying to change the subject.
Gustov sighed. “You’ve asked me that question many times before.”
“If I’m going to be the ruler,” Anri growled at Radu in annoyance, “Then I think I have the right to know!”
“I… cannot tell you what I do not know, little Anri,” Gustov said slowly.
“What?!”
“I do not know what is in that Vault,” Gustov said. “No one living does.”
Anri stared at him. “You’ve got to be joking! We are guarding the collective knowledge of the world! We have thousands of books in all languages and on all topics. We even have books in languages that no one can read anymore. There has to be a book in the Archives that tells us what’s in our own goddamn Vault!”
Gustov almost looked amused. “If you could find it, I would be most grateful, little one.”
Radu broke in. “It’s been sealed since long before the time of the Great Calamity. It was only opened once in recorded history. Our only reliable records are from the time of the last King of Gusteko. During the long ago war with Lagunica, the dragon appeared and our army was crushed. In desperation, the King ordered the Vault to be opened and ‘the artifact’ retrieved.”
“What artifact?” Anri asked.
Gustov shrugged. “Who knows? The King believed that there was a powerful artifact in the Vault. Although, I have no idea why he believed that or if he was right. Your ancestor was reluctant to comply as keeping the Vault secure was a sacred trust going back beyond all memory but the King was insistent and finally your ancestor ordered the Vault opened and explored. Sixty men entered. None emerged again.”
Anri just stared at him.
Gustov nodded. “After waiting for three days, the Vault was once again sealed. It has remained sealed ever since. The King accused your ancestor of betrayal and had House Ithil stricken from the rolls of Gusteko.”
Anri gaped at him. “Wait a second! That’s why we lost our standing?!”
“That’s why,” Radu nodded.
Anri shook her head. “What the hell?! Why is that even a secret?! We didn’t do anything wrong! Why are we always treating the cause of our fall as if it was some great shame of our family?!”
Gustov shook his head. “Few people even know about the Vault. We’d prefer to keep it that way. So we never talked about what happened.”
“It’s not like the fact that our punishment was unjust would have changed anyone’s mind,” Radu shrugged.
Anri shook her head in disbelief.
Subaru coughed. “Well, I doubt that Capella was trying this hard to break in just so she could take a look around in there,” Subaru pointed out. “Capella wanted something out of that Vault. We’ll just ask her what it was.”
Anri nodded. “Good plan. Honestly, there are a number of things that I want to ask her before I decide on her punishment.”
Gustov clapped his hands together. “Well, to move onto more important matters, I believe that the two of you desire to look for the solution to a problem in our library? I will assist you to the best of my ability. What is the problem?”
Subaru and Emilia looked at one another and sighed. “Emilia has been cursed,” Subaru murmured. “She’s been afflicted with a curse that causes everyone to forget about her.”
Gustov’s bushy eyebrows climbed to his hairline.
“We suspect that the Witch Cult was involved,” Emilia added, looking at Subaru helplessly. “But that’s really all that we know…”
Gustov frowned. “I have heard of such things,” He said gravely.
“You have?!” Subaru asked excitedly.
Gustov nodded. “There are records in the Archive, albeit few and far between, of men and woman who claimed that they had been… forgotten by the world. Their own friends and family did not remember them and they claimed that these people’s memories had been rewritten to exclude them. They would have simply been dismissed as lunatics except that in rare cares the person so afflicted was able to prove he knew things that he otherwise could not have known.”
“Did any of them find a cure?” Subaru whispered, squeezing Emilia’s hand.
Gustov stared at him, his face grave. “I am sorry. If a cure exists, I know nothing of it.”