SCENE: An unlit warehouse cloaked in darkness. Scant shafts of light shine through small gaps left in the walls and the roof due to disrepair, illuminating a crowd of DEMIHUMANS down below. Tense silence hangs over the DEMIHUMANS, having germinated from acute anxiety into constant, viscous stress many days ago.
There is barely any space left in between the DEMIHUMANS. Some are sleeping, others feeding their children, yet others talking in hushed tones. About half of the warehouse is filled with rolls of fabric, stacked quite high.
INVISIBLE RAPHTALIA crouches on beams near the ceiling of the warehouse, her eyes searching through the crowd below.
SPIRIT OF RAPHTALIA: Where is Wyndi? She was supposed to be here.
INVISIBLE RAPHTALIA moves along the ceiling from one warehouse room into another. In one room, she is attracted by faint sounds of struggle outside of the warehouse, and leans against one of the small holes in the wall near the ceiling to take a look.
Outside, a trio of GUARDS are struggling with WYNDI, a fox demihuman from the plantations of IDORU REIBIA. WYNDI looks to be about sixteen years old.
GUARDS are not wearing their uniforms, but are recognisable by the identical, decorated swords worn on their belts. Otherwise, they are dressed in well-tailored, cotton civilian clothing. All three seem somewhat tipsy, but only just.
GUARD 1 is holding WYNDI down, with a knee on her chest to prevent her from screaming, while GUARD 2 is locking the gates of the warehouse with a large chain. GUARD 3 is spraying lantern oil over one of the walls. A lit lantern is standing on the ground near the GUARDS.
The gates are positioned at the end of an L-shaped cul-de-sac, and are not visible from the street outside.
GUARD 1: Are you two done yet? This bitch is slippery.
GUARD 2: Keep your pants on, we are getting there.
INVISIBLE RAPHTALIA curses quietly and starts using her sword to pry the boards apart to make a wide enough gap to get through.
GUARD 1: Should have just knifed her. She’s one of them, they brought these monsters here, she should pay for it.
GUARD 3: Do you want the Spear Hero on our asses? You spill blood, who knows if he could find it later. Just keep her down. We’ll throw her over the walls later.
GUARD 2 locks the chain with a large lock. GUARD 3 finishes with the oil and heads over to the lit lantern. RAPHTALIA is only about halfway through the wall.
GUARD 3: Alright, let’s light it up.
RAPHTALIA curses, hefts her sword, and throws it at the GUARD 3 through the hole she already made. The sword pierces him through the chest, and he keels over. The lantern held in his hands breaks on the ground, setting him on fire from the oil. GUARD 1 and GUARD 2 scream in surprise, and RAPHTALIA uses the distraction to break through the warehouse wall with a couple solid kicks.
GUARD 1 lets go of WYNDI and starts running away, but is caught by INVISIBLE RAPHTALIA, who drops on him from the hole, snapping his neck and becoming visible. RAPHTALIA leans down, pulls out the sword of GUARD 1 and heads towards GUARD 2 with a grim look on her face.
GUARD 2 takes out his sword while backing away, but is tripped up by WYNDI, and RAPHTALIA puts her sword through the GUARD’s neck, leaving it there. She walks over to her original sword to pick it up.
WYNDI: Raphtalia! What are you doing here?
RAPHTALIA: Saving you, clearly. Now explain what the fuck is happening here.
WYNDI scrambles over to one of the other guard swords and takes it out of the sheath, then backs away to the warehouse wall, looking around for more GUARDS. RAPHTALIA looks at her curiously.
RAPHTALIA: You’d want the sheath too, otherwise you won’t have anywhere else to put it.
WYNDI blushes, then goes back to the GUARD. RAPHTALIA motions to them.
RAPHTALIA: So, the guards?
WYNDI: What does it look like? Humans blame us for the monsters and the waves. They want us gone, one way or another.
RAPHTALIA heads over to the gates and uses her sword as a crowbar to break the chain.
RAPHTALIA: How the hell did Fredalia think this was a safe place for you to be…
WYNDI: They were all talk before, and she said she was hiding us in plain sight. Something about disorganization and accounting, I don’t know, but they still haven’t noticed half a dozen new “slaves” in the mix. But whatever these plants are really kicked them in the head.
RAPHTALIA: Hm. They did seem pretty poorly held together. Are the other villagers safe?
WYNDI: Safe? Nobody is safe. We’ve been trying to get other demihumans riled up to make them back off, but it’s been hard, especially since someone decided I could not learn how to use a sword.
RAPHTALIA frowns, looking around. She goes around to where the blood spilled on the ground, and kicks dirt over it to cover it up.
RAPHTALIA: Well, that won’t last long now. Come on, let’s throw their bodies over the wall for the plants to eat before we get noticed. Do you know if they have accomplices?
WYNDI: Of course they have accomplices.
RAPHTALIA: You saw them? Other side of the warehouse?
WYNDI: Not here. I mean, they are all in it together. They have a tavern where they gather - Seven Soldiers, not far from the castle. Probably came over here straight after drinking.
RAPHTALIA nods.
RAPHTALIA: I’ll tell Naofumi and the others. Come on, let’s secure the warehouse. You’d need to hide the sword though.
----------------------------------------
SCENE: RAPHTALIA enters a large room filled with spinning wheels. NAOFUMI and MELTY are arguing in one corner. CONSTANCE is sitting down on a stool nearby. FULANA JEN is leaning on a wall next to MELTY. FILO is playing with a spinning wheel by seeing how fast she could make it spin with wind magic. The wheel worbles dangerously, slowly approaching its breaking point.
NAOFUMI: I told you, it’s a complete waste of my time and nerves.
MELTY: How could you possibly know that?
NAOFUMI: I already told you.
MELTY: You just keep saying it’s a waste of time in different words!
NAOFUMI rolls his eyes.
NAOFUMI: Fine, it’s actually divination through secret demihuman witchcraft.
MELTY scoffs at NAOFUMI.
MELTY: There is no such thing, and you aren’t even demihuman.
NAOFUMI: So? Raphtalia taught me.
MELTY throws her hands in the air.
MELTY: There is no such thing! Stop dodging the topic!
RAPHTALIA approaches CONSTANCE and sits down on a stool next to her, leaning over for a question.
RAPHTALIA: What are those two arguing about?
CONSTANCE: The count had invited Melty to dinner, and she wants us to go together with her. Naofumi thinks this is pointless as there is nothing to discuss between them.
NAOFUMI: Of course there is nothing to discuss. It’d be like bashing my head against a wall, except less productive.
MELTY: You haven’t even met him!
NAOFUMI shrugs.
NAOFUMI: You walk into a house, and everywhere you look - on the floor, in the cupboards, on the tables, in the garbage - there are empty bottles of wine. In one of the rooms you find the owner, sleeping in a drunken stupor. Do you need to talk to them to know what they will say? Or do you think you can argue them into cutting down on the drink before it kills them? Think they don’t already know the obvious?
MELTY: And the bottles in this so-called analogy of yours are?...
NAOFUMI: The signs are clear as day if you know where to look. Treatment of demihumans, this bullshit about the warrior spirit, one moron straight up told us Shieldfrieden was sabotaging Melromarc through the international demihuman network -
NAOFUMI turns to RAPHTALIA. MELTY grits her teeth at the interruption.
NAOFUMI: How are our people?
RAPHTALIA: Alive, for now, contrary to the best efforts of the guards.
MELTY: What?
RAPHTALIA: Three guards tried to burn down a warehouse with hundreds of demihumans locked inside.
NAOFUMI: Of course they did.
MELTY: Setting their enemies on fire? You would know about that, I suppose.
RAPHTALIA stares at MELTY coldly.
RAPHTALIA: What do you think, could I stab you before Fulana gets to me?
FULANA JEN quickly steps in front of MELTY, scowling at RAPHTALIA, and pulling out a dagger.
FULANA JEN: Make this “joke” again, and I will treat it with the full urgency it demands.
RAPHTALIA sizes up FULANA JEN knowingly.
RAPHTALIA: You think you could win?
FILO: Eh, even odds, slight edge to Raph.
MELTY sighs and puts her hand on FULANA JEN’s shoulder.
MELTY: Enough, please. The situation is quite tense already - I was out of line and I apologize. The comparison was misplaced. I trust that the demihumans are safe? If so, then I do not think Raphtalia really intends me harm, do you?
MELTY looks at RAPHTALIA. RAPHTALIA purses her lips and nods. MELTY looks back at NAOFUMI.
MELTY: In my defense, Naofumi had been making my blood simmer for a solid hour by refusing to go talk to the count without a good reason.
NAOFUMI: What do you want us to talk about? Best methods of ethnic cleansing?
MELTY tugs at one of her ponytails in frustration.
MELTY: What do three insubordinate guards have to do with talking to the count? Or any of the other things you mentioned, frankly?
RAPHTALIA: Insubordinate?
MELTY scoffs.
MELTY: The man makes his wealth from cotton, him ordering the murder of demihumans would be like setting his own house on fire. Clearly the guards did this on their own.
NAOFUMI: This presumes the count is remotely rational.
MELTY: Are you about to tell me you can diagnose insanity without even meeting the man? Why should you assume he is not rational?
NAOFUMI: Because he is in too deep and can’t be argued with.
MELTY: Too deep into what? How does that even follow? You are presuming bad faith on the part of the count based on essentially nothing!
NAOFUMI sighs.
NAOFUMI: I could explain, but we are working against time here, and it will be faster for you to experience it for yourself.
MELTY: And you will be doing what, precisely, in the meantime?
NAOFUMI: Arming people, starting with the demihumans. Clearly the situation was more critical than I thought, if we are already at the warehouse burning stage.
MELTY rubs her forehead.
MELTY: You want to add tensions over slavery on top of the current crisis?
NAOFUMI: This is one of those cases of killing two birds with one stone. Demihumans must make up a good half of all survivors, it’s insane to leave them unarmed when your sister said we need all the troops we can get.
Corners of MELTY’s mouth turn downwards as if she had just swallowed something bitter.
MELTY: You want to turn untrained demihumans into an army? How do you plan to get them to defend their slave owner?
NAOFUMI: I’ll tell them I’ll personally take them away from here when we are done. Fighting for your own freedom is a great motivator. As for training, we have our ways.
MELTY: What, more “demihuman witchcraft”?
NAOFUMI: Shield magic, actually. We’ll rotate people through the party to rapidly increase their levels.
MELTY: Doing this without the tacit approval of the count or even a discussion is a terrible idea.
RAPHTALIA: Who said we need their permission?
MELTY exclaims with her hands.
MELTY: They control most of the resources and the largest military force in this town! Obviously you need to at least talk to them!
RAPHTALIA: Would you care to try talking to the plants outside the walls? It’s pointless to talk with someone who wishes you dead.
MELTY: How do you imagine he will react to you forming a slave rebellion - because that is exactly what you are describing - within his own town, with no reason or justification given? The guards will be on you as soon as that happens.
RAPHTALIA: So in other words, nothing whatsoever will change?
RAPHTALIA snorts to punctuate her point.
RAPHTALIA: As far as I can see, there are two genocidal forces in this town, and only one of them is made of plant fiber. Why treat them differently?
MELTY squints at RAPHTALIA.
MELTY: Do you have any evidence whatsoever the count ordered this so-called attack?
RAPHTALIA: No. But I also don’t think this is “insubordination”. Other demihumans said the tensions were high for months prior, with humans blaming demihumans for everything in the world. That could only happen with tacit approval from the count.
MELTY: This is pure guesswork. All the more reason to ask him directly about arming everyone, demihumans included - at worst, your theory would be quickly confirmed.
NAOFUMI: Oh please, he would never agree, no matter how much sense it makes.
MELTY: There are degrees of disagreement. He could disagree but stay out of it, or he could disagree and turn all his forces against you on the spot.
NAOFUMI: How do you imagine this happening? We come in, ask him to pretty please unconditionally release and arm hundreds of people he held captive as chattel, and then he learns the error of his ways and lets the demihumans go? Perhaps we’ll also hug afterwards?
MELTY: His life and the entire town is in danger. Losing some property is nothing in comparison.
NAOFUMI: And when he says no?
MELTY: If!
NAOFUMI: Oh please, this guy would rather gamble on his own survival.
MELTY tugs at her ponytails.
MELTY: You have no way of knowing this!
NAOFUMI: I have a wealth of experience. It’s a waste of time.
MELTY: It’s just a couple hours, for the love of God. Do you need to start training literally right this moment? Is time so critical in your eyes?
NAOFUMI: Yes?
MELTY: Then why are you wasting time arguing?
NAOFUMI opens his mouth to respond, then frowns, and closes it.
NAOFUMI: Hm.
MELTY: You’d rather gamble on your guess about the count being correct than spend a single dinner talking to the man?
NAOFUMI: Hardly a gamble, when I am sure of the outcome.
MELTY pinches the bridge of her nose, exhaling slowly.
CONSTANCE: For what it’s worth, I think you should go to that dinner, Naofumi.
NAOFUMI turns to CONSTANCE with a look of confusion.
NAOFUMI: What?
CONSTANCE: It will give time for me and Raph to properly prepare the ground among the demihumans. On top of that, I want your opinion about the relationship between Myne and the count, without Melty’s familial blinders.
CONSTANCE pauses for a moment.
CONSTANCE: Also, your suffering would amuse me.
NAOFUMI throws a betrayed glance at CONSTANCE. MELTY crosses her arms.
MELTY: Oh come on, now you two want to skip out on me?
RAPHTALIA: Hey, if you want me and Filo to come to dinner with a slaver, don’t blame me if a fight just happens to materialize.
MELTY pinches her nose.
MELTY: I keep forgetting. Perhaps you are right.
NAOFUMI: You aren’t worried I’d blow up the dinner?
CONSTANCE: I think you’ll manage to let Melty do the talking, if you try really, really hard.
MELTY glances between them.
MELTY: So are we in agreement? Naofumi will come with me?
NAOFUMI sighs, and smiles slightly.
NAOFUMI: Sure.
MELTY narrows her eyes at him.
MELTY: Now why are you smiling?
NAOFUMI: Because if my read on your character is right, you’ll hate it even more than I will. Well, let’s go.
The group files out of the room.
----------------------------------------
SCENE: MELTY, NAOFUMI and FULANA JEN enter a lavish dining room at the castle, led by WAITER 1. MYNE and COUNT MERPET enter through a door on the other side of the room at the same time, led by WAITER 2. The table is already fully stacked with dishes.
COUNT MERPET is an older man of an average build, though quite short, with a receding hairline and the sides of his hair turning to gray. He is clean shaven, with dimples on his cheeks as his face assumes a light smile.
The WAITERS introduce the guests, and they go through a ceremony of greetings, taking their seats, and smalltalk. COUNT MERPET is seated at the head of the table, with MYNE and MELTY on his sides. NAOFUMI sits next to MELTY. FULANA JEN remains standing behind MELTY’s chair.
As the dinner progresses, NAOFUMI looks quite ready to fall asleep. Finally, discussion turns towards the current events.
MELTY: So, Count, I must assume you have figured the reason behind my visit. We are here to help you deal with the plant crisis, and in order to do that, I plan to requisition your forces. I hope it will not present a problem?
COUNT MERPET: Oh by all means, your royal highness! I am sure you will be able to put an end to this demihuman menace.
NAOFUMI smirks. MELTY blinks.
MELTY: Demihuman menace?
COUNT MERPET nods.
COUNT MERPET: I am not surprised that you aren’t aware of it, as demihuman propaganda is very widespread. Given that you choose to travel with the Shield Hero, you must be exposed to it every day.
COUNT MERPET purses his lips at NAOFUMI. NAOFUMI flashes him a pair of victory signs. MYNE throws a disgusted glance at his performance.
NAOFUMI: Oh I don’t know any propaganda - I barely even listen to politics. In fact, I’d even call myself apolitical. Really, I basically just do what Melty thinks is a good idea. After all, I barely know anything about this world.
MELTY’s eyebrow twitches slightly, but she doesn’t comment. COUNT MERPET turns away from NAOFUMI and back towards MELTY. MELTY is frowning.
MELTY: You believe this was done by demihumans?
COUNT MERPET nods.
COUNT MERPET: Of course. Really, this is just one part of their insidious campaign to undermine Melromarc, like their attacks on the eastern border, or the sabotage of our glorious industry. Surely you’ve noticed the degeneracy of modern Melromarc, how the men and women drink themselves to death while our fields lay empty? That is a perfect example -
MELTY motions for the COUNT to stop, and rubs her forehead.
MELTY: Hold on, please, one thing at a time.
MYNE: Melty, is this really pertinent? I was hoping we could avoid a debate.
MELTY: Come on, I can’t just ignore it. How could demihumans have created this plant crisis?
MYNE shrugs and waves her off. COUNT MERPET shugs too.
COUNT MERPET: Oh, I imagine it must have been a curse or a spell they put on the plants to make them rise up.
MELTY looks at COUNT MERPET incredulously.
MELTY: A spell? Did you find the ritual site?
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
COUNT MERPET: Ah, the ritual site?
MELTY speaks slowly, confused that she has to explain the basics.
MELTY: Yes, the ritual site. Surely this is basic thaumaturgy? If you say this was a spell, it would have to be massive in order to affect an area of this size - larger than anything I have ever heard of. They would need to cart in mage crystals by the ton, bring hundreds of qualified mages, the energy outflow from the ritual would light up the sky for miles… You wouldn’t miss it.
MYNE sighs, and pours herself more wine.
MYNE: I told him as much, Melty.
COUNT MERPET raises his hands placatingly.
COUNT MERPET: Well, I am no expert on spellcraft, but I do know that the demihumans did it. Maybe it wasn’t a spell exactly, but instead a curse, or some other magic.
NAOFUMI: I did hear some rumors about demihuman witchcraft.
COUNT MERPET gives NAOFUMI a considering glance. MELTY sighs and waves them off.
MELTY: Let’s move on. Why do you think it was the demihumans specifically?
COUNT MERPET: Well, really, I am talking about the international demihuman network, with its decision centers in Shieldfrieden. It’s obvious that their hands are all over this crisis, given their rampant aggression in the past eight years and the infiltration of our country.
MELTY: Shieldfrieden?
MELTY seems even more confused.
MELTY: We are quite far away from the border, what do they have to do with this?
COUNT MERPET leans forwards excitedly.
COUNT MERPET: Oh they have everything to do with it! It’s their experiment to test magical weapons that will be later used to destroy Melromarc.
MELTY rubs her forehead in frustration.
MELTY: I am quite confused about what you are actually claiming. Would you mind going back to the fundamentals? Who did what, where and for what reason?
MYNE sighs again, and pours herself more wine.
MYNE: Well, we’ll be here for a while now. I don’t know what I expected, bringing the two of you together.
NAOFUMI: Your royal highness Melty, is our primary goal here not to clear the air about building an “army” to fight the plants outside the walls?
MELTY throws an annoyed glance at NAOFUMI. NAOFUMI is leaning back in his chair, looking extremely relaxed.
MELTY: No, I want this clarified first.
COUNT MERPET smiles, and starts speaking.
COUNT MERPET: Schieldfrieden has been attempting to subjugate Melromarc for as long as our glorious nation has existed. To this end, they have subverted our society on every level, and intend to launch a war against us soon. This plant incursion is no doubt just one more step in their plan.
MELTY leans on the table, supporting her head with her left hand.
MELTY: Shieldfrieden? Subjugate us?
COUNT MERPET nods.
MELTY: Shieldfrieden’s army is less than half of ours, and less than a sixth in mages. On top of that, I’ve seen the enchantments they produce - what mages they do have are worse by a degree. How could they hope to, ah, as you say “subjugate” us?
COUNT MERPET: Very easily. First of all, they will subvert our armies from within. Then they will occupy us with various crises like the Waves, and then strike when we are the most vulnerable. We have to counterattack them before it is too late, your royal highness.
MELTY closes her eyes and presses her wine glass to her forehead to cool it.
MELTY: You truly think they have started the waves.
COUNT MERPET: Of course! This plant crisis is simply a more advanced, long-lasting version of the exact same magic.
MELTY: Dare I ask what evidence you have of any of this?
COUNT MERPET: Your royal highness, I have plenty. For example, a couple weeks back a monster destroyed the estate of my close friend Idoru Reibia. At the same time, demihumans have all vanished without a trace - they clearly summoned the monster with their foul magics.
NAOFUMI: Oh my god, how terrifying. Was anyone hurt?
COUNT MERPET shakes his head sadly.
COUNT MERPET: Much worse. All the occupants perished in the attack, before the monster was barely fought off by the guards of a nearby town.
MELTY closes her eyes again and breathes in.
MELTY: Vanished into thin air, huh. Yes, I believe I was briefed on that event, though I didn’t pay too much attention to it at the time. Rest assured, I will be sure to very thoroughly investigate how it happened. But that, by itself, does not prove much - the monster could have just as easily been a simple beast looking for food. Anything else?
COUNT MERPET: Of course. Our industry that used to depend on demihumans is stagnating - for example, the profits of my estate have been declining for several years now. Even the workers I employ in the weaving and spinning of cotton have started to complain, but there really isn’t anything I can do for them.
NAOFUMI: Those ungrateful ingrates, always with the whining.
NAOFUMI shakes his head sympathetically. MELTY kicks his foot under the table.
MELTY: And this links back to Shieldfrieden how?
COUNT MERPET: It is with their direction that this sabotage is happening. They tell demihumans, who have no loyalty to our nation, where to best sabotage us.
MELTY: But do you have any direct evidence of this? Even the best spy networks have leaks, and what you are describing - I mean, it would need to be massive, and thus leak all over the place. Do you have documents, witnesses?
COUNT MERPET: Of course, my guards have extracted many confessions from my own demihumans. They do not carry documents - in fact, most demihumans are incapable of learning to read.
MELTY: Extracted - do you mean under torture?
COUNT MERPET: Naturally, as no spy would talk without it.
MELTY sighs in frustration again.
MELTY: That is effectively useless then. In Faubrey, such confessions couldn’t even be brought to court, for people will admit to anything to make it stop. Anything else?
COUNT MERPET clacks his tongue.
COUNT MERPET: I know that this is all hard to grasp at first, but I assure you that this evidence is unassailable. If you want still more, then I only need to point you towards the last eight years of terrorist activity in the east. Many honorable humans have fallen to bloodthirsty demihuman hands!
MELTY scratches her head.
MELTY: I admit I am not too familiar with eastern affairs, so let’s put this aside for the time being. But what does all this prove?
COUNT MERPET: That Shieldfrieden prepares an attack, of course. They lust after our resources, and fear our military might. Their clear aim is to terrorize our eastern peoples to remove any resistance before their inevitable attack.
MELTY: But if what you said is true, that they could simply conjure a massive monster out of nowhere - let alone if they could start the Waves - why would they bother with terrorism? They could simply destroy our armies directly.
COUNT MERPET: Of course they could not do so. Humanity possesses an inherent warrior spirit that would destroy demihuman menace in a direct confrontation, monster or not, which is why they have to resort to subversions and sabotage.
MELTY: And demihumans, what, don’t have this “warrior spirit”? There are a couple in my honor guard that are some of the best “warriors” I have ever seen.
COUNT MERPET: Oh I am sure there are individual exceptions that buck the overall trend, but ultimately, this is why they resort to sabotage and subterfuge!
The debate continues for some time, with MELTY growing progressively more frustrated from the COUNT’s rhetoric. Both the COUNT and MELTY slowly grow more agitated. NAOFUMI is smugly eating his meal, occasionally throwing a comment or two in. Finally, MELTY sighs and leans back in her chair, rubbing her eyes.
MELTY: This is entirely circular. Setting aside the question of how Shieldfrieden could have possibly advanced many decades ahead of us in magical knowledge without leaving any sign of it, you say that demihumans are subversive and lack warrior spirit because they resort to terrorism, and you say that this terrorism proves they are planning a war, but you also say that they need this war because they lack warrior spirit. So which is it - is terrorism a tactical move in order to prepare for a war, or is it a demonstration of their inherent…subversiveness?
COUNT MERPET gesticulates wildly.
COUNT MERPET: It’s both! Of course it’s both! The past eight years of Shieldfrieden aggression unequivocally prove both the subversiveness of the demihuman race and their intention to start a war!
MELTY frowns in thought.
MELTY: Wait…Eight years...
Recognition flashes through her wide open eyes, and she reaches upwards to tug on her ponytails in dismay.
MELTY: Lord almighty, are you talking about our last war with Shieldfrieden? The one where the Javganon duchy was formed? That’s what you mean by aggression? It didn’t click for me until now.
COUNT MERPET: The war of Shieldfrieden aggression, yes!
MELTY: Shieldfrieden aggression? Dornuromarc moved the first troops over the border!
MELTY covers her face in her hands for a moment.
MELTY: Oh lord, I didn’t want to push you on the facts of terrorism, but that was clearly a mistake. Are you talking about Javganon, a newly annexed province, having terrorism? Of course it would have it!
COUNT MERPET scoffs.
COUNT MERPET: Dornuromarc didn’t start it, we have been responding to rampant militarisation and aggression from Schieldfrieden! They have been planning an attack for a good year before then, just as they do now!
MELTY uncovers one of her eyes, staring at the COUNT.
MELTY: That’s…just not true. It’s just straight up not true, I’ve seen the reports with my own two bloody eyes.
MELTY scowls, taking the second hand away from her face and sitting up straight.
MELTY: And this is your foundational basis for the farcical claim that Shieldfrieden started the Waves?
COUNT MERPET scowls in return, rising from the table.
COUNT MERPET: I will not be disrespected in my own house!
NAOFUMI leans over to MELTY and whispers in her ear.
NAOFUMI: Ask him if the fact that demihumans could pull all of this off without leaving any evidence behind means that they are smarter and thus inherently superior to humans. It’d be so funny.
MELTY’s eyebrow twitches again and she rises from the table, still facing the COUNT, her face freezing into a mask.
MELTY: I am afraid I will have to cut our discussion here, as it is getting late. Tomorrow, Naofumi will be responsible for forming the populace in this town into several new regiments.
COUNT MERPET: Regiments? There is no need for any new regiments!
MELTY levels her coldest glare at the COUNT.
MELTY: This isn’t up for discussion, count. You do not have the troops needed to repeal the plants.
COUNT MERPET: This is ridiculous. You have no right to order my people around behind my back - you are reaching beyond your royal powers, child!
MELTY and COUNT MERPET stare each other down.
MELTY: Once a man is leading a town full of death, will there be people behind his back, or only corpses?
COUNT MERPET’s face grows red.
COUNT MERPET: Are you threatening me?
MELTY: I am stating the obvious. Water runs downhill, watered trees grow, and the plants will keep pushing until everyone here is dead.
MELTY turns towards MYNE.
MELTY: If you don’t mind, come and see me before sleep.
MYNE nods. MELTY bows her head slightly to the COUNT and MYNE, and exits the room at a fast walk. FULANA JEN and NAOFUMI follow. Soon they come to a guest room that had been given to MELTY. It is richly decorated, with several closets, a large bed, a writing desk and a chair. FULANA JEN quickly checks the room, before settling near the door.
MELTY: Are we alone?
FULANA JEN: The walls here are thin, but otherwise, yes.
MELTY: Good. Stand outside the door - please make sure we aren’t disturbed until Fredalia and the others arrive.
FULANA JEN nods and exits the room. MELTY breathes out slowly, her face relaxing, then slaps NAOFUMI across the face as hard as she can. NAOFUMI blinks. MELTY backhands him again, scowling.
MELTY: Bastard, you almost made me laugh.
NAOFUMI: You know, with how high my defense is, I don’t actually feel it.
MELTY slaps him again, then hisses, motioning towards the desk.
MELTY: Shall I smash that chair against your empty head instead? I need the moron to either respect or fear me, and laughing would shoot that prospect in the cradle. You almost ruined everything.
NAOFUMI crosses his arms.
NAOFUMI: Do not put your own failings on me.
MELTY slaps him again.
MELTY: My failings? You bastard, you kept stoking the fires all throughout that argument!
NAOFUMI: Your fires - which would have done nothing if you weren’t already losing your cool. Besides, why do you care?
MELTY: Because the bloody guards are loyal to the man. Will you be the one to force them into combat if he refuses to cooperate?
NAOFUMI: So? Remove him like you did that captain in the capital.
MELTY starts hissing again.
MELTY: Loyalty is not the same as legality. Even should I remove him, his men will remain loyal to him, not to me. We need to thread the needle of pushing him enough to make him cooperate, but not so much that he decides to kill us.
NAOFUMI purses his lips. NAOFUMI and MELTY stare each other down. Suddenly there is a knock on the door. CONSTANCE, RAPHTALIA, FILO and FULANA JEN come in.
CONSTANCE: I saw the Count heading towards his chambers, so I presume that the dinner is over. Was the cuisine to your tastes?
NAOFUMI: Not as much fun as seeing Melty bash her head against the wall.
MELTY scoffs at NAOFUMI.
MELTY: I did no such thing.
NAOFUMI rolls his eyes at her.
NAOFUMI: Pretend if you want to, but we both know what really happened.
MELTY ignores him and motions for FULANA JEN to guard the door again.
CONSTANCE: I take it the count did not agree to arm the demihumans?
MELTY’s mouth twitches in a frown.
MELTY: I told him we will form regiments, though I didn’t say some of the recruits will be demihuman. He didn’t even agree, so this remains a thorn in our side. God, that man is incredibly frustrating to talk to.
NAOFUMI: I told you it would be a waste of time.
MELTY scoffs at NAOFUMI again, staring him down.
MELTY: Filo, could you do me a favor, please? Take the chair from the desk and hit Naofumi over the head with it, as hard as you can.
RAPHTALIA raises her eyebrow. NAOFUMI holds MELTY’s gaze. FILO frowns.
FILO: Why?
MELTY: I will buy you a cannon.
RAPHTALIA: What did you do, Naofumi?
FILO considers the proposal. NAOFUMI stubbornly keeps engaging MELTY in a staring contest.
FILO: Two cannons.
MELTY: Deal.
FILO skips over to the table, and in one smooth motion flies back to smash the chair on NAOFUMI’s head. The chair splinters, and NAOFUMI is brought to the ground. He gets up, rubbing his head ruefully, and shaking wood splinters out of his clothes. MELTY sits down on the edge of her bed, and looks at NAOFUMI with a calmer expression.
MELTY: Before I ask you to explain how you knew how this discussion would go, would you mind enlightening me as to your theories about what happened to this Idoru Reibia character?
RAPHTALIA tenses. NAOFUMI looks at FILO.
NAOFUMI: Is there anyone nearby?
FILO: Nah, not really.
NAOFUMI shifts his gaze back to MELTY.
NAOFUMI: Still, perhaps someone else has ears as good as yours, so let’s keep this short. I believe I already told you about karma? I think he released the monster himself, and suffered in the process. Then, some good samaritan put the monster down. The demihumans have no doubt fled in the confusion, to safer places. If you’d like to know more, I am sure Itsuki would be happy to tell you - he had investigated the scene in person. Or who knows, perhaps some of the demihumans would have ended up here too, by sheer coincidence, so you could talk to them.
MELTY: I can tolerate a lot of things, but not rampant lying. Why have you not mentioned this “theory” of yours before?
NAOFUMI: It didn’t seem terribly pertinent, in the context of the other things we were discussing.
MELTY: You didn’t think mentioning that one Dornuromarc noble could supposedly summon monsters was pertinent when we were heading into a Dornuromarc zone filled with monsters?
NAOFUMI pauses, then nods.
NAOFUMI: You are right, I apologize. In my defense, the situation was somewhat tense at the time.
MELTY scowls at him.
MELTY: Explain how he summoned this monster.
NAOFUMI: I don’t know.
MELTY: Bullshit.
NAOFUMI: The best we can do is guess. I don’t think he summoned it - it seemed more like a seal of some sort. There was an obelisk at his estate, and an amulet on his body, that resonated after he chanted a short spell. Then the ground split open and the monster came out.
MELTY purses her lips.
MELTY: Raid zone?
NAOFUMI nods. CONSTANCE comes over to MELTY and hands her a picture.
CONSTANCE: There was this symbol on the amulet. We haven’t been able to trace it so far, but I think your sister had recognised it.
MELTY throws a glance at CONSTANCE.
MELTY: This again?
CONSTANCE: I believe you wanted the truth? I wouldn’t want this to come out later.
MELTY stares at the symbol, then folds the picture and puts it in her pocket.
MELTY: I don’t know the symbol, but I’ll ask Myne about it. Is there anything else you were hiding from me? Any other nobles that will wind up dead?
NAOFUMI, CONSTANCE and RAPHTALIA share a look.
NAOFUMI: Nothing really comes to mind right now.
MELTY: I don’t know why I asked, it’s not like I can trust you on this.
MELTY rubs her forehead.
MELTY: What a mess.
MELTY looks up at NAOFUMI.
MELTY: I will need you to refrain from doing this in the future.
NAOFUMI: This isn’t the time or the place to discuss this.
MELTY: I need a promise.
NAOFUMI: No.
MELTY looks taken aback. NAOFUMI sighs.
NAOFUMI: We already told you our position on slavery. We aren’t going to change it just because you asked us to.
MELTY opens her mouth to respond, but pauses.
MELTY: This idea with arming demihumans. You did it before.
NAOFUMI: Yes. It’s how we plan to get people for the Waves.
MELTY looks at NAOFUMI, tapping her cheek.
MELTY: And then use them against the crown?
NAOFUMI: It depends. Will we need to force the issue?
NAOFUMI sighs.
NAOFUMI: Look, I don’t care if a cat is black or white as long as it catches mice. You aren’t wrong that we can’t organize on a national level without a massive amount of work needed to teach people and set up the institutions. If you really think we can do that within the framework of taking power away from the dukes, I suppose I wouldn’t particularly care, as long as slavery goes out the door in the end. Though it would be remiss of me not to mention that your own power would soon follow.
MELTY: I will need to think all of this over.
MELTY rubs her forehead again.
MELTY: Let’s talk about something less depressing. How did you know the conversation with the count would be pointless? I haven’t been this frustrated from a debate ever since they removed the rule requiring you to address all points from the opponent.
FILO: That sounds like a good rule for a debate.
MELTY shakes her head.
MELTY: Debaters used to rattle out as many points as possible, in the hopes that their opponent would lose by forgetting to address at least a single one. There was no skill to it, just numbers. I had to force the issue by training my team to speak fast enough our arguments were barely legible as speech. We won a tournament, and then the university finally torched it.
MELTY waves a hand in the air to dismiss the point.
MELTY: This is a digression. Naofumi?
NAOFUMI nods and sighs.
NAOFUMI: In my world I’d have called it fascist brain rot. Your world does not yet have fascism as a widespread political ideology, but it’s the same principle. Proto-fascism, I suppose.
NAOFUMI bends down, picking up broken pieces of the chair from the carpet, and building a little construction out of them.
NAOFUMI: Imagine an ideology as a building within your mind: it begins with a foundation of some axioms, and then is constructed upwards, connecting them in complex ways in order to build up the rest of your political theory. Finally, at the very top, you have a roof - the prescriptive statements about how the world should be and the changes that have to be performed to make it so. Ideologies can be very different - some of them share some axioms while others don’t, and some may construct an entirely different building out of the same set, but this basic structure remains the same. With me so far?
MELTY: Yes.
NAOFUMI: Fascism is different, because it doesn’t proceed in a logical manner from some set of axioms. Instead, it grows out of an entirely emotional core. Typically, this core is some mess of inadequacy, shame, humiliation, powerlessness, sexual or economic frustration, and so on. Because a nascent fascist tends to have the emotional control of a baby, they cannot cope with these emotions, and thus seek to displace them somewhere else - usually, onto a convenient minority or ethnic group. This forms the basis of the ideology: the group is blamed for all problems.
MELTY: That would be demihumans in this case, I suppose.
NAOFUMI: Yes. Of course, the fundamental problem here is that this presumption is false: the group didn’t, in fact, do anything. This is when fascist ideology establishes a complex network of bullshit in order to justify itself, growing downwards instead of upwards, and even constructing plausible-sounding axioms way at the bottom of the structure. From the outside, this looks like any other ideology: there are “axioms” at the bottom and prescriptive statements at the top, with some kind of “line of reasoning” in between. But unlike a logical ideology - which would be weakened or collapse entirely if the key factual statements supporting it were proven to be false - fascism doesn’t care even if the entire bottom of the structure is taken out. A seasoned fascist, once they have sunk deep enough into the rot, can seamlessly regenerate this entire bullshit network at the speed of their own speech, simply making up new “facts” or bogus analogies out of thin air where necessary. This is the key difference between fascism and the other ideologies: others may be partially based on some emotional foundations, but in fascism emotion is all there is.
NAOFUMI finishes cleaning up the chair and sits down on top of the desk.
NAOFUMI: In other words, if you try to argue with a fascist by assuming their ideology follows the normal rules, you will never get anywhere. You can point out errors in their reasoning all day and night, but that matters not, because this “reasoning” is just a cloak over the real, fundamentally emotional core. In fact, arguably, it is not a coherent ideology of its own, but rather a form of memetic parasite that can infect any other ideology. Everyone has a tiny fascist within themselves, a hitler particle if you will - the more it spreads, the more someone becomes a full on fascist, and the more their initial ideology will start to warp and twist to reflect the usual fascist tendencies.
MELTY: Alright, I think I get the idea. And you are saying you figured out the count had this “virus” before you even saw him?
NAOFUMI: Fascists as a rule are extremely uncreative, and there are significant commonalities to how the sickness manifests itself. You can pick up their scent in communities pretty quickly, if you know what you are looking for.
MELTY flops down on her bed, rubbing her face.
MELTY: A bullshit network… Admittedly, an apt description for how it felt. If you are right, that would mean talking to the man is somewhat pointless. What do you imagine is his “emotional core”?
NAOFUMI shrugs.
NAOFUMI: He mentioned his textile business being in trouble - perhaps it’s that.
CONSTANCE snorts.
CONSTANCE: His textiles are in trouble because the man is incompetent. The market had been shifting towards production with larger machines powered by steam for a while - there are many factories in Malatok that process cotton in this way. The overall price of fabric had been dropping as a result. We’ve seen his workshops - he clearly refuses to buy the new machines, and so it’s hardly a surprise his profits dropped.
NAOFUMI nods.
NAOFUMI: Economic instability tends to be a virile ground for this sort of thing. With the profits dropping, so would the income of the town as a whole, and it’s not too surprising that he could get the townsfolk onboard.
MELTY: But he needs the demihumans to harvest cotton. The logical outcome of his words is the removal of all of them from Melromarc - why would he support that?
NAOFUMI shrugs.
NAOFUMI: If the fascists were rational, they wouldn’t be fascists. Self-sabotage is the rule, not the exception. When your ideology is based on lying to yourself, it’s hardly surprising.
MELTY purses her lips.
MELTY: Ordinarily I would demand more evidence, but I suppose you did guess how the count would behave well in advance.
NAOFUMI: One of the many reasons I didn’t bother explaining it before.
MELTY rubs her forehead.
MELTY: I need to be alone to think.
NAOFUMI: Before we leave you for the night, I think it would be best for you to decide how to proceed.
MELTY: Meaning?
NAOFUMI: You don’t have your own forces in this town. This means you should pick wherever you will overall side with us or the count. We aren’t willing to play to his tune - certainly not when that would involve throwing all the demihumans under the carriage. At best, we could tolerate him and his people if they are aimed squarely at the monsters, and even then only for as long as this crisis goes on.
MELTY purses her lips.
MELTY: So you are essentially twisting my arm. You know I can’t “side” with that moron.
NAOFUMI: I suppose so, yes.
MELTY: You are awfully certain I couldn’t manage to find a way to work him over.
NAOFUMI shakes his head.
NAOFUMI: No, I actually think it would be quite easy for you.
MELTY: Your tone does not make this sound like a complement. You don’t think I could manage to, for example, dissolve that supposed emotional core? I have read about the theories of spiritual analysis, you know.
NAOFUMI: I do not think you could manage that, no - dissolving the emotional core of a fascist is a long process taking months, when it can be accomplished at all. I also frankly don’t think you have the skills needed for it, whatever books you have read. But I am sure you could manipulate him - if nothing else, you are higher than him on the hierarchy. I even think you are more than competent enough to take scale up the operation - use the same principles to redirect the frustrations of a population towards whatever you want on a country-wide scale, concentrate power, and direct it how you will. I suspect Myne might have the same idea as well.
MELTY frowns.
MELTY: I am not seeing a downside so far.
NAOFUMI: It’s a very basic mistake that many rulers fall into. They think they can use the ability of fascism to rile up the population and control their subordinates, but avoid the negative side effects. It never works - you cannot constantly espouse fascist bullshit without slowly starting to believe it. Once that happens, you will go off a cliff quickly - you can’t reason properly when half of your mind is soup. Entire political apparatus of your country will turn into a mess of infighting and lose any ability to successfully perform its actual tasks. Your subordinates will feed the same diet of bullshit you use on them back to you, and soon enough you wouldn’t even be capable of telling reality apart from invented fiction. Do you want your mind to become soup, Melty?
MELTY squints, but does not respond.
NAOFUMI: If I were you, I would instead sideline the count as soon as possible, before he can blunder his way into dealing more damage.
RAPHTALIA: Also we’d have to kill you if you became a fascist.
MELTY scoffs at RAPHTALIA. RAPHTALIA grins at her.
MELTY: Thanks for the reminder, Raphtalia. Now go away.
NAOFUMI: We really need an agreement here.
MELTY waves him off.
MELTY: Sure, I won’t infect my precious mind, whatever. Plenty of more conventional methods to use.
They file out of the room. NAOFUMI is last, and MELTY calls out to him at the doors.
MELTY: Oh, and Naofumi.
She gives him a cold stare.
MELTY: I didn’t forgive you for lying about Idoru. Tense situation or not, lie by omission or not - that was well over the line. If you do this again, our cooperation is over.
NAOFUMI nods, and leaves the room.
----------------------------------------
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
NAOFUMI IWATANI, THE SHIELD HERO. One of the socialists. Protagonist. Amateur fascism scholar.
PRINCESS MELTY Q. MELROMAC. First heir to the throne of Melromarc. Frustrated debatee.
PRINCESS MYNE Q. MELROMARC. Second heir to the throne of Melromarc.
RAPHTALIA. One of the socialists. Novice firewoman.
CONSTANCE VON MARUKIEVICH / FREDALIA. Secretly demihuman.
FILO. Desires some cannons.
WYNDI. Young demihuman from the plantations of Idoru Reibia.
FULANA JEN, SHADOW. Head of MELTY’s SHADOWs. Secret service.
COUNT MERPET NAVLIDIA. Proto-fascist. Active warrior against the threat of international demihumanry.
SPIRIT OF RAPHTALIA. Voice of the thoughts.