I collected as much information as I realistically could from Cordia, so from my perspective, it was a job well done. My plan fell flat but the outcome was the same regardless. When I returned to the carriage a few minutes later, I could tell that something was off with Caius. His eyes kept squirrelling away, and there was a sense of urgency in his voice when he spoke with me about what happened.
“Did you get what you want?”
I nodded, “She told me about the drop-off point. It looks like she was the one responsible for sourcing a thief and delivering the goods to a post-box on Fifth Avenue.”
“How did you get that kind of information out of her?”
“I can be very persuasive.”
He opened his mouth as if to elaborate – but closed it again a moment later. Whatever was on his mind was serious enough that he was debating telling me about it. From the way that his interaction with Cordia ended, he must have been given a serious threat about what would happen if he were to fail a second time. If it was personal, he had a good reason to keep it secret from me.
“She didn’t fall for the trick.”
“No, she didn’t. It looks like they have someone on the inside of the party who’s standing for one of the seats. She cross-referenced their name and address against the papers we gave her.”
I shrugged it off, “It doesn’t matter. I was covering all of our bases when I came up with that plan, I got what I wanted. She doesn’t know where they meet, or even the full picture of the people involved. They keep her at arm’s length. I think your ‘failure’ is just as troubling for her as it is for you. She must have twisted your arm to protect herself.”
Caius sighed and nodded. He didn’t seem half as foolish as the men from Erwin Tee’s gang – so I hoped that he’d do the right thing when the time came. I reached into the undercarriage and retrieved the second case of cash for him.
“I hope this money goes far enough, then.”
He looked at the case and then back to me.
“Really? You’re paying me in full?”
“Did you expect me to scam you? You did exactly as I asked, therefore you must be paid for the services rendered.”
He hesitantly took it from me and held it close to his chest, “Thanks.”
“Now that our business is concluded, I’d like to give you a piece of advice. You should get as far away from these people as possible before it’s too late. I’ve seen this sort of organisation before. She and you are being used because they can silence you later. Even Cordia isn’t safe.”
Caius bristled at my pointers, “I don’t need someone half my age to tell me that. I’ve been doing this underworld business for a long time. I get how the game is played.”
“You’ve got a stubborn look in your eyes,” I replied, “I get the feeling that you aren’t going to leave things as they are.”
“And what if I have a reason to stick around, or there's something that’s stopping me from leaving?”
“For your sake, you should weigh the risks properly first. If you have the ability to move, you should. You don’t want to be placed into a situation where you waited too long to act.”
He grimaced, “I’ll consider it.”
I left him on that note and stepped back into the cabin. Franklin closed the door and knocked on the driver’s side to set us off down the road. He had no idea what any of this was about.
“I still don’t understand, why did you need to come here and meet with him?”
I crossed my arms and kicked back, “I don’t trust those teachers and their ability to handle this situation. I decided to take matters into my own hands for once. Consider a favour to Adrian Roderro.”
“I hope that you aren’t putting yourself in danger here.”
“There’s no harm done,” I insisted, “This isn’t exactly a criminal affair.”
It was an obvious lie, but Franklin was not in a position to squeeze answers out of me. I could stay my tongue whenever I liked. I stared out of the window and tried to walk through my next steps. I was in a tough spot. The Academy’s next term was about to begin. I couldn’t dedicate my time to solving this problem and keep up with my studies at the same time. I was going to have to be a weekend warrior.
I was hoping to tip off the police and bust the ringleaders – but Cordia didn’t know anything. They could throw her in a cell and threaten to throw away the key, but it wouldn’t get me any closer to my goal.
“Cordia, huh?” I grumbled.
Franklin spoke up, “Did you just say Cordia?”
“What about Cordia?”
He held his hand up in the air to demonstrate, “Tall woman, glasses, face like thunder.”
“That’s right.”
“Well, it’s just that she’s a member of the servant’s union. Bran Cordia Jones. She works for Carides Franzheim. We’ve spoken at length before about the business.”
Franklin had accidentally revealed something that eluded me. Cordia wasn’t a fake name to protect her identity, she’d just used her real one and assumed that nobody would find out who she was.
Franklin snapped his fingers, “One of your school friends must have spoken about her. Doesn’t Lance Franzheim attend the royal academy at the moment?”
“Yes – it was a passing mention.”
Franklin was doing all of the hard work for me! Not only did he know who Cordia was, but he also came up with his own excuses for what I was doing. It never occurred to him that I hadn’t once spoken with Lance Franzheim, and that if I did he wasn’t going to bring up one of his house servants in a random discussion. Once again, my age and looks proved more effective camouflage than anything else.
The rest of the ride back to the estate was done in silence. The holiday was nearly over, but it wasn’t exactly doing much to relax me after a stressful period of being shot at by assassins.
Things were going to get harder when I returned to the academy.
----------------------------------------
Stepping back through the gates made me feel as if I never left for the break at all. It was a feeling that most of the other students felt as well. Time sped by when you were enjoying yourself and taking things easy, but slowed to a crawl when you were expected to work hard. The energy had been drained out of the kids, who shambled towards the front doors with their luggage like a horde of zombies.
There was no time for me to get caught up in that wave too. It was clear that something bad was brewing behind the scenes. The pieces were starting to come together. The Monarchists were planning something big for the next election, and they were targeting their rival parties for retribution. Given the broad coalition that ruled the country – it was possible that the other Republican parties were being prepped in a similar manner.
What I couldn’t wrap my head around was the importance of that damn watch.
It was never mentioned in the game. Adrian Roderro was also never put into the position of leading his house. All of the crazy stuff that happened to me and Felipe was new, and so were the consequences that stemmed from it. It was clearly important to the plan. If they just wanted a watch, they could buy one from the nearest clockmaker.
That left one answer. It wasn’t just a watch.
Magical items were rare, but not unheard of. It was a specialised school of magic that demanded a lot of intelligence and study to explore fully. Magical items came with advantages and disadvantages versus the humans that created them. They could do basic spell functions. They could be ‘programmed’ to perform more advanced magic too.
One of the most important distinctions was the way that magical items could store energy. You could pack a magical item with a dense battery of magic-absorbing crystals, allowing them to trigger spells more powerful than anything a human could achieve. The mortal body simply couldn’t contain that much potential energy at once. The only issue was that those powerful spells demanded so much energy that charging the batteries could take years.
Unfortunately, I didn’t know enough about magical items and mechanisms to guess what its function was. The Monarchists did know – they must have landed a source who was close to Adrian, or at least knew the origin of the watch and what it could do. This was a tightly held secret, a family heirloom that was only passed down to each leader of the family.
Adrian was the one who could break this quandary, but he wasn’t going to unless I could give him a good reason, that didn’t compromise my true nature at the same time. It was a frustrating state of affairs, but he wasn’t the only person I could press for information.
Carides Franzheim was my next lead. I wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Progress often came as a result of coincidence, if I hadn’t said her name with Franklin in earshot, he would have never elaborated on who she was and where she worked.
The Franzheim family were a middling noble house from the east of the country. Lance Franzheim was presently the only member of the clan at the school, and he was also one of the love interests from the original game. Lance himself was an innocent fellow who wouldn’t hurt a fly, never mind getting involved with a violent overthrow of the Walser Republic.
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It lined up with the information I could dig up. Carides was an extremely dedicated member of the Tradition Party – a Monarchist party that was on the far right even compared to their contemporaries. Rumours abounded about their ties to terrorist factions and acceptance of their tactics. They were the ‘respectable’ face of the violent movement.
Cordia worked for Carides and was deeply embedded in the servant’s union. That made her a valuable asset for them. The workers were mainly aligned with the Republicans, and they had their own parties running in the next election. She could get her hands on their nominee lists without having to hire a flamboyant thief.
I wasn’t going to run into the boy by accident. He was in his second year. I’d need to go seek him if I wanted to try and get close to Carides. If I recalled correctly from my time with the game, Lance was a proud member of the school’s tennis society. Tennis was a sport that was growing in popularity amongst the upper classes lately – though some of that movement only came about because the ‘poor folk’ were getting involved in the others.
Indeed, the price of entry into tennis was what made it attractive. Your average labourer or clerk didn’t have the disposable income to buy a racquet or put together their own court.
And it just so happened that Samantha was interested in joining.
“Maria, I’ve been thinking about joining one of the societies. The tennis society caught my eye.”
“Is that really the first thing you say after not seeing me for a week?”
Samantha smiled, “Would you prefer to hear about all of the exciting developments on the farmstead?”
“You don’t even sound convinced when you say that,” I groaned.
She leaned over, “I thought it would be fun if we both applied and tried it out. They’re looking for first-year members to join up all year round.”
“I suppose it does sound like a decent way to spend our spare time,” I concluded.
Samantha’s eyes narrowed with fresh suspicion.
“Wait a second. You never agree to do anything unless you have a different reason that you won’t tell me. Are you planning on doing something at the tennis society?”
Was I really that transparent, or had Samantha gotten worryingly familiar with the way that I operated? Whatever I told her couldn’t be worse than knowing I killed all of those people, so I elected to spare her some honesty.
“I wanted to speak with Lance Franzheim about something. It has to do with Adrian’s missing watch.”
“Did he steal it?”
“No. I never accused him of stealing it. I think he knows someone who was related to the plot. I wanted to ask him a few questions to try and learn more.”
“Oh,” Samantha nodded, “That’s a relief. I thought you were going to threaten him.”
“I’m capable of more than coercing with threats of violence. If anything, I only find myself plunged into those violent situations by other people. I was going to familiarise myself with him and push him towards giving me an answer.”
“Why do you think that he has something to do with it?” Samantha inquired.
“My butler recognized one of the family’s servants coordinating with our thief. It’s likely that she was the one who hired him, which means that the person employing her is pulling the strings.”
Samantha brushed her fringe aside, “I don’t understand why I’m still so surprised when you appear after a week with a plethora of information about whatever trouble is happening on campus...”
“I would have been willing to ignore it, but I can’t help but shake the feeling that something bad will happen if I don’t address it.”
We stopped by one of the outside courtyards and took a seat.
“I can’t say I get it. I mean – is it really that important for you to be in control all the time? Is that why you started trying to protect Felipe? You didn’t have anything to do with what happened, so why go to the trouble?”
Samantha would not believe the real explanation as to why I felt this way. It was all based on the meta-textual knowledge I held about this world and the situation I was in. My presence directly and indirectly changed the course of events, or rather, I was brought here to be the lynchpin in stopping those things from occurring. This was no coincidence. Something or someone wanted my abilities as an assassin.
It was hard to describe this second life as a punishment, but it was no walk in the park either. I was constantly on the lookout for knives bore in the dark. It wasn’t just my life that was on the line here; people around me were under constant threat. This was a real, violent version of the world from the game. In a sense – ‘Love Revolution’ was an application form for taking Maria’s place. Why this not-so-benevolent force chose me above a genuine fan of the series was a mystery. They could navigate this crap without having to rely on extreme violence.
“Is it not the function of a proper lady to protect her friends and acquaintances from harm?”
Samantha’s stare was withering, “No.”
“No?”
“I don’t believe that for one second. You always hide how you’re really feeling, or your real motivations for doing any of this. I’m not buying that you do all of this crazy stuff, putting your life at risk, out of the kindness of your heart.”
Samantha was smarter than I gave her credit for. I’d done this song and dance a few too many times for her to fall for it again.
“Like I said, I think the theft of Adrian’s watch is part of something bigger – and I’d like to continue enjoying my time at the academy. I believe that their plot is disruptive enough to cause serious harm to a large number of people.”
Cutting this off at the pass would prevent things from devolving into an all-out war within Walser. It didn’t matter what your station in life was, a civil war like that would reach from coast to coast without discrimination between ideologies or classes. I was capable of doing ‘good’ deeds every once in a while, even if my previous job was one in which I committed one of the gravest sins imaginable.
“It isn’t something that girls our age should be worrying about,” Samantha observed.
“I’d love it if the police were capable of handling these types of situations, but they aren’t.”
“You’re almost like one of those policemen yourself. Did you ever hear that rumour about the government training child soldiers to make their enemies disappear?”
I blinked. Where the hell did that come from?
“What? Child soldiers?”
“I never put much stock into it, obviously. It’s a fringe political theory that I read about while doing research for my citizenship project. They say that they’re taken from orphanages around the country and trained to be effective killers, targeting anti-government forces and criminals. You reminded me of it just now.”
“I mean this genuinely, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m self-taught.”
“That’s less believable than you being a secret government agent.”
I stated my case firmly, “I lie a lot. I’m not lying now.”
Samantha relented, “Okay, okay. I haven’t heard a denial that strong from you before. But how did you teach yourself to do all of these things? It isn’t a field where you can get anywhere from trial and error, and your skills are a lot more than being a good shot with a gun.”
“It’s self-defence.”
“You’re telling porkies again!” she chided me.
I turned my nose up in response, “Self-defence can be offensive too. And what good is the answer I can provide you if you won’t accept it?”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. I know exactly how stupid it sounds when stated out loud. You’ll think that I’ve lost my mind.” I tried to rein it back in again and avoid breaking character in front of her. My accent was starting to slip into something more common.
“I don’t have the foggiest idea what could be even crazier than being a child soldier trained by the government.”
“And that is precisely why I am keeping it a secret. Curry enough trust with me and I will consider offering you a more detailed explanation.”
It was time for the tennis club to assemble for morning practice in the back garden, so we decided to walk over and see what was going on. There were several different sports fields clustered together in close proximity, along with changing rooms and stands for spectators. There were three tennis courts available for the students to use, surrounded on all sides by plant-covered fences designed to keep the ball from getting away from the players. The sounds of tennis balls whipping through the air were audible from a long distance away.
“I’ve never played tennis seriously,” I said, “Perhaps I’ll find some enjoyment in it.”
We stood by the gate that led onto the main court and observed the club in action. Lance Franzheim was playing a friendly match against one of the girls to demonstrate to the new members.
He spoke in a gentle tone of voice, “Learning how to position your feet is essential to playing well. Tennis is a sport concerned with your reactions, your hand-eye coordination, and your ability to move around the court without tripping yourself up.”
He launched the ball into the air and served it to his partner, who returned it with a firm swing. Lance emphasized the movement and limberness of his legs and ankles while sending it back to the other side. The girl caught the ball in one hand so that he could continue his explanation.
The racquets they were using were obviously less sophisticated than what I was familiar with. Early models were made from wood and catgut, but the prevalence of aluminium and steel meant that they were rapidly evolving into a form more like the ones from my old world. The academy could afford these modern designs, but the new students were still given the traditional wooden ones while they got their footing with the game.
“If your feet and ankles aren’t orientated correctly, you will struggle to respond to the opponent’s return. Please ensure that you stretch your muscles before playing, as it’s very easy to strain them if you do not prepare.”
The lecture continued for a few minutes before he clapped his hands together and broke up the group so that they could practice. Lance followed the duos and spoke with them, in turn, to make sure that they were taking in what he was teaching. The members of the club were so engrossed that my presence did not elicit the usual wave of fawning adoration. Lance’s eyes eventually fell on us loitering by the gate. He smiled and approached us with a racquet still in hand.
“Apologies, I didn’t notice you both standing here.”
Samantha shook her head, “It’s fine. We just came over to see what the tennis society was up to.”
“We’re always happy to welcome spectators and prospective members. I’m afraid that I’m not familiar with you, Miss...”
“Samantha, Samantha Easton.”
He reached out and shook her hand before turning to me.
“But I’ve certainly become familiar with you, Maria. You have a great many fans from the first year.”
“For better or worse,” I replied. Some of the girls were already spying on us and whispering about how lovely my hair looked, or whatever they liked to waste time regurgitating to each other in a desperate attempt to fit in. This was about to become the most popular student society in the school at the merest hint that I was going to join in.
“I’d be happy to have the both of you take a trial. We’re inducting some new members today, which means we should have the time to show you some of the basics.”
Time to take the plunge.
“Okay. Shall we, Samantha?”
He assured us that there was no need to change into our gym clothes for a short demo like this, so we followed him onto one of the currently vacant courts and grabbed a pair of leftover racquets.
“There’s no better demonstration of the sport than to enjoy it for yourselves. I’d like both of you to try playing a match, and I’ll go easy on enforcing the rules this time.”
Tennis was never something I needed to learn. I didn’t need it for my old job, and my Father was more interested in other skills that would make me more attractive to prospective suitors. It wasn’t utilitarian enough for my taste. I preferred to exercise my body in simple, effective ways that I knew worked. To enjoy tennis, I’d need to let go of that kind of thinking and focus on the joy of it instead.
Samantha had a competitive spark in her eye as we lined up on opposite ends of the finely trimmed court. A small net divided us, sure to trip up any inexperienced tennis enthusiast during their first game. Samantha did the honours and took the ball in hand, throwing it up into the air and swinging with her whole body.
It shot through the air and towards my side, but was wildly off target and landed several inches away from the white line on the left. Lance was ignoring minor breaches of the rules, but there was no realistic way of me catching that one and returning it.
“Close, but too far over the line!” he offered.
It was my turn to give it a try. My hand-eye coordination was great, but applying that to the fine art of tennis was tricky. I kept the ball low during my throw and swatted it with a slower, more controllable swing than what Sam used. Her long legs allowed her to cross the court and defend her square, but the next one was fully in my control. I slammed it down into the grass and sent it between her feet.
“Darn it!”
Samantha was already getting into it.
“Nice shot,” Lance grinned, “That was some good court positioning.”
Samantha wasn’t going to let me get away with that one. She retrieved the ball and squared her shoulders.
So much for this being a friendly match between the two of us, she was out for blood.