Chapter 97 (2 of 2) By Who?

SORRY. TERRIBLE INTERNET. But I swear I'm not planning on giving this up. It's just been busy. And... I need to write more story notes for the next chapters after 100.

P.S. someone complained about my story slowing down further after chapter 50 on RR, and I just want to say that I compressed a year into 50 chapters this time instead of only 6 months, so HA! Proof that the story has sped up! ish....

But I have lots planned for the next 50 chapters. Now that quite a few know Lucy has an idea of what's going to happen, she'll be free to go out more often and start.... SCHEMING.

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“Is sparring truly necessary at this poin-”

“It’s that or you remain in the dark about what happened to Gilded Seat while you were gone.”

“What... happened?” Lucille turned to look at Count Ravimoux behind Hargrave. The dark-haired Count quickly winced and nodded, implying that whatever happened... she needed to know.

Lucy rubbed her forehead to suppress her growing migraine, then sighed and put her hands on her hips. “I can’t spar with you right now. Want to know why?”

Before he could reply, she began to unbutton her shirt from the bottom up.

Hargrave stiffened and stepped back . “What are you-” He stopped talking when he saw the mottled black-and-blue bruise that stretched across her abdomen.

Lucy re-buttoned her shirt and spread her hands with a calm smile. “As you can see, I sustained heavy injuries because of this event. I doubt I’ll be able to fight you at my best... and I know how much you don’t like fighting a disadvantaged opponent in battles.”

Several in the room coughed, well aware that it wasn’t because of the trip to the plane that she ended up hurt. To her side, a green-eyed mercenary elbowed his sister. “...Larena, did you really use that much strength?”

“...I thought she’d dodge!”

“Well she didn’t, and now she has that. Seriously, a Rank-2 can’t heal as fast as a Rank-3 you know-”

Hargrave, having overheard them, narrowed his eyes at the two. “So Larena did that and not the enemies you met on the trip?”

Lucille gave the two mercenaries a meaningful stare. Garthe shut up, and his older sister quickly ushered him out the door.

“We’ll take our leave for now,” Larena stated, before swiftly closing the door behind her. Regulus Ravimoux shrugged as he was shut out too.

It was silent as Hargrave returned to glaring at Lucy.

Lucy coughed into her fist, grimacing at the pain. “Well... Larena doing this or not, it stands as such that I’m still injured regardless. Can we not sit down and discuss this like civilized people?”

“Hargrave’s a magical beast now, so according to the Mystical Realm he’s now ‘uncivilized’!” Scytale ‘helpfully’ supplied.

She pointed at her bond. “You can shut up.”

Hargrave was still frowning, but he stormed over to a chair and sat down in it, arms crossed. “Nobody thought to tell me that the Commission was attacked? Let alone the fact Sedric was kidnapped. The Aurelian Commission is currently responsible for... many things relating to my identity.” He brushed some of the haphazard hair plastered to his face out of the way. “Whether or not I follow you there, I want to be told.”

...this statement from the ex-mercenary actually caught Lucille off-guard. She expected it to be the fact they left without him. But...

“How did you know about Sedric’s kidnapping?” Lucille leaned back in her armchair. “From what I recall, you weren’t intending to be back for a while yet.”

Hargrave hesitated. “....Count Ravimoux told me.”

“Let me be specific. Why were you in Gilded Seat in time to have Count Ravimoux tell you that the Headquarters had been attacked,” she stressed.

The red and blue-haired man grimaced. He absentmindedly touched the heavy pendant around his neck, and stiffened when he met Lucy’s piercing stare.

“Great, so not only did we have Olden and the Heavenly Realm involving itself, but a vampire also decided to join in for the fun too,” she stated dryly. She pressed a hand to her temples, thinking hard about what this meant. “But I doubt Cruor is one to act on a whim, so...”

Did Lucius involve himself? Or at least give Cruor a ‘hint’ to the fact something was going on regarding me. Lucius is still in charge of making sure the situations in the Mystical Realm don’t result in catastrophes though, so I can’t assume he gave Cruor a hint just because of me. Gilded Seat and/or the Aurelian Commission going down may just be detrimental to his goals.

“...anyway, I said I wouldn’t explain what happened until I get an explanation from you,” Hargrave argued.

“You were busy,” Lucy stated flatly.

“I was only levelling myself. If you had of told me then-”

“Then what? Invite you to a plane were the most members of Olden might be, and possibly recognise you?” Lucille pointed out.

Vincent interrupted with a cough. “If I may speak... Hargrave, we have endeavoured to keep you hidden from most of the nobility, but when it comes to Olden, we must take even more extremes. Your... ah, ‘former patron’ was part of Olden after all.” He exchanged looks with Lucy and shrugged. “We couldn’t have any complications in this venture.”

Hargrave scowled. “But you didn’t tell me-”

“Hargrave, let me ask you something.” Lucille tilted her head slightly. “If I had told you that this potentially dangerous situation was occurring, yet asked you to not follow... would you have stayed put on that plane?”

He fell silent.

“And furthermore-” She paused as she realised they hadn’t had an explicit conversation about his oath, nor did she have a way to explain why she knew of it. Lucy went silent for a while, considering how to phrase it. “Hargrave... are you able to act on my commands?”

Hargrave slowly narrowed his eyes. “If you’re questioning my abilities-”

“If I ordered you to attack my enemies, would you do it without hesitation?” she interrupted. “Such as a pre-emptive attack. Would you do it?”

He blinked, opened his mouth to accept- but then realised he couldn’t do that. Hargrave looked away, pondering an answer to her question.

Lucille shook her head and stood up, ignoring the aching in her ribs. “Well, I need to leave, so...” She turned to look at Vincent. “It’s time to go.”

Her silver-haired aide pointed at her stomach. “You don’t need to do anything about that?”

She briefly touched her side and flinched. “...if I have to I’ll just turn off my sense of pain.” Lucille opened the door and walked out.

Vincent followed after her with a slightly hurried pace. “Lucille, I don’t believe that’s particularly healthy-”

The others left in the room looked at Scytale. The humanoid snake blinked. “What? Why would I follow her into a den of stuffy lesser nobilit-”

“Scytale! Get over here!” Lucy yelled.

The winged snake scowled and quickly transformed. “Dammit.” Scytale flew out of the room, aura ablaze with indignance. “Why do I have to come?!”

Jasten looked down at the two teenagers he was in charge off. “It’s time to go back.”

“About time,” Raegan grumbled.

Annaliese smiled and nodded, standing up with her brother to follow their Paladin out.

Marellen and Roa looked at each other once they were the only two left in the room.

After a moment, the navy-haired mage spoke up, “I... think I want to do a little research about undead and evil spirits. We were useless against the Wight.”

Roa nodded. “A wise choice. I wish to do the same. Let us study together.”

...

“To be leaving Gilded Seat so soon after such an ordeal is...”

“Exhausting?” Lucille suggested. The three of them were riding in a coach to Alichanteu’s planar array on Gilded Seat. With it, they would be directly sent to the County.

“...I was going to say frustrating, but exhausting fits too,” Vincent said.

“Why am I here?” Scytale grumbled. “I don’t want to deal with noble snobs.”

“You’re here as my body guard,” Lucille lightly replied, uncaring about her bond’s woes. She propped her chin up with a hand, looking out the window. “You haven’t even met most of the vassals from Alichanteu. Arwen and Artair are hardly the standard for the whole fief.”

Vincent raised a brow. “Why, do you believe Alichanteu may have better management than they present themselves to have?”

“Hm?” Lucy blinked and looked at her aide. “No? I expect them to be far worse than those pest-like heirs.”

Her aide stared at her, bemused. “Then...”

“I only wanted to imply to Scytale that he has nothing to complain about, because he hasn’t seen the worst of it yet,” she stated, returning to looking out the window.

“Hey!”

“Don’t overreact. There’ll be free food.”

The snake hesitated. “Free food… or a possible assassination from Alichanteu… free food, or….”

Lucy rolled her eyes. They ride in silence, excluding Scytale’s mutterings, and then the gates of the private district before them opened. They rode onto a large scale violet array, many other vehicles stocked up with goods for mass-transport beside them.

Because mere managers of a district on Gilded Seat wouldn’t be informed about whether the Commission’s Count was supposed to be prevented from entering or not.

The windows lit up with an intense purple glow, so bright they couldn’t see anything, and then they felt the density of the only Superior plane’s mana descend on them.

Someone outside yelled a command to allow the cargo transport to roll out, and they followed. Their coachman took them through a side exit for passenger vehicles, and then they entered Alichanteu’s port city – Tidal Front Harbour City.

Built out of pristine white stone cut with precision, the port city was on a tiered seaside mountain. Wooden and brass constructions raised and lowered vehicles and goods from separate levels. Multiple half-outfitted ships had been hoisted up above the workers below, allowing maintenance to be performed on them.

With teleportation arrays, the existence of docks and ports might seem strange, but in the Mystical Realm, they were more often used as a base of operations for seafaring adventurers and militant private groups that made their income from slaying sea monsters, mining resources from specific islands, and treasure hunters.

The teleportation could also affect the mana density and consequently strength of some magical materials such as marble, and so Alichanteu garnered a far-reaching commercial empire of transportation and logistical arrangements on behalf of other nobility. It was likely why they were able to transport jade rosewood for the Profound Emergent Jade Lotus Sect, or at least the Sects under its rule.

While the managers in the district knew who Lucille was, that was only because she had shown her pocket watch to them. Invisible illusion mana masked their carriage as a mere passenger cart for the commoners, so they could only take the long route to the white manor on the cliff edge above the city – the Alichanteu Residence.

“Even if we have the pocket watch... how will you ensure we can enter?” Vincent mused. “If I were Alichanteu, and noticed us arriving in such a secretive fashion... I’d use it as an excuse to send you back by claiming you were an imposter, stalling for time.”

“That would be if the Olden influence in Alichanteu even bothered to inform the gatekeepers of my visit, but...” She smirked and stood up, to Vincent’s bewilderment.

“...what are you doing?”

She opened the carriage window open and leaned out of it, then smiled when she saw with her own eyes the flurry of activity of people going in and out of the open gates. “Wonderful. A perfect stage for us.” Lucy turned around and grinned at her bond. “How does the roof sound?”

“Good enough for me.” He slithered out of the window and flew onto the roof.

“Again, may I ask what-”

“To answer your question-” Lucy interrupted, one foot up on the windowsill and a cane in the other hand. “-shock factor always helps to cause events to land in your favour.” She hopped out, the carriage still moving, and swung herself up on the top. She crouched with Scytale behind her, until the gatekeepers finally noticed them approaching, lined up behind several other coaches with affairs involving Alichanteu.

One man marched forward and flipped his visor up, eyeing their ‘bland’ carriage with scrutiny. He looked up at Vincent through the window. “And what brings you here, sir....?”

A loud bang rocked the carriage and sent the ground rumbling. Shouts of surprise sounded from the other coaches. Several more guards came running over and stumbled back as the ‘bland’ disguise lifted from the coach with the rushing of wind.

Loud laughter rang out and everyone looked up to see Lucille on top, a violet pocket watch dangling lackadaisically from one hand, and an ornate cane in the other.

Vincent raised an eyebrow when he saw the cane. “Wait a second... that’s the cane I-”

She slammed the end on the carriage rooftop and massive magical sparks flew out, reminiscent of fireworks. If anyone hadn’t been paying attention prior, they had no choice but to see her now.

“Count Lucille Goldcroft, at your service!” she shouted with a bright smile. “It’s my great honour to be invited to Alichanteu’s County!” Lucille twirled her watch above her head, then held it out for the guards. “As the Aurelian Commission Head, I look forward to allowing our Faction to sponsor through this friendly visitation!”

All of a sudden, Scytale emerged in his full Primal Descendent-form splendour, lighting up half a kilometre with his glow. He flared his wings and hissed at the watchers.

Not too much, now. We’re not here to threaten them....

‘Isn’t that exactly what we’re here to do, though? Like, I thought literally showing up was an implicit threat. Or am I overthinking this?’

.....yet. We’re not here to threaten them yet.

Everyone stared, dumbstruck. She blinked and looked over the side at the weary Vincent, who was watching her as he leaned out of the window. “Did you get the date wrong? You told me that we needed to visit them today.”

“That was what we arranged with Alichanteu...” Vincent replied loudly, showcasing his expert ability to adapt to her whims. He stepped out of the coach and narrowed his eyes at the guards, who winced and dipped their heads. “But we don’t even appear to have an escort prepared, nor have any of the Alichanteu members come to greet us.”

One younger guard frowned at the back, out of Vincent’s sight, and turned to the person next to him. “...we were told the Count was no longer arriving, weren’t we?”

Vincent may not have heard, but Lucy certainly did through her perception. She let out an audible gasp of shock, drawing many eyes, and jumped off the carriage roof to run up to the young man. “What?! Has something dreadful happened here?!” She frowned and clicked her tongue, slowly shaking her head. “Why had we never been told that this visit was cancelled? I would’ve surely acquiesced if I had of known!”

“The Commission Head should not have to bow to her vassals, Count Goldcroft,” Vincent announced with a hand on her shoulder, smiling coldly at everyone around her. “It is the barest minimum politeness to send out advanced notice of an issue. I am, quite frankly, disappointed in Alichanteu.”

“Oh, I’m sure they had their reasons,” she replied cheerily. She hummed as she skipped past the guards, heading towards the front doors of the manor atop a marble staircase. “Come along, Scytale! It will also be your first time visiting one of the noble residences in the Mystical Realm!”

Scytale folded his wings and hissed at the people blocking his way, guards, visiting businessmen and interested passersby all the same. They quietly stepped side, giving the massive snake a wide berth as he followed Lucy. Vincent walked alongside him.  

With her back turned to everyone, her happy-go-lucky expression dimmed. Vincent caught up and adjusted his neck tie. “Well.. that went well, I suppose. As always, I feel there are more subtle solutions for that situation.”

“My apologies. I can’t say I have the patience today for their petty noble games such as pretending we are fakes to stall for time,” she replied curtly. She went silent as she came near the two outside doormen, who tried to rush ahead and open the doors for them. Instead she briskly walked past and with the red haze of fire mana around her, she brute forced the doors open with a sharp kick.

Greeting them in the entrance hall was... quite the sight. Servants, officials of the County and several others mingled on either side of the ocean-blue carpet, either looking worried, awkward, or bewildered. However, a contingent of roughly forty unmarked, unknown knights guarded the exits and entrances, five of them in a line behind an... unfamiliar person.

“I leave for two years because of the task that is essential to the longevity of this County, this clan, this family- yet I return to this farce?” The young woman’s ice-cold voice growled with acidity.

Lucille peeked around her to see the two Alichanteu heirs, Artair and Arwen, avoiding eye contact. Artair happened to glance up for a split second and his eyes widened when he saw Lucy, but then he stiffened up when the attention of the unfamiliar woman landed on him.

“Artair Sandrell Alichanteu, are the actions of the knights behind me more important than the words of your sister?”

Lucy blinked.

...sister?

He clamped his mouth shut. The young woman glanced between the two brothers and then...

She slapped the two brothers across their mouths. They stared in shock as roiling waves of water mana surrounded them, and they struggled as they were lifted off the ground.

“How dare you!” the woman roared, grabbing their lapels in her armoured hands. “How. Dare. You! By who’s authority, who’s boldness, who’s audacity... did you dare to begin a succession war while our father is still alive!”

Lucy crossed her arms and covered her mouth with one hand, thinking.

The young woman let out one last slightly hysterical, hiccupping laugh, then dropped her mana, dropping the two heirs with a loud thud. “What... what have I been working towards? What was all of this for? May as well have just told me that neither of you wanted our father to recover... may as well have told me you wished him dead.”

Everyone in the room fell deathly silent. The collars of the boys slipped from her grip, and when she spoke again, it was as if all emotion had disappeared from her voice. “Members of the Lunitidal Order, confine Artair Sandrell Alichanteu and Arwen Rostov Alichanteu to their rooms until I give the order. Personally provide all they need and let no one near them. We must thoroughly investigate who they have both been in contact with during these past two years- no, before then as well.”

“Yes, Captain Aeron!”

“The elders won’t permit this! You’ll be exiled from the family!” Arwen yelled, glaring furiously at her with a beet red face.

‘Captain Aeron’ slowly turned to stare at him. “My younger brother has gotten mouthy in the years since I’ve last seen him, has he?” Her face cooled. “Not to worry. I’ve sent my men to ensure the elders are now on... ‘voluntary’ house arrest. If there is anyone I must apologise to, it will be our new Commission Head that I have not been able to greet. If I’ve offended her with my actions then I’ll appeal to her to forgive Alichanteu... after we have purged this family.”

The fully-armoured woman spun around and took a firm step towards the manor front doors... then her eyes locked with Lucille’s.

“Well, well, well,” Lucille mused, the corner of her lips lifting up as the sky-blue haired knight stared at her. “Isn’t this fascinating? Aeron Daybell Alichanteu, the first daughter and second child of the Alichanteu Count, I presume?” She smiled and spread her hands, her violet pocket watch dangling off a wrist.  “And to think I would’ve missed seeing this heart-warming family reunion if I had received notice of the apparent... cancellation of my visit to Alichanteu!”

Aeron glanced back to send her brothers a cold glare – no doubt due to the surprise visit from the Aurelian Commission Head that she had not known about. Then she knelt, two hands grasping the handle of the glaive she wielded. “Count Lucille Goldcroft of the Aurelian Commission. It is my honour to greet you. I am Aeron Daybell Alichanteu, first daughter and second child of the Alichanteu Count.”

“Glad to know you can repeat my words,” Lucy replied drolly.

The pale hands around the glaive tightened. Aeron hesitated, before looking up with a determined gaze. “Count Goldcroft, I wish to make a request of yo-”

“No.” Lucille walked straight past her, to even Vincent and Scytale’s bewilderment. “There, a nice and quick answer, wasn’t it? I don’t like dragging things out. Besides... I’m tired and want to rest, so I’ll just go ahead and find my room-” She looked back and smiled as her eyes narrowed. “Which I’m sure has been prepared, and there was certainly no notice that ‘The Aurelian Commission Head cannot make the visit’, that threw this manor into chaos and prevented my room from being prepared now, was there?”

Arwen went slightly green. Aeron picked up on that and slowly narrowed her eyes. She dipped her head. “...yes, feel free to rest wherever you desire. I will ensure that your aide and bond will be catered to just as much as you.” She rose and looked at her brothers. “If you’ll pardon me, Count Goldcroft, I need to continue with our... heart-warming family reunion, as you put it.”

Lucille smiled and waved her goodbye over her shoulder, ascending the staircase as the knights split to let her through. “Yes, a tear-jerking sight. I’ll give you three siblings all the time you need to recover from your time of separation.”

Lucy left the room along with her bond and Vincent. Scytale had long since shrunk down and flew onto her shoulders.

 After a minute or two of tense silence, Vincent hurriedly grabbed her shoulder. “Lucille, Aeron said C-”

 “Ah-ah-ah.” Lucille shushed him with a finger and gave him a wide, fake smile. “Yes, it was shocking to discover the Lunitidal Order obeyed her,” she announced loudly, gesturing to the corner of the hallway with her eyes. “In fact, I thought the Lunitidal Order had been retired some twenty years ago!”

 Vincent’s eyes strayed over to the hallway and he paused when he saw a humanoid shadow stretching around the corner.

Lucy ‘quietened’ her voice to a loud whisper. “But let’s not speak on these things. The walls have ears.”

And through a spiritual message, she sent:

‘And we need to keep the impression that we already know everything they wish to hide. So, don’t show anymore astonishment.’

Lucille took her finger away from his mouth and tilted her head.

Because even if all I have is context clues, I’m sure I’ll eventually arrive at a conclusion accurate enough to be the ‘truth’.

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Stuff wouldn't upload with the data I had. I think i lost half a chapter at one point. But when I had no data I was still sketching stuff, so... here:

Rainbow Dragon Guy! AKA Hargrave in the past timeline. He has six elements, so three pairs of wings for six wings.

I was initially thinking of Scytale the 'world-devourer' for this, but idk if I like the horns too much, so this kind of just turned into Jormungandr instead. Also, his mouth might be smaller than earth, but Scytale is nothing if not determined to eat.

This one is still unfinished. Not really an important character (yet... maybe? idk? Haven't gotten far enough?) but someone I wanted to draw regardless. The World Tree's human form/incarnation! Because, I mean, if Ashale'viaf has a human form and he's like a literal rose vine spirit, then she should as well. Initially wondering if she should've been a Cervitaur (deer centaur) like the one in Reverse 1999 but decided against it.

These three were done on A3 paper, so... very big sketches. My original A4 sketchbook got wet.

I did some others on A4. I tried to do Count Ravimoux, but I'm still unhappy with it so I'll post that later. But here's an unfinished Lilith:

 And, one I'm very happy with... Acalypha! The Fae-Damned Sorceress! Well, when she was alive anywho. Very tribal headwear, but her dress wouldn't be so much.

 And a size comparison for the big vs small sketches:

 The pages fell out lol.