Chương 33: Thomas Thomas

The creepy skeleton puppet spoke with the voice of the time looper boss, and had just said that Azearothiel—a demon from my nightmare—sent his regards… to me?

"Why would Azearothiel say that?" Juliette echoed my thought, turning her sharp gaze toward me.

"Maybe she met him." said the skeleton puppet in a curious voice.

"Did you," Juliette asked me sharply, "meet a high demon?" I could lie, of course. I could say I fainted and saw a glimpse of something, but I could also choose not to lie. Juliette had already said it was okay for me to have my secrets.

"Who? Azearothiel?" I said nonchalantly.

"Sure, I know him. Friendly enough, well, as far as high demons go, anyway. But he is a chatty demon, I'll tell you that…"

"Describe him!" Juliette cut me off.

"You know," I said, "fur, goat legs, horns, the size of a house. A creep."

"Must have been some near-death experience…" added Victor in a thoughtful voice. A near-death experience wouldn't even begin to cover it.

"So Drizella here has some secrets," said Thomas Thomas.

"She is the one who got the key from the cat, Liaison Lucifer, correct?"

"Yes," said Juliette, still looking at me.

"And she has many secrets, apparently."

"Interesting," he said.

"So… why did you contact me?"

"In short," Juliette started, "Drizella pulled off a successful vault heist for us, but she wasn't careful enough, and the local Julian's group took notice. They sent Nicolas, their prized assassin, after her. They were very confident he'd finish the job, and even contacted us to settle things, offering compensation to avoid escalating the conflict. We just had a meeting with them at our base. Then, Drizella showed up in perfect health and blew their assassin's face off.

A shootout followed; we killed an assistant and chased their captain away. There are… many things I don't understand about these events."

"Even more interesting…" said Thomas Thomas. I pictured him stroking a mustache while saying so, but I had no real way to know if he even had one.

"So we don't know why the Julian group targeted Drizella in the first place," he continued, "and we don't know how Drizella survived when her assassins were entirely convinced they had finished the job… hmm. One possibility is that Drizella had a way to heal herself from the brink of death. That would also explain how she met Azearothiel." Oh no! This Welshman was incredibly sharp! This was… not good.

"Drizella," Thomas Thomas addressed me directly.

"Would you tell us how you survived?" Oh, I didn't think I could lie to him; he was just too smart. But then again, maybe I didn't have to.

"You were right to assume I nearly died," I explained, "and that I got healed somehow. But I'm sorry, I simply can't tell you how."

"I see," he said, not sounding mad at all.

"And the Julian's group—can you tell us why they targeted you?"

"I haven't the faintest idea, I swear!" I said, getting a bit angry.

"I never even met them before!"

"Hmm I believe you," Thomas Thomas mused.

"How about your goals then? What are your plans for the future?"

"Well, I want to be a time looper," I said confidently.

"I mean… I want to join your faction…" I realized I needed to add something respectful.

"Ah, sir."

"She actually asked to join us herself during the last cycle," Juliette supplied.

"She wants a time loop key to participate in another loop. I told her you would consider the request after she proves her worth doing contractor work in this loop."

"Yes," he said.

"We always need more capable time loopers in our faction. But the situation with Drizella is more complicated now."

"How so?" I asked.

"The Julian group wanted you dead for some reason," he said.

"Now that you've killed their assassin, they will want you dead even more."

"And they know where you live," added Juliette.

"Nothing is stopping them from sending more assassins, and next time, they might be more… thorough. Oh, now that they put it like that… that sounds really bad for me!

"What… what can I do?" I asked.

"I don't know why they are after you," said Thomas Thomas, "but since you are not an official part of any faction, it is of little consequence for them to kill you. However, if you were to join our Thomas Thomas faction… you would have the backing of our powerful organization behind you. It will make things much more complicated for them."

"Oh, I see…" I said.

"And… can that be arranged?"

"Sure, why not?" Thomas Thomas said cheerfully.

"You are now an official member of Thomas Thomas. Congratulations! You will get your leek tattoo after the loop."

"Congratulations," said Juliette dryly.

"Congratulations," said Victor dryly.

"Con… con…" James tried.

"Congraahh…"

"It's 'congratulations'!" Roger said to him angrily.

"Wait," I asked.

"That's it? I'm a member just like that?"

"Well, yes," said Thomas Thomas.

"But that doesn't mean you will get a time loop key for the next loop. Just as Juliette told you, it will depend entirely on your accomplishments in this loop. If we don't find them sufficient, we may offer you a job as a time loop assistant. Or, you could choose to leave altogether and start a new life in a faraway town, preferably in an area where the Julian group is less active." Oh… there was a lot to think about here. But overall, I thought this was quite generous of him.

"Thank you," I said to the creepy skeleton puppet, then turned to Juliette.

"Why… err… a leek tattoo?" I asked.

"Stupid Welsh symbol," Juliette muttered through gritted teeth.

"Just put it somewhere no one will ever see."

"Will I… still get my 1, 000 gold coins after the loop?" I asked the doll.

"If that is what was promised to you by Juliette, then yes." Good!

"So, now that I'm a member," I asked, "I won't be attacked?"

"Unfortunately, I am not sure that will be enough," Thomas Thomas said.

"We still don't know why they wanted you dead in the first place. To ensure they stay entirely off your back, the best course of action is for all of you to do some work for the Emperor. As long as you are on a contracted job assisting the Emperor in his war, the Julian group won't dare come near you."

"Oh, not that stupid war again," Juliette sighed.

"I like it," said Victor.

"I love the action."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"The Emperor loves time loopers," Juliette explained.

"And since he needs many, he is always looking for new contracts from local factions. His enemies, the English, have their own time loopers, of course." Oh, this was getting complicated again.

"But are we… also… English?" I looked at James, who nodded smugly.

"No, no," said Thomas Thomas.

"In this war… well, in recent loops anyway, we are playing for the Emperor of France. In this loop, we could actually meet him."

"I… what?"

"He isn't a time looper," he said, "but some of his closest assistants are, and he is using a Journal. When in a time loop, he likes to meet time loopers and coordinate with them daily, as well as practice his endless motivational speeches to absolutely enthrall his soldiers. He is currently in Boulogne; it's not far from you. There is a large military camp and his headquarters. It is best you head there today to finalize the arrangement. I will notify them of your arrival in advance using magical means."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"We will head there," said Juliette.

"We should arrive before evening."

"Good," said Thomas Thomas.

"Well, good luck Drizella. That will be all." The blue light in the skull's eyes vanished. So, I guess… that was it. Oh, things were moving way too fast for me! I had died, I had killed, now I was a member of this silly time looper faction, and I was about to meet the Emperor! This was… too stressful! I just wanted to spend time with Cinderella, maybe ride with her on a pony in the countryside and steal exotic muskets! Why did things turn out like this?

Juliette was ready to head out immediately, but I insisted I needed at least an hour. After all, I did promise Cinderella to have fruit tarts with her, and of course, I wanted to tell her what was going on. I wouldn't want her to… well, worry about me. I returned to the chateau, picking up the tarts on the way to meet Cinderella. Although she had already read the Journal, we hadn't actually spoken yet this cycle, and she was bursting with questions.

The hour I had wasn't nearly enough to explain everything, but with time of the essence, I couldn't stay. I hugged her tight and forced myself to leave, even though I really didn't want to. When I stepped out of the chateau, the time loopers were waiting for me. They had secured a massive, sleek carriage drawn by four magnificent horses, clearly built for immense speed and probably cost fortune. I climbed inside and took the seat next to Juliette, sitting directly across from Victor and James.

"According to the driver," said Juliette, "we will get to Boulogne in about four hours."

"Oh," I said.

"And when… are we going back?" Juliette chuckled.

"We are not," she said.

"At least not until tomorrow night, when a new cycle starts."

"I see," I said. Oh, Cinderella would be worrying about me again. Maybe I needed to get my hands on one of those communication skeleton dolls so I could talk to her from afar. It was a creepy thing, but very useful!

"So what is it like," I asked as we got underway, "A time looper job in a war?"

"That depends," said Juliette, "on which skirmishes or battles happen to occur by chance in the current loop, and whether they are close enough to your location. If a major battle is taking place, things get incredibly complicated. Both sides will deploy as many time loopers as they can. You need to win the battle, making a good B. M. P. But at the same time, we must hunt down and kill enemy time loopers while hiding our own identities so we aren't hunted ourselves.

It's truly complicated and dangerous, but the payment is stupendously high."

"And right now," I asked, "is there… a major battle?" I could hardly imagine what sum of money Juliette would call 'stupendously high,' but regardless, I wasn't ready for a battle like that, and I was terrified of being in one.

"No," Juliette said.

"Nothing like that in this time loop. In recent years, most major battles in the war have been on the Spain-Portugal border, or near Austria. But we are close to the English Channel, so there is always something going on. In this loop, the Emperor himself happens to be close to us. He visited Boulogne aiming to personally inspect his coastal invasion fleet from the shore. But, of course, something happened." Juliette paused to adjust her seat, then continued.

"In cycle 0 of this loop, while he was inspecting the fleet, they spotted a British frigate anchored provocatively close to the shore. The Emperor ordered an attack using many French vessels, but the British ship held its ground. The next day, the British brought reinforcements; they actually captured one of our ships and forced the rest of the French fleet to flee in disarray. Overall, it was profoundly humiliating for the Emperor's forces, especially because he orchestrated the attack himself.

So now it's a matter of personal pride. He plans to invest the entire loop into destroying those British ships. But the English have time loopers, too. I'm not sure exactly where in the conflict we stands right now… or what will be required of us."

"Oh, I see," I said. I really hoped I wouldn't be required to board those awful warships. I suffered from the most dreadful seasickness. I especially didn't fancy being seasick and bombarded by enemy cannons at the same time!

"Will it be… dangerous?" I asked. Juliette gave me a flat look.

"Yes, Drizella," she said.

"A time looper's job is always dangerous. I have told you this a million times, so don't act surprised."

"Nah, it won't be that dangerous," said Victor dismissively.

"I've been in some serious battles in this war. This? This is just flexing muscles, putting on a show. That's all."

"War is always unexpected and dangerous," countered Juliette.

"At least for us time loopers, who can actually die."

"I wouldn't even call this a war," Victor scoffed.

"A small military maneuver at best." They continued to bicker like that, and I quickly grew bored, turning my attention to the passing scenery instead. We still had plenty of road ahead of us.

"Tell me about the demons!" I blurted out out of nowhere, earning me some very peculiar looks from Victor and Juliette. I had suddenly remembered I had many questions. And it was a lot more interesting than this stupid war.

"I want to know more about them. Can you tell me?" Juliette shook her head.

"Not me. Ask James—he knows more about these things than we do. Have Roger translate for you."

"I dare say not! Certainly not for the likes of you!" Roger declared dramatically from his perch on James's shoulder.

"I harbor no affection for you whatsoever!"

"Every cycle, I will give you a small bag of raisins," I offered.

"It is agreed then!" the mouse squeaked immediately.

"But James is an idiot. Not my fault! I merely translate, and I still get the raisins."

"That's fine," I said.

"Ask him: what does it mean to be a slave to a demon? What do they expect us to do? And why do they want time loopers to serve them so badly?" As I asked, Juliette looked at me intently. But I had already told them that I met Azearothiel, so my interest was no longer a secret. Roger nodded and started squeaking that potato-eating language at James. When James heard the translation, he suddenly looked highly animated and smug.

I guessed it was a topic he loved to talk about, eager to show off his supposedly vast knowledge. James nodded at me and unleashed a torrent of English: "Blar-wibble shlaw-bree woggle-bash innit, crumpet-smash gobble-tally-ho wanker-posh guv'nor wot-wot blimey mash-taters crumpet-shove chugger-mugger!"

"James says," Roger started, "that in Hell, time loopers are not called slaves, but servants. They are not like other common damned souls. The time loop and the demon magic fundamentally alter their souls, making them almost like… small demons themselves. In time, they can even manifest unique powers."

"Oh…" I said.

"That sounds… well, almost like a good thing."

"But that is exactly why the high demons want them," continued Roger.

"To be highly capable servants!"

"But… doing what, exactly?" I asked.

"Oh, I forgot what James said!" Roger squeaked.

"Stop asking questions while I'm translating!" He conversed again in English with James, then turned back to me.

"Servants manage their domains," Roger continued.

"Industry, err, what is the word… economics? Logistics?" James added a few more English words.

"And managing… equanimity," Roger struggled with the vocabulary.

"Ah, happiness levels. The demons need the damned souls to work, but they must absolutely not be happy." James blabbered some more.

"Heaven inspections," Roger said.

"Heaven monitors them to ensure Hell is doing its basic job properly. At least, he thinks so; James is not entirely sure. I remind you once again that he is an idiot, and he might just be talking absolute nonsense." James babbled enthusiastically, clearly thrilled by the topic. Roger let out a heavy sigh.

"James says it depends entirely on the high demon. Some simply like to see people suffer. Some use servants to actively torture the damned souls. Others just do the bare minimum to pass Heaven's inspections and focus on constructing grand domains."

"Azearothiel and… Malakarthor." I remembered the name of the terrifying flying knight demon.

"What about them?" Roger translated for James, listened, and relayed the response.

"Azearothiel we know well," said Roger.

"He is a… sponsor, you could say, of our faction. Malakarthor, however… is bad. Very bad!" James uttered a few dark-sounding words.

"James says he is the worst of them," Roger squeaked.

"He loves to torture. He revels in suffering. He does horrific things to his servants, and forces his servants to do even more horrific things to the damned!" Looks can be deceiving, I guess! Note to self: next time in Hell, try very hard not to get caught by Malakarthor! Or better yet, try not to die at all! I had many more questions to ask about hell, but it seemed we were getting close to our destination. Cresting a hill, I gasped.

The Boulogne military camp sprawled out before us, an endless, organized sea of roaring campfires and sprawling military quarters that seemed just as massive as the city of Boulogne itself. I had never seen so many soldiers, so many horses, or so much artillery gathered in one place. However, we didn't head into the war camp. Our carriage drove straight toward the Emperor's headquarters, located a few kilometers south of the city and the camp. It wasn't a fairy-tale palace or a towering, imposing castle.

It was a grand but pragmatic estate constructed of striking red bricks and light stone trimmings, surrounded by manicured grounds that had been thoroughly overtaken by military personnel. As the carriage rolled to a stop in front of the grand entrance, two guards rushed over. Juliette calmly presented them with a set of stamped papers. After scrutinizing the documents with deeply furrowed brows, the guards finally nodded and escorted us inside. Stepping through the front doors, we were hit by a wall of noise.

The grand foyer was practically buzzing—dozens of soldiers and high-ranking officers were hurrying back and forth carrying maps and dispatch cases, all wearing stern, urgent expressions.

"Juliette, is that you? And Victor, too!" A man approached us. A handsome man. A really handsome man. He was a towering masterpiece of a human being, boasting a barrel chest and shoulders broad enough for two men, all topped with a perfectly dimpled chin and a sharp jawline. He looked straight out of one of Fifi's books, and I frankly gaped at him.

"Gaston!" Juliette said with delight.

"What are you doing here?"

"The Emperor is really taking this assault on the small fleet personally," he said smoothly.

"My starting point for this loop is actually in Belgium. It takes me most of the first day of the cycle just to ride down here."

"An awful waste of time," said Juliette.

"But from what I heard, this is a matter the Emperor took to heart."

"Yes," said Gaston.

"But there are time loopers on both sides of this naval skirmish, so neither side can achieve a definitive B. M. P. It is simply a waste of resources in the middle of a massive war. And it seems he is now willing to hire contractors such as yourselves." Gaston's gaze moved around the group until it landed on… me.

"A new assistant, I presume?" he asked.

"A new time looper!" Juliette corrected, gesturing to me.

"This is Drizella. This is her first loop." She then gestured back to Gaston.

"Gaston is quite important among the Emperor's ranks of time loopers."

"An honor to make your occasion!" I mumbled, my face burning.

"I mean, acquaintance!" Oh, this was so embarrassing! I was normally quite good at this kind of thing! But Gaston only smiled warmly.

"The pleasure is all mine, mademoiselle," he said with a dazzling smile.

"I look forward to working alongside you." Before I could embarrass myself further, three hurried soldiers marched up and saluted Gaston. He gave us a polite bow, said he had urgent matters to attend to, and quickly walked away. Juliette looked in utter amusement at the gaping, stupid face I was undoubtedly making.

"He is married," she said flatly.

"And his wife… well, she is a beautiful creature like nothing you have ever seen." Oh, shoot. Stupid, beautiful wife! Suddenly, the heavy double doors at the end of the hall swung open. There was an instant, electrifying shift in the room. The bustling noise died instantly, and every single officer and soldier snapped to rigid attention, their spines perfectly straight. Dozens of elite Imperial Guards spilled into the main hall, forming a protective perimeter.

And there, walking amid a cluster of high-ranking generals at the very center of it all, I saw him. The Emperor. Napoleon Bonaparte himself!