Chương 40: White Robes

The next morning I opened my eyes, smiling. This is going to be a great day, I just know it! I sat up and… immediately wanted to die. Everything spun. But not in a fun, spinning way like yesterday. It was a horrible spinning. A sick spinning. Oh god… I felt like my insides were spinning too. What is this? Am I sick? I somehow managed to dress without losing my stomach, slowly staggered outside, and pushed open the cabin door. By gosh! The sun! It was burning me! I had surely contracted some horrible disease!

I tried to adjust my eyes to the blazing light and make sense of my surroundings. Some of the soldiers were already up, doing… things. Oh, Cinderella was here too, sitting on a wooden crate and talking to someone. I swayed toward her slowly, but when her words finally reached my ears, my eyes went wide. She said, "Balderdash spiffing-wobble tiffin-smash wot-wot! Pippin-shove bobby-giggle? Guv'nor wot-wot!" It was my illness! I couldn't understand words anymore! This… this was probably the end for me!

"Oh Drizella, good morning!" Cinderella caught sight of me and waved. Wait, now I could understand her!

"How… how are you feeling?" she asked, looking a bit concerned as she studied my face.

"Before, you spoke and I didn't understand a single word!" I said, panic edging into my voice.

"Oh, I spoke English!" she beamed at me.

"Well, at least I tried. I know just a bit, but I think it was enough for James to understand me." James… oh yes, she was talking to him. And of course she knew the savage tongue, because she is Cinderella and why not?

"I'm not… feeling so good," I confessed.

"We may need to call a doctor. Oh, I fear I may be dying again!" Cinderella laughed, which was hardly a fitting reaction to my deranged state.

"You are simply entirely crapulous," she said.

"Which is what happens after you drink too much!"

"Crapulous?" I repeated, blinking.

"Is it… is it bad?" It sounded bad.

"No, silly. Just drink water. In an hour or two you'll be fine. Ah… fine-ish." This… this horrible feeling was because of the wine? Oh, why didn't anyone warn me against it! I thought the only problem with wine was that it rendered a young lady horribly unladylike. Oh, this was a vile drink, and hardly worth the fun. I would never drink again!

"What, what were you two talking about?" I asked Cinderella.

"Remember to be… careful," I added quietly. On our way to the camp, I had explained to Cinderella that while I do trust my time-looper friends, it's only to an extent. There are many things she absolutely must shut up about. Like the fact that she lived with me, but most importantly, anything regarding her fairy godmother. Time loopers were absolutely obsessed with fairies, and any clue leading to one would result in very unwanted consequences for her.

"Oh, you shouldn't worry," Cinderella said.

"James just told me about his beautiful hometown in England, and about his mother who he misses dearly." Misses his mother… right. Englishmen were people.

"That's nice," I said, "but if he offers to show you any magic tricks, politely refuse. They're quite repulsive, really." I went and fetched myself water from the barrel near the supply carts. I emptied maybe five cups. I still felt very much the worse for wear, but Cinderella's assurance that I was not, in fact, dying made it somewhat manageable. I looked up at the sun.

It was late morning, and it wasn't just me — most of the soldiers had slept late, and the ones who did manage to wake up were moving sluggishly, nursing pounding heads. In the last cycle, we got to our post well before Napoleon and his artillery platoon, exactly as we should. If we didn't head out soon, we'd be late. And if the Emperor managed to get himself assassinated in that time, it would be on me, and Juliette would get mad at me. Oh, I wanted to do my job right. Even though I felt like the pox incarnate.

I saw Henry talking to two soldiers and approached him.

"Good morning, Captain," he noticed me.

"Are you… well, feeling alright?"

"Sound as a bell," I answered dryly.

"But it's late, and we should be setting out to our post by now. Wake up all the sleepyheads. Arrange everyone immediately! We will move in half an hour! Breakfast will be at the post."

"Y-yes, Captain!" Henry and the two soldiers looked surprised but immediately spurred into action. Yes, they knew me as an easygoing captain, but I could also be serious when I needed to be. It didn't take long for the soldiers to get ready. They were a lazy bunch, true, but only when they didn't have strict orders to follow. Within minutes, they had packed their bedrolls, loaded their equipment into three small wooden carts, and formed up ranks.

Cinderella bid a fond farewell to James and joined me at the head of the column as we began our march from the camp to the observation post. When we got there, we saw that Napoleon and his artillery battery friends were just arriving too. I watched as my squad unshouldered their heavy packs and hastily began assembling a bivouac camp, pitching canvas shelters on the crest of a nearby hill.

"Look there," I told Cinderella, pointing.

"See that little man, jumping and waving his hands? That's him, the Emperor Napoleon himself."

"Oh, I see," she said. I didn't miss how she wasn't overly impressed. This was supposed to be special! To see the Emperor! But then I remembered Cinderella didn't like him so much, because of boring reasons like wars and taxes.

"So, we are to… protect him?" asked Cinderella.

"Yes, absolutely." I pointed out the various approaches and sight lines.

"An enemy could come from here, here, and here — as well as through those woods, or by rowboat from the ridge. We keep eyes on all routes, stop and question any suspicious civilians, and rotate guard shifts of three hours here and here, as well as regular patrols."

"Why, that sounds rather professional," remarked Cinderella.

"We are speaking of the Emperor's life," I said, with appropriate gravity.

"Nothing less than complete diligence is expected. We take our duty seriously." I then took out a Fifi book, and sat down to read "All that walking up the hill tired me out," I sighed, looking around.

"Where is that Luc and his mandolin? It's too quiet."

"I think he is playing cards with Mathieu and Louis."

"Oh, a shame," I said.

"Drizella, may I ask…" Cinderella started hesitantly, looking around.

"Well, all of you just seem rather relaxed, and… don't you need to be doing something?"

"Ah!" I said, raising a finger instructively.

"While some of the soldiers rotate through the guard shift, all the others get to have fun and relax! This is the most effective form of rest. This way, the soldiers will be at peak effectiveness while on duty. You see, that is quite a clever method on my part."

"Oh, effective rest," Cinderella nodded.

"I see. But... well," she added hesitantly, "what exactly will you be doing?"

"Me?" I asked, peaking from behind my Fifi book. What a weird question. But it took some consideration.

"Strategize," I answered with a nod.

"Strategize?" Cinderella asked.

"Yes. Resting, and strategizing. Both at once, effectively." I tilted the book toward her.

"Would you like to join me?" Cinderella frowned slightly.

"Oh, but I want to help! I don't like being idle while the people around me work and contribute." I blinked at her.

"Why not?" Cinderella gave me a flat look. That's right, she liked to work.

"Fine," I sighed.

"You can join Luc and Mathieu on their next guard shift." Her face lit up.

"I'd like that very much. I'll be vigilant — I won't let so much as a sparrow pass without proper inspection." This was not, strictly speaking, a good idea — when Cinderella guarded with other soldiers, they would definitely be looking at her and not the road. But if it made her happy… BOOM!! An earth-shattering explosion ripped through the air! Cinderella caught my arm, eyes wide.

"What… what was that!?"

"Oh, that was just the 24-pounder," I said nonchalantly, while nearly wetting myself. Yes, I will never get used to it! Especially the first volleys of the day! But at least I got to act tough in front of Cinderella.

"Oh…" said Cinderella.

"Well, I hope they didn't hit anybody. These things could be dangerous." Ah, Cinderella… as smart as she was, I didn't think she could get it through her skull that we were, in fact, at war. I then saw Jean-Baptiste and Émile come back from their shift and go straight to the food cart, so Luc and Mathieu got up from their card game to replace them, and Cinderella cheerfully tagged along. And that left Louis with no partner to play cards with. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent.

Report any appearances on Amazon. Well, if I'm in a time loop, I may as well learn to play some card games.

"What are we playing?" I asked, sitting down right in front of Louis.

"Oh, Captain," Louis looked startled for a moment before offering a quick smile.

"This is not a common game, it's from my home village in southern France. It's called Quick Fast." Louis then went to great lengths to explain the rules. It was a weird game with a million of rules. The cards were divided into Small City, Large City, and Population cards (which were the numbered ones). The population included slaves, workers, guards, footmen, archers, mages, and princesses. Each turn, you could put a city card into play, or assign a population card to a city.

Then you could move units out to attack an enemy settlement. There was a whole mess of rules dictating how each unit dealt different 'battle points' and what it took to successfully conquer a city. To make matters more complicated, there were bizarre mechanics where a princess could turn units into slaves, or you could sacrifice slaves to boost the power of your other units. Yes, I wasn't going to get any of that in the first game. But I was a time looper, and complex games didn't scare me.

Even after a few rounds, I think I had a grasp of the basics. Overall, it was a fun game. What interrupted me from the game was the arrival of another soldier who wasn't from my squad.

"Is Captain Drizella around?" the soldier shouted, scanning the encampment.

"Over here," I said, still trying to calculate if my archers and footmen would be a match for the wizards and slaves in the enemy city.

"I'm Corporal Dubois from the 23rd Regiment, 15th Squad. We are here by request of Sergeant Major Durand, to assist in patrolling the area for threats and subspecies activities." I gave him a look.

"Who is Durand again?"

"Ah… Juliette Durand," he said, then added in a quiet voice, "A time looper, I think." Oh, that's what it was. I remembered, Juliette did promise to bribe some squads to help me out.

"Well," I asked, "Did you find any threats or suspicious activity?"

"Not at all," he said with a disappointed shrug. Of course. Nothing was going to happen anyway.

"Well, keep looking," I said.

"Of course," he nodded.

"We will inform you of any suspicious activity." He offered a salute and was on his way. We continued to play until Louis's guard shift finally ended. I called other soldiers over to play with me; some were much worse players than Louis, and after a few rounds, I used my princess to turn their fancy units into slaves and finally got my first win. I like winning. When evening fell, it seemed Napoleon and the coastal artillery were finally wrapping things up.

Another successful cycle where the Emperor was definitely alive. I was on a strike! We started to head back to the camp as well. We would soon have another campfire dinner with roasted meat and music, but unfortunately, Cinderella needed to catch a carriage to be back home before midnight. She had to write the cycle events in her journal. It was a hassle, but it was important too. We had talked about it and decided there was no way around it, at least for the first few cycles.

Afterward, she might feel comfortable enough to come back every second or third cycle. At the camp entrance, a bustling line of carriages awaited the soldiers and officers. We selected one that looked fast and well-cushioned for the bumpy ride back to town. We hugged and said our farewells. I didn't like her leaving, but it would only be a few hours before another cycle started and I would see her again. She would come into my room again, confused and cute, and I would hug her.

I joined up with my soldiers, who were already enjoying a lively and boisterous dinner. There was still plenty of wine in the casks from yesterday, and the soldiers drank generously. But not me. I would never drink again… not after… wait! That's right, I'm in a time loop! If I drink today, I will wake up just fine tomorrow! That… that was brilliant. But I also didn't want the whole world to get crazy, so I only took one cup, and enjoyed another round of Quick Fast with Mathieu, Louis, and Antoine.

When it got really late, I took off to my cabin. I liked to get some sleep before the cycle ended. But as I lay in bed and closed my eyes, a knock sounded on my door. This time… could it be… Gaston? I threw off the blanket and hurried to the door. No, it probably wasn't him... but what if it was? A silent encounter... it would be... I yanked open the door and saw Juliette standing on the porch.

"It's just you again!" I said with annoyance.

"This is the second time you sound so utterly disappointed to see me," remarked Juliette.

"That makes me wonder, were you… expecting a visitor this late in your private cabin? A tall, broad-shouldered soldier, handsomely mustachioed, who, after many months in a military camp, craves a woman's touch so desperately…"

"Please stop!" I blushed.

"I'm not waiting for anyone. What… did you want to talk about?"

"The Julian Group, obviously," said Juliette.

"Thomas Thomas pulled some strings and found out that the contract you heard about is part of a much larger deal they made. Through various channels, we managed to discover that the Julian Group gave the Emperor a massive amount of demonic resources, several time-loop keys, a whole set of magic bones, and other magical tools. We estimate the transaction to be worth well over a million francs." She paused.

"And the Empire paid them nothing for it."

"So what did they get in return?" I asked. Juliette's expression turned serious.

"That's exactly the problem. We don't know." She sat down, which she had also not been invited to do.

"We do contractor work for the Emperor — to stay in his good graces and keep the Julian Group off our backs. But now something significant is happening between them, and we're entirely in the dark about what it is."

"Maybe… it doesn't matter," I offered.

"We do business with Napoleon, the Julian Group does business too. Maybe it all just comes down to that." I really liked it here, and I imagined being perfectly fine doing this until the end of the loop. Juliette frowned.

"Remember that we still don't know why the Julian Group tried to kill you in the first place." That was true. And I really wanted to know, because I was somewhat offended by it.

"So… what now?" I asked. Juliette sighed.

"We must know more, and it will take time. Thomas Thomas is of half a mind to terminate our contract altogether."

"What? No!" I didn't want that.

"I guard Napoleon, I keep him safe, he must know that! I'm sure he appreciates what we are all doing here!"

"Napoleon…" Juliette said quietly.

"He is not like that. He is ruthless. He doesn't care about us; his mind is entirely focused on his upcoming Russian invasion and how to hoard as many time-loop keys as possible for the loops that will occur during the campaign."

"But basically, you really didn't find anything," I argued, growing somewhat angry.

"It's all just… hypothetical." I think I got the word right this time.

"You mean speculation," Juliette said flatly.

"And that's not true. Something is really wrong here, Drizella. Be extra vigilant. Suspect everyone, including the Emperor's men. Interrogate any suspicious individuals with a truth bone—we'll supply you with more when needed. Be ready for orders to abandon it all at a moment's notice. And above all, if something happens, remember that only you are in real danger. Everyone else will come back. Don't hesitate when it counts."

"I… I know these things," I said, still angry. I really hoped it was all just a silly misunderstanding. I wanted to keep having fun, and to get my medal of honor from Napoleon while Gaston was looking.

"Is that it?" I asked impatiently.

"I was already in bed when you barged in, and I like sleeping before cycle end."

"There is one more thing," Juliette said.

"I wanted to talk about Cinderella." I sighed.

"I really don't."

"The palace heist you pulled," she said.

"The reason you wanted the journal so badly… it was for her, wasn't it? For Cinderella to become a time loop assistant?"

"Yes," I said. No point in lying.

"Because she's my friend. What of it?"

"So she isn't a time looper."

"Of course not. Did you think she was?"

"Yes, it made sense," Juliette explained.

"She made the Prince fall for her in moments. It looked like the perfect B. M. P. to become the Prince's bride in the last cycle, securing a highly advantageous position." She paused.

"And during one cycle we observed her fleeing the palace shortly before midnight. Certain bone magics expire at midnight. One palace guard even swore her carriage moved unnaturally fast." Yes, that was fairy magic. I kept my lips shut tightly.

"So we thought she was a time looper," continued Juliette.

"And we didn't know which faction. That was one of the reasons we were so… rough on you the first time we met." Oh, I still remember that encounter quite well.

"Well, she is not," I said.

"And the reason the Prince fell for her? Well, have you looked at her at all? Everyone falls in love with her in seconds. This is just how Cinderella is." Juliette considered this and gave a slow understanding nod.

"So now that you know she isn't some time looper from another faction," I asked, "will you leave it at that?"

"Drizella," Juliette looked at me.

"You are one of us. We are on the same side. Get used to it already. If you want to see Cinderella get her happy ending with the Prince in the last cycle, we can help you."

"Well… I guess." I said. It looked easy for Cinderella to secure the Prince, but in the last cycle, anything could happen. I didn't know if other time-looper factions would make things difficult; maybe I did need their help.

"I… I do trust you." And I did. Well, at least more than I did a week ago.

"Now can you go already?" I muttered, yawning.

"I really want some sleep!" Juliette took a small pocket watch out of her jacket and glanced at it.

"There is really no point in me getting out." Juliette gave a tight smile and began counting down on her fingers.

"Three. Two. One." And then Juliette, my bed, and the cabin all spun to black. Ugh, it's so hot. I peeled the blanket off me. That Juliette! Now I'm feeling all weird and confused! I lay in my bed, eyes still closed, waiting for Cinderella to come in. I pondered Juliette's warning. That it might not be worth the risk, and we might have to stop our new military job altogether. I really, truly hoped nothing would happen. I liked my new routine too much.

Cinderella then came in, hesitant and confused, and I hugged her again. And like last time, she showed some concern about me getting bored doing the same thing with her, talking and explaining, cycle after cycle... Silly Cinderella. It didn't matter even slightly. I would hug her, talk with her, eat fruit tarts with her, sit in comfortable silence with her. I could do this for a million cycles and not tire of it. We went on to take our gold and pistols, but this time we rented a fancy carriage.

We also stopped at the bookstore to get a ton of Fifi books. About halfway to the camp, we stopped for a pistol shooting lesson, and a music lesson too. And when we got to the camp, Cinderella laughed heartily at me wearing a soldier's uniform, informing me I was the cutest soldier. And we had fun, of course. A party on the evening of the first day, with moderate drinking on my part, and a fun, relaxing time at the observation post on the hills. Good food, Fifi books, playing cards, and music. Nothing bad happened.

No suspicious travelers, no incidents, and no assassins aiming for the Emperor. It was just more relaxing, fun times. And so, four more cycles passed exactly like that. I had fun, I really did. I started each cycle with a smile, and for the most part, it stayed there. I don't think I've ever felt this content with my life. But on the second day of the fifth cycle, something out of the ordinary did happen.

It started when I was in a fierce debate with Luc about whether it was scientifically plausible for Fifi to use a Colonel's trousers as a harness to hitch a prize racing dingo to a carriage loaded with six naked minor royals. He was obviously wrong, and I had a fitting argument ready, but then the cannons started. BOOM! BOOM! This was nothing unusual. There were the two volleys from the 24-pounders, and two from the 36-pounders, as well as the three high-pitched shrieks of the mortars.

But this time the cannon fire didn't stop. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! More and more. They just kept coming! They didn't stop for more than a whole lousy minute! How annoying! What happened this cycle? Did they think they would finally hit something if they just fired enough? Was there an enemy ship getting especially close to the shore? With all these ground-shaking booms, it was difficult to concentrate on doing anything, really.

We just sat down with our hands over our ears, waiting for the relentless barrage to finally cease. After what seemed like half an hour of deafening bombardment, a thick cloud of smoke hung over Napoleon's artillery. Finally. Then, shouting.

"Captain! Captain!" One of the soldiers came running my way. It was Antoine, who was out on the current patrol shift. He came huffing and puffing, and pointed to one of the routes near the ridge. I followed his trembling finger and squinted through the haze. I saw them. Many, many people coming—maybe fifty—all wearing white robes. They weren't far away. Was this… a pilgrims thing? No… they hadn't been in any of the previous cycles. This was highly suspicious.

And how had my sentries not noticed such a large group coming from miles away? Oh, I know. They had come by boats from the ridge. And… my soldiers probably didn't spot them because they hid in the dense clouds of white smoke created by the rapid cannon fire. I think… I think this was bad. Louis and Jean-Baptiste were stationed at the perimeter, barely thirty meters from the front of the approaching group. Too close.

I opened my mouth to call them back — Four figures in the front of the white-robed column pulled muskets from beneath their robes and fired from point-blank range. Louis and Jean-Baptiste crumpled to the ground.

"NO!!" I shouted. Then I turned to my squad.

"IT'S AN ATTACK! EVERYONE GET READY!" Henry reacted immediately. He was already barking orders, making sure every soldier grabbed their musket and rammed a fresh cartridge down the barrel. My heart pounded strongly in my chest. This was it. The attack on the Emperor. But it wasn't a lone assassin or a small unit. It was a whole platoon.

"Émile!" I grabbed his arm as he passed.

"Get to Napoleon immediately—tell his guards an armed force is approaching! They must evacuate the Emperor now! And alert the artillery officers as well—tell them we need help to fight the enemy!"

"Drizella!" It was Cinderella. She rushed at me, her face pale.

"What… what should I do?"

"Run to the other squad on the nearby hill! Alert them to the situation and ask them for help!" Cinderella nodded grimly, and immediately sprinted toward the neighboring encampment. This was an important task, yes, but I mostly just wanted Cinderella as far away from the danger of the coming battle as possible.

"Get ready!" I shouted.

"We must protect the Emperor at all costs!"

"Captain," Henry's voice was low as he pointed.

"Something's wrong. Look at them." The white-robed group had broken away from the coastal path—the route that led toward Napoleon's position. They had changed direction. They were coming straight for us.