Chương 42: The Stone Muse (2)

"No." Eole's refusal rang through the room, dashing Simon's hopes. Once again, he had brought her to his side and emancipated her. Once again, he had offered his friend to work with him, promising to protect her against the threat of Vouivre, to ensure her freedom and safety… only to be met with refusal.

"Why?" he asked.

"As I said, while following us to Telluria may endanger you and attract Vouivre's attention, we can ensure your safety so long as you stay close to us." Or at least, Belzemine could. She was stronger than Thalas, and even if a pyromancer was relatively disadvantaged against a dragon, Simon had ensured Shabram would guide the imperial factions towards hunting down Gargauth's heirs. Vouivre would likely spend this reign on the back foot as the likes of Dassein relentlessly hounded her. Hopefully.

The way she had thrived during the civil war and survived the Zodiac Parade—which was what Simon had started to nickname the awakening of the fiends in his head—pointed to her being frighteningly resourceful. Taking Eole with him to Telluria was a gamble, and deep down he knew it was an unnecessary one… but he had to try. He wanted to preserve their friendship.

"You are not convinced of it yourself. I can hear it in your voice." Eole shook her head.

"I am sorry, I… I am well and truly grateful beyond words for your act of kindness, Lord Simon, but if I ever return to Telluria, it will be to free my people from your empire's slavery. You may be a good person, but you remain a prince of this rotten state."

"A bastard, with no lands to call his own," Simon insisted. She's slipping away.

"A bastard with retainers, and who will indirectly profit from this nation's resources… and thus my people's exploitation." Eole remained resolute.

"I am sorry, but I cannot forgive your empire." Eole would not trust a prince of Endymion, not even a bastard. As much as he hated it, Simon understood why she felt that way. She didn't know him. All their months of struggle and friendship had been erased alongside her memories of their bond. From her point of view, he was a strange and mysterious figure who, while kind enough to free her, remained associated with the state she had come to loathe.

She had been willing to take a gamble when he shed his imperial allegiance, name and titles included, but it would take more than a single conversation to change her mind. He would not win her over in this reign; not if he wanted to keep using imperial resources, even for the greater good.

"I… I understand." It killed Simon inside to say so.

"It is… unfortunate, but I understand." Eole bit her lip, a flash of compassion passing over her gaze.

"This saddens you." Simon didn't deny it.

"I had hoped we could become friends. I know you are a good person, Eole."

"So are you." She shifted in her seat.

"You should come with me to my people's sanctuary. This land of darkness will wear down your spirit and gnaw at your soul with bitterness."

"I know, but too much depends on me," Simon said with a sigh.

"I can't follow you now, but… I hope to see your homeland one day."

"So do I, Lord Simon." Eole plucked a feather from her wings.

"Here, take this."

"A gift of friendship?" Simon guessed, having already received the feather in a past reign.

"Thank you, Eole. I shall cherish it dearly."

"May it remain with you until we meet again, Lord Simon." She smiled at him.

"I hope we shall." So did Simon… but as he watched her fly away from his window to her freedom, he had the rather sharp suspicion they would not see each other again for the entire length of this reign. Opening some doors closed others. Would it feel as awful to see Anna again? To realize the person he had cherished for months was gone, replaced with an unknowing stranger?

It didn't hurt Simon that much back when reigns were so short he didn't have time to build much of a rapport with others, but the loss now stung like a scorpion's tail. This is for the best, he tried to tell himself. Vouivre walked through Belzemine's ring of fire without taking damage, so even she might not be enough to hold that dragon back… unless my plan works. A knock on his door drew him out of his dark thoughts.

"Come in." Lauriane opened the door and walked into the room with a pile of books under her arm. She only had to take a glance at the open window and the red feather in Simon's hand to guess what had happened.

"You are too much of a bleeding heart, brother," she said with a hint of fondness.

"It is your greatest weakness, and your most endearing quality too."

"It's true I'm no Louis." I don't order my own populations bombed for a start.

"Did you ever own slaves, Lauriane?"

"Not personally, though I did oversee workers in Crestone factories." Lauriane directed the empire's magical research and development as part of her duties. Her secondary Spellblade Vassal Class was the result of her work, an attempt to blend Mage and Warrior-type crestones into a harmonious whole.

"I do not trust people whose loyalty is compelled by chains and magic in my household. They are only one step away from rebellion, and only the Overlord's marks can compel absolute loyalty." If only she knew…

"Are these astronomy books?"

"All those I could obtain. Astronomical and astrological research mostly falls under the Church of Light's purview, and High Confessor Mastemo jealously guards this knowledge." The Church? Huh, why did imperial knowledge have to be split between so many parties and factions unwilling to work together? Because Balzam Magnos didn't want his underlings to band together against him, Simon thought grimly. I wonder if he came up with that strategy after suffering from that death via a military coup.

Lauriane frowned as she put two and two together.

"Is this sudden interest in constellations connected to your dreams?"

"Yes," Simon confirmed. He wasn't entirely sure if warning the War Party about the Zodiac Fiends was the right decision, considering their atrocities during the civil war—he feared they might try to exploit the miasma crystals like Vouivre rather than destroy or seal them away—but he could remain evasive.

"I keep having dreams about a black comet in the sky, among… other things." Moreover, he was beginning to wonder if astronomical events somehow influenced the reigns' duration. Elios Magnos had told him to come back in ninety reigns or so, which meant he knew Simon would suffer through a hundred with a mere glance when his own archdemon master only had six. The old lich had a hand in crafting the Crimson Throne so he might have had a way to check that number at will somehow, or there was a reliable way to guess.

One of the first things the lich did was to ask for the year to calculate the comet's return, so there had to be a mechanism that Simon could hopefully reverse-engineer somehow. Lauriane nodded in understanding.

"Well, you will have time to tell me everything about them. Louis wants to see you and discuss them." I know, Simon thought. I was counting on it. Louis' eyebrows curved upward slightly." Vouivre, you said?"

"That was the dragon's name," Simon said.

"She announced herself as Vouivre when she slew Thalas in my vision. She devoured him and then spat out the Berserker Crestone."

"A sight I'm sure delighted you," Louis quipped, and Simon couldn't resist smiling in response. Yes, part of him had relished Thalas' defeat and death.

"An interesting tale nonetheless. The information hasn't been made public yet, but Lady Shabram informed us a scalefolk warlord with that name has been making waves in Telluria lately." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"I didn't know," Simon lied, having shared that intel with their spymistress to relay to the various imperial factions.

"The reports didn't mention a dragon, but considering how this Casval transformed into something suspiciously similar to one and fled when we tried to apprehend him, she is likely to be one as well," Lauriane hypothesized, a scowl forming on her face.

"To think Gargauth left heirs to pick up the family feud…"

"And Thalas' presence in Telluria lines up with what my spies gathered on Euphemia's intentions to recruit supporters among the academy," Louis said.

"Considering this Casval was set to infiltrate it, Vouivre likely has other spies in its walls. Our fool of a brother will fall into a trap without even realizing it." Louis rested his head on his fist and studied Simon in silence for a moment. There was something deeply unsettling about that sharp, hawkish gaze of his, like being judged by an inflexible force that would see through all lies.

Simon had seen enough of the War Party's atrocities in past reigns to tell Louis was as ruthless as the tales said, and more.

"I believe Lauriane is correct, Simon, in that you do possess latent prophetic gifts," he said.

"However, fate exists to be challenged. I have no love for our half-brother, but we cannot let the enemy obtain his Berserker Class, nor risk seeing the Overlord's power go back to a rival line. This vision of yours shall not come to pass."

"Should we send Dassein after her?" Lauriane asked.

"No need." Louis waved his hand.

"I will hunt this Vouivre myself." Both Lauriane and Simon perked up in surprise. That was unexpected.

"You'll attend the academy?" Simon asked, taken aback. Thalas will be pissed.

"I have already graduated, but I will visit as an alumnus," Louis replied.

"Not to mention that I meant to visit Dassein as Marshal of the Empire to discuss the Tellurian border situation sooner or later."

"Euphemia will grow suspicious," Lauriane pointed out.

"Let her. Why would she reproach me? My fiancée is in Beleth to attend the Military Academy, as are my brothers." Louis smiled smugly.

"What kind of man and Marshal would I be if I didn't offer them my support in these dangerous times?" This is new, Simon thought. He had expected Louis to trust Dassein to handle Vouivre, but not to travel to Telluria himself. And this is going to change everything. Dealing with Thalas was frustrating but rather simple enough since he was predictable in his mediocrity. Louis was an entirely different beast, sharp, cunning, ruthless… not to mention his presence in Telluria would increase scrutiny.

Simon had better be cautious this reign.

"You have done well to tell us this information, Simon," Louis said.

"Tell me, what Class would you want?" Simon's head perked up.

"What Class?"

"Is it not why you enrolled at the academy? So you could gain a class and become your own man?" Louis asked with obvious amusement.

"You are a Magnos, and gifted with uncommon power. I do not think you should wait a full year to earn a Crestone of your own."

"Louis." Lauriane's tone had noticeably sharpened.

"Remember your promise. I do not want to involve Simon in our family's feud."

"I am not," Louis replied calmly.

"It is simply a gift to repay the debt I owe him. I do not expect him to join us in return."

"Euphemia won't see it that way. She will strike at him."

"And do you honestly think she will spare him if he stands aside?" Louis raised an eyebrow.

"I recall she and Thalas tried to have him executed once until Father put a stop to their stupidity, and our sire is no longer here to protect him. They will almost certainly make an attempt on his life once they have dealt with more pressing matters, if only to clean up loose ends." He's not wrong, Simon thought grimly. Thalas already tried to kill him once in a former reign, and only relented because Simon threatened to reveal the truth about their father's death, and because Anna intervened on his behalf.

Once the truth comes out, Belzemine will become my only shield.

"Besides," Louis said, "Weren't you going to offer him a Crestone anyway?" Simon's head snapped in Lauriane's direction, and his gaze caught the slight blush on her cheeks.

"You were?"

"To tell you the truth, I intended to give you a custom Crestone once you graduated," she admitted to Simon before glaring at Louis.

"But it was meant to be a surprise, and it is nowhere near completed."

"A custom Crestone?" Simon had to say he was rather touched. After dealing with his family's feuds for so many reigns, it was nice to be reminded that one of his siblings truly loved him.

"Like your Spellblade?"

"Indeed. We have been experimenting with creating new Vassal Classes, taking aspects from two Noble Classes rather than just one. I hope to create one tailored to your strengths."

"I do not think our brother can wait long, especially if Thalas intends to attend the academy," Louis pointed out.

"How about visiting our Crestone production facility in Magvolia? Surely you will find one that fits you." Simon considered the offer. It was… well, it was rather tempting. A custom Crestone offered many possibilities. If they could create an exp-boosting one capable of stacking with his Quick Learner Perk, then he could potentially gain more levels far quicker and thus no longer lose so much progress each time someone killed him.

What if they could create a custom Vassal Class that synergized well with Overlord and improved his overall strength? So many options could open up. However, it simply sounded far too risky. Accepting a Crestone from the War Party would incense the Church Party and likely point a target on his back, and he needed to check the archives in Telluria to recover his father's astronomical research. Magvolia would wait for another time.

"I appreciate the offer, but I do not think I have much to fear with Agnes Firewand at my side," Simon replied.

"I would rather lie low and avoid problems for now." Lauriane didn't hide her relief, and Louis his disappointment.

"Humility does not befit a scion of our house, Simon, but suit yourself," the crown-prince said.

"This offer does not come with an expiration date, should you come around."

"I will keep that in mind," Simon replied politely. Whether in this reign or the next. Louis offered Simon a ride aboard his personal airship to Telluria after their meeting, which he declined to avoid making waves. He then departed after kissing Lauriane on the cheek and profusely thanking her for her kindness, which he hoped to repay one day. Afterwards, he spent the few days prior to his departure reading Lauriane's astronomy books and came up with very little.

True to her warning, they only covered the basics, such as the number of planets, constellations, and an introduction to astrology. Simon did learn two interesting details. First of all, the books confirmed that celestial events such as planetary alignments, solstices, or comets could influence the potency of magic. In fact, the Astromancy field of sorcery was full of spells that only worked on specific dates or during certain cosmological events.

Second, the books included methods to calculate one's zodiac sign, which yielded interesting results when Simon tried to check his own. He confirmed that his birth sign was the Minotaur, but he couldn't identify the ascendant without his hour and place of birth. Shabram's file on him lacked that information, since the agents only managed to track him down once he reached the age of three.

His gut told him that particular detail was a lot more important, especially since the books theorized that some potent Astromancy spells could only be cast by or on people with specific zodiac signs. Simon had pretty strong suspicions about which sign served as his ascendant, but he would need more information to confirm it. Perhaps I should join the Church and become a priest in a future reign to access their research, Simon mused wistfully after hitting a dead end.

He only considered it as a joke until remembering that Euphemia apparently proposed that he join the Templars once. Would she have changed her mind since? In the end, Simon prepared to board the airship to Telluria for what must have been the fourth time alongside a crew of Meredith, Leonard, Lorimor, and Belzemine. While he was rather happy to meet the first two again, the sight of Belzemine's cold, dead expression tugged at his heartstrings. All the progress she had made in the past reign had been erased.

Then again, maybe Simon could avoid breaking her this time around. Belzemine's psyche shattered when he tried to emancipate her too hastily, and she reacted by overcompensating out of fear. Perhaps proceeding more gently would work better to heal her emotional scars. He was on his way to the station when he sensed Lady Shabram's telepathic contact through the Brand of Sloth.

"Your Majesty, Lord Patriate and his daughter are on their way to your location." Simon all but froze in place, to his retainers' slight confusion.

"What?"

"My agents tell me he has just booked a trip for his daughter to Telluria at the last minute. I would not have bothered you with this, since she was supposed to attend the academy this year anyway, except–""Except I told you she would stay in the capital." Simon clenched his teeth and continued to walk towards the boarding platform. What's going on here? It didn't take him long to spot them near the rampway, with the father kissing the daughter goodbye.

Simon had already met Patriate many times, but had only seen his child, Elaine, once or twice at court. She was a beautiful young lady with graceful features, deep blue eyes, and soft chestnut hair that she kept in a tress falling to the side of her head. Her blue dress bore the cuckoo and crows heraldry her father had adopted upon being raised to nobility.

"Lord Simon," Lord Patriate greeted him with what could pass for a perfectly rehearsed, affable smile.

"What a coincidence to meet you here."

"Yes, such a coincidence," Simon replied while trying to hide his skepticism. Did you time your arrival to set this up, you snake?

"Is this your daughter? I don't think we've been acquainted?"

"My name is Elaine, milord, if it pleases you," the girl replied with a courteous, ladylike bow.

"I am no lord, milady, let alone yours," Simon replied, slightly unsure how to react to this development. It seemed Louis going to Telluria had set off an unforeseen domino effect.

"I heard rumors you would not attend the academy this year."

"Nonsense, I wouldn't miss it for the world." A lie—Simon had many reigns' worth of experience to confirm it—was uttered with such practice it almost passed for the truth.

"I'm afraid many at court would slander us due to our house's baseborn origins." Appealing to my baseborn origins, are you? Simon already knew what Lord Patriate would say before he did, "Perhaps the two of you could get acquainted during the flight? It is a long way to Telluria, and my dear Elaine has been dying to meet her new classmates." Just great. Simon forced himself to smile.

"I would be pleased to enlighten her." Lord Patriate Malphas had saddled him with the last thing he wanted. A spy.