《Sidonian Vigor: Let's Destroy the World!》


 0. Back From Hell

    In the Freigat Jungle, one needed to exercise the ability to remain quiet. Noise only brought more monsters. Even with his leg having been crushed, Alisson sat still, and quiet through the pain. The sun would be setting soon.


    What was he doing here? Alisson had asked himself this question more and more of recently. Was his mission really so important? To fight and bleed here, in this place? It took him a while to realize why he asked this question. It was not for his own sake, but for the sake of his apprentice.


    She now lay over his lap, looking up at him, smiling weakly.


    ¡°I never realized how long your eyelashes were¡­¡±


    She spoke quietly, staring up at him with glazed, delirious eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk. Save your strength.¡±


    Alisson responded, and tightened his grip on her belly, as if holding her tighter would make the large gash on it go away. He could in fact feel her entrails between his fingers, but he tried not to think about it.


    ¡°Let me ask you something¡­Just one last thing, I promise¡­¡±


    Alisson looked down at her dully, his hands quivering.


    ¡°Is it bad that I want it all to end?¡± She smiled. ¡°The pain, the suffering¡­I want this to all just be over already¡­¡± Alisson opened his mouth to respond, but Celis continued, ¡°But¡­I can¡¯t¡­I don¡¯t want it to end¡­I want to keep bleeding and smiling with you. It¡¯s so¡­hard¡­to keep going¡­But I want to. I don¡¯t want to¡­Leave you alone.¡±


    She spoke through ragged breaths, her smile slowly fading and her eyes growing heavy. Alisson tightened his grip on her.


    To hell with Sidonia. To hell with the mission. He¡¯d be leaving Freigat with Celis. No matter what.


    He looked out across the jungle growth, feeling acutely the gazes of the things that watched him. They would strike soon. Alisson slowly moved his apprentice off of him, and rose slowly. He drew a white rapier, and sunk into readiness.


    ...


    The overcast sky and creaking, damp wood, would do little to fill one with joy. The Sidonian flag waved arrogantly above from the crow¡¯s nest, proudly on display, despite the Machavelli being the only Sidonian ship in the entire sea.


    They were far from their home country. The purpose of their maiden voyage was not a simple, glamourous task. It was the retrieval of a Sidonian black-ops team.


    The retrieval of my fianc¨¦¡­


    Maerene Ad Maccu thought to herself, smiling into the scarf wrapped around her neck. The team had been away from Sidonian land for the better part of a year, but Maerene hadn¡¯t seen him in almost a decade, ever since the wedding had been called off. But today was the day; after a grueling month of sailing, they had reached the island of Regfurtz, which lay in the middle of the sea of Aleeze. The rowboat was already on its way back; Maerene couldn¡¯t contain her excitement. She would be the one to greet him after his long journey. It was an honor. If she played her cards right¡­she might even be able to get back on his radar¡­


    ¡°Ay! Hoist them up!¡±


    A sailor called, and a ladder was rolled down the side of the Machavelli. As Maerene heard this, she took a deep breath to calm herself. When she next opened her eyes, with a heavy thud,


    Alisson Vi Nuam had just boarded her ship. Maerene had expected her heart to rise in joy at simply seeing his face ¨C Not just because she thought he was cute, although that was a large reason ¨C But when she looked over him, she felt no such emotion, only shock. There was nothing immediately striking her as wrong with Alisson. His yellowed hair, orange hairclip¡­well, that was all that was recognizable about him, she realized. Even his eyes were far, far different. The cloak he donned himself in was ripped and torn, splattered with dry blood. Underneath his cloak, was a layer of destroyed armor. Any plates that were still on him were adorned with horrific battle scars; wounds that should¡¯ve been enough to kill a man thrice over; loose rings of chainmail hung from under his gambeson. His gambeson had the scars of dozens of knitted-field repairs, and hundreds of knicks and cuts.


    Although Alisson himself was unharmed, his attire alone attested to how many battles he had fought. His hair was unusually long ¨C Normally, Alisson was more on the effeminate side, so this was to be expected, but months without a barber left him looking like some sort of wildman.


    Looking over Maerene, he crossed his arms, and stared into her eyes. Her heart stood still when she stared into those eyes of his, not because she was lovestruck, but because she was terrified. His eyes had once been these soft things, that could sometimes harden into sharp, regal authority, but now, all Maerene could see in his glazed over, dull eyes, was horror. Just what kind of things had he seen out there on his mission?


    His whole aura, his whole being, was completely different. He was this alien thing, not a comrade in arms of Sidonia, not Field Marshal of a renowned military unit, no¡­He had become something more primal¡­


    ¡°Milord Alisson, is this everyone? We were told there¡¯d be a ¡®team¡¯ of people¡­¡±


    A sailor tepidly confirmed. Alisson brought his heavy gaze to the man, someone who was far burlier and tough looking than the prince-like appearance of Alisson, but the motion was enough to make the sailor take a step back without thinking.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Alisson began in a regal tone, ¡°A team. That would be the two of us.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    The person Alisson was referring to was a girl that couldn¡¯t have been older than Maerene who had taken Alisson¡¯s side. The two of them were the only ones that had been retrieved from the island. The girl had apparel that told a similar story as Alisson¡¯s. They were of similar height and stature to Alisson, and shared the same gaze. She shared not his choice in weapon of a single rapier however; she bore a plethora of weapons holstered around her body: Stilettoes at her hips, baselards at her wrists, and what seemed to be an estoc, hung from her back.


    ¡°Milord Alisson, I can take the baggage off your hands¡­¡±


    The quartermaster offered, seeing that the weary warriors were carrying large packs. Alisson was reluctant for a moment, but hesitantly unhoisted his bags, and his teammate, whom Maerene didn¡¯t recognize, did the same.


    ¡°Keep it safe.¡± Alisson ordered in his usual, regal tone, but that new, primal part of him, turned his order into something more akin to a growl.


    As soon as Alisson let go of the baggage, the man stumbled, surprised by the weight, and struggled to hold it as he carried it off for safe keeping.


    Maerene swallowed. She¡¯d been so shocked by the sight of Alisson that she¡¯d delayed greeting him by an awkward margin, and hastily stepped forward after realizing this.


    ¡°A-¡­Alisson!¡± She called, approaching tepidly, ¡°Thank Sidonia you¡¯re alright¡­You look like you¡¯ve fought a war all by yourself¡­¡±


    Alisson brought his gaze to her, and it took every bit of Maerene¡¯s strength not to freeze.


    Maerene wanted to hug him, and stepped tepidly closer to him, but felt as though an aura of gelatin slowed her movements when she was under the gaze of Alisson and his mysterious teammate. Especially did this teammate of his pierce Maerene with her mere gaze alone, like she was expecting Maerene to just suddenly attack Alisson.


    ¡°I apologize in advance for our manners and etiquette¡­¡± Alisson said, averting his eyes. ¡°We may have forgotten much of normal life¡­¡±


    He gave his teammate a quick glance with his eyes, and she peered back toward him. In a brief moment, their eyes interlocked, and several emotions seemed to play out across their faces in rapid succession, like they were having a conversation.


    ¡°¡­I guess we should just be glad we even made it at all.¡±


    The teammate finally spoke, as if in response to Alisson¡¯s look. Her voice was soft, and scrappy. It had the tone of a noble that had been beaten down into the dirt, and had lost much of its regal politeness, whereas Alisson¡¯s voice still retained some semblance of dignity and pride.


    ¡°I imagine it¡¯s quite overwhelming, all the fratello around.¡± Maerene muttered off-hand, getting the feeling that the two of them were put off by the surrounding sailors, gawking at the new arrivals. ¡°We can talk further in my quarters, walk with me.¡±


    Alisson, along with his teammate, followed Maerene to the captain¡¯s quarters of the Machavelli. Maerene made some tea for the two ¨C A luxury for a ship at sea ¨C But it was from her personal collection. Certainly, it was wrong for the captain of a ship to be the one serving tea on her own ship, but Maerene reasoned that she didn¡¯t want to bother the two of them with any more hassle than necessary. They seemed quite on edge with all the comrades about. That wasn¡¯t like Alisson at all. He was usually the one to be so filled with comradery and pride for his allies, inspiring all who were graced with his presence.


    Now sitting at a table in her quarters, Maerene asked after a sip of tea, with a suddenly serious expression, ¡°Firstly, is there anything prevalent that concerns my ship or my sailors that you can tell me?¡±


    Alisson bobbed his head. ¡°Whilst on the mainland, we heard whispers of an Irinian blockade being set up in this part of the sea. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ve ran into such vessels?¡±


    Maerene smirked. ¡°We have. A galley a few days ago tried to stop and search us, but by the time they saw the flag we flew, it was already too late for them.¡±


    Alisson smiled. ¡°I see. That¡¯s good to hear. I imagine you¡¯ll be getting more company. But that¡¯s all I have for you.¡± Alisson¡¯s expression soured. ¡°The things we learned in the north¡­The things we did in the north¡­It¡¯s better if fewer people knew about them¡­¡± Alisson¡¯s voice trailed, but he looked up suddenly into Maerene¡¯s eyes. ¡°However, we must report our findings to Lady Sidonia at once.¡±


    Maerene gave him a raised eyebrow. ¡°Which are?¡±


    Alisson frowned, and suddenly his stare became a glare as he pierced her body with his eyes alone, suddenly making her feel like prey again. Her body froze once more.


    ¡°It¡¯s confidential. I can¡¯t risk telling anything to anybody. All you need to know is that it¡¯s extremely important. Perhaps the most important information that can be said to the Lady.¡±


    Maerene would have a hard time believing that were it any other circumstance. But being frozen stiff like a mouse before a lion, she could only believe him.


    ¡°There is something I need to tell you¡­¡± Maerene mumbled, suddenly feeling unsafe. Alisson merely piqued an eyebrow, and she continued, ¡°Sidonia¡­she told us that you wouldn¡¯t be here¡­¡± Alisson¡¯s eyes gradually widened. ¡°She gave us new orders to head to the Kitsune Queendom and aid them with a diplomatic attach¨¦ but¡­I wanted to be sure. I didn¡¯t want to leave you here. I couldn¡¯t bear to just turn my back on the potential of you being here I¡­¡±


    Maerene realized she was ranting about her feelings, and she shut up. She looked to Alisson.


    His face made Maerene¡¯s throat clamp tight. She felt scared to move in that instant.


    He had a deep frown of pure scorn. His eyes glared with a burning glint, filled with killing intent.


    ¡°A-¡­¡± Maerene tried to ask what was wrong, but could only manage a single syllable under the intense pressure of being before him and his glare.


    Alisson stood and turned away from Maerene. He took a few audible deep breaths, recentering himself. He looked to his teammate, and they stared at one another for a long minute. Finally, Alisson nodded, seemingly having regained control of himself.


    ¡°Maerene.¡±


    Her head snapped up to attention like the will of a supreme being was requesting her entire soul to focus on them.


    ¡°Take us back to Sidonia. Take us back to the homeland.¡±


    ¡°B-but Sidonia¡¯s orders¡­¡±


    ¡°Rear Admiral Maerene Ad Maccu.¡± Alisson said simply with pure authority. ¡°As a Field Marshal and as captain of the 51<sup>st</sup>, as the third best swordsmen in all of Sidonia, and as myself, Alisson Vi Nuam¡­I order you to take us back to the homeland. I will not take no for an answer. My orders of this moment supersede Sidonia¡¯s. Do you understand?¡±


    He shot a gaze that bored through Maerene¡¯s soul, her very essence and being was in fact being eroded away into nothing as she continued to be on the receiving end of the most terrifying eyes she had ever known in her life. Sweat on her forehead, Maerene swallowed a knot in her throat.


    Even though, not once in her life had she ever heard of someone¡¯s orders superseding Sidonia¡¯s, the highest power in all the land, she easily bent to Alisson¡¯s will.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­M-my lord¡­As you¡¯ve commanded¡­¡±


    Maerene subconsciously made two mistakes. For one, Alisson wasn¡¯t a lord. He was heir to the Nuam house, but not the lord of it. Secondly, she didn¡¯t even attach ¡®Nuam¡¯ to his lordship, implying he was a lord over everything, like a king, like Sidonia.


    Alisson closed his eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you Maerene¡­You¡¯ve always been on my side, ever since we were children. I won¡¯t forget your loyalty.¡±


    In the span of a few seconds, Alisson¡¯s murderous, terrifying glare was replaced with one of warmth. She was suddenly his. Suddenly under his wing, suddenly under his protection. The aura that had so scared her, now surrounded her, protected her from the outside. She felt goosebumps roll down her back, and she found herself blushing.


    ¡­


    So, we were right, Celis. Sidonia has betrayed us.


    ***

 1. Misfits

    Movement 0: House Cleaning


    There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead.


    <hr>


    ¡°Slowpoke!¡±


    Marenix¡¯s training partner stuck her tongue out at him, as he lay in the sand, his rear aching.


    I¡¯m not cut out for this¡­


    Marenix thought to himself, panting in exhaustion.


    ¡°C¡¯mon Mare! Get up! If you can¡¯t beat me, who knows if they¡¯ll let you graduate! You¡¯re a terrible fighter! Terrible!¡±


    The girl sneered at him with her devious red eyes. Marenix didn¡¯t move, savoring the brief respite he had having been knocked down. He brought his eyes slowly to the girl, and said between breaths, ¡°Can¡¯t you go¡­a little easy on me¡­for once?¡±


    ¡°Blegh!¡± The girl stuck her tongue out at him again, and crossed her arms. ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re the best fighter in the school¡­¡±


    ¡°Too bad!¡±


    Marenix slumped his head back, sighing. What did he do to deserve this treatment? Ever since his eldest brother became the best swordsmen in Sidonia, the pressure on him had been increased by at least two orders of magnitude. It was ludicrous. He just wanted to go into the sciences, like his other elder brother, but now the Arquis household was expecting him to be just as amazing as Ardinand Li Arquis.


    He wasn¡¯t Ardinand Li Arquis. He was Marenix Li Arquis, and he was currently on his ass, panting in exhaustion and defeat. He certainly didn¡¯t appreciate being berated by his brat of a training partner, Ashlynde. She finally extended him a hand, and he cautiously took it, wary to be played for a fool in any number of ways, but she didn¡¯t try anything.


    Marenix fixed his dirtied collar and remarked, ¡°I¡¯ll be graduating just fine, thank you very much ¨C You¡¯re the one who should be worrying¡­Your grades in academia are terr-¡±


    Ashlynde threw a punch at him, but he barely stumbled out of the way, clutching his heart.


    ¡°I know! Stop reminding me!¡± She pouted. Her eyes suddenly flared with glee and she stared off somewhere behind Marenix. ¡°Look! It¡¯s the 51<sup>st</sup>!¡±


    She pointed, and shoved past Marenix in the next moment. Marenix rolled his eyes and hastened to keep pace with Ashlynde. Before them, a pair of tall fighters had entered the sandy proving grounds. They were far taller than the students around them, including Ashlynde. They ignored the stares of those around them, and began sparring.


    Ashlynde watched on, her eyes sparkling. Marenix wasn¡¯t fond of battle, but even he found himself entranced by their motions. They seemed more akin to a pair of blurs that raced around each other in a dance than two soldiers sparing. On their shoulders, the insignia of the 51<sup>st</sup> gleamed.


    ¡°Elite units¡­That¡¯s where I want to go.¡±


    Marenix heard Ashlynde say, and looked over to find her beaming, her eyes filled with childish awe. He didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her that the elites of Sidonia¡¯s fighting force probably didn¡¯t share her awful academic regime when they were in the academy.


    He instead shrugged and remarked. ¡°Who knows where we¡¯ll end up¡­At this rate with all the manpower shortages¡­Every sector of Sidonia needs more people¡­¡±


    With the war going on the way it was, with two massive fronts and the majority of humanity focusing their ire on Sidonia¡­Everything nowadays was a scramble. The age limits had been lowered again, past an already controversially young age. It used to be that Nekomata were one-hundred when they were considered grown and ready to be met with responsibility. That age was now twenty. It was like having the rug pulled out from under you. Projections for the future had always been hopeful, but things have only steadily gotten worse.


    Marenix thought he¡¯d have so much more time¡­But soon, he would be getting an early graduation, and assigned a master to be an apprentice for. The same went for Ashlynde.


    He looked over her with pity. Sure, she was a good fighter but¡­Her body was still not fully developed¡­She¡¯d be overpowered by any opponent¡­with the possible exception of himself. Marenix didn¡¯t even grow any facial hair, and soon Sidonia expected him to take lives in defense of the homeland¡­


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get some shade and some water¡­¡±


    Marenix started to turn away, but Ashlynde wasn¡¯t budging. Instead, she ran off closer to the 51<sup>st</sup>, who had paused in their sparring, and were taking a breather.


    ¡°Do you know when Alisson Vi Nuam will be back?¡±


    She asked. The two 51<sup>st </sup>both looked at each other, and broke into smirks at naivety of Ashlynde.


    ¡°Sorry girl, ole¡¯ Alis already has an apprentice. Got one half a year back.¡±


    Ashlynde shook her head angrily. ¡°No no no! I¡¯m not wanting to be his apprentice ¨C Not that I wouldn¡¯t want to but ¨C You guys can¡¯t get any new members or apprentices unless the captain is in town, right?¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The 51<sup>st</sup> chuckled with understanding.


    ¡°Sorry again, but he¡¯s off on a top secret mission¡­Even we don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°Grr-! Everyone tells me that!¡±


    Ashlynde stomped her foot and growled in annoyance.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s true. Listen kid, take my advice, don¡¯t get yourself caught up in places you¡¯ll regret being in...¡±


    The 51<sup>st</sup> cut himself off and raised a hand to his ear. He averted his eyes, and his countenance suddenly turned serious. Meanwhile the bystanders who had been gawking at the 51<sup>st</sup>, now were gawking at Ashlynde¡¯s brazen questions and attitude to them. Marenix had long gotten used to her antics, but addressing elite units without so much as a sliver of respect or courteousness was unheard of. It would come back to bite her eventually, Marenix had always told her, but of course she never listened.


    The 51<sup>st</sup> looked to his partner, ¡°We need to go.¡±


    The two of them sat up, and quickly began to leave. Ashlynde jumped around in front of them,


    ¡°What is it!? What¡¯s going on! Don¡¯t just leave without telling me anything!¡±


    One 51<sup>st</sup> looked back at her and muttered offhandedly, ¡°Providence might just bless you¡­¡±


    Ashlynde¡¯s demanding and jumping around them ceased when she heard that, and they left without much fuss after that. She stood dead still, and Marenix tepidly approached, about to touch her shoulder. ¡°¡­Lyn?¡±


    She suddenly turned around with sparkles in her eyes. ¡°Alisson is returning!¡±


    Marenix squinted at her, but she continued, ¡°Think about it! Why else would they say that! Why else would they leave like that so suddenly! It¡¯s about time he gets back to Sidonia anyway! Everyone¡¯s been asking where he¡¯s be-!¡±


    Marenix put his hand over her mouth quickly. ¡°Quiet! You keep on talking about confidential stuff out loud and inquisitors are going to knock down our door at night!¡±


    Ashlynde pushed away Marenix and took a breath, and spoke in a quieter tone, ¡°Seriously, that¡¯s what I think.¡±


    Marenix shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re delusionally hopeful as usual¡­¡±


    Marenix¡¯s eyes drifted past Ashlynde. There was a girl older than both of them, who was standing dead still, staring at Ashlynde. Marenix suddenly had a bad feeling.


    ¡°Maybe drop the delusional part please?¡± Ashlynde rubbed the back of her head bashfully. ¡°All I¡¯m saying is¡­I¡¯d want to get assigned to a good unit¡­and not frontline duty. Those 51<sup>st</sup> guys are so cool-!¡±


    Marenix barely paid attention to Ashlynde, and turned away, putting a hand to his chin for show, whilst looking at that girl out of the corner of his vision. ¡°The 51<sup>st</sup> are said to have the highest survival rate¡­It¡¯d be a pretty safe assignment.¡± He replied absentmindedly.


    She had black hair, and dark eyes.  She started toward the two of them suddenly, and Marenix¡¯s heart started to beat rapidly.


    Ashlynde continued talking, oblivious, ¡°Blegh¡­screw a safe, cushy spot, I want action! You can just go mix tonics or something behind me.¡±


    Marenix¡¯s eye twitched. He pushed past Ashlynde and raised his arm in front of her, and called out to the mysterious girl who was pacing closer, ¡°Hey! What¡¯s your problem? Who are you?¡±


    As Ashlynde turned to face Marenix¡¯s direction, the girl stopped, and began walking away. Marenix stood staring with a scowl on his face when he was lightly punched by Ashlynde.


    ¡°Mare, you¡¯re crazy.¡± She pushed away his arm. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re inventing ways for you to be a big strong man and protect me or something, I can handle myself y¡¯know~!¡±


    Marenix exhaled and turned to Ashlynde. He muttered under his breath. ¡°That girl with the black hair¡­She was giving you a bad look¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t like it.¡±


    Ashlynde tilted her head with a mocking smile, about to open her mouth when ¨C


    ¡°You. You said Alisson Vi Nuam would be returning soon?¡±


    That girl was suddenly a foot away from the both of them, right in Marenix¡¯s and Ashlynde¡¯s faces. This made apparent that she was a head taller than the both of them, and was obviously older. She wore not a training uniform like them either. She was a mature apprentice, most likely.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Ashlynde stammered in surprise and backed away a little with Marenix. ¡°I don¡¯t know nothing! That¡¯s why I was asking those 51<sup>st</sup> guys!¡±


    ¡°Then what did they say?¡± She replied immediately, her voice monotone.


    Ashlynde shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not saying a peep! I don¡¯t even know who you are!¡±


    Marenix tugged on Ashlynde¡¯s uniform. ¡°Come on Lyn¡­We should go¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t like this girl. There was something wrong about her. The black-haired girl suddenly sighed loudly in their faces. ¡°I¡¯m only asking because an old friend of mine is Alisson¡¯s apprentice, and where he goes, his apprentice has to be following.¡±


    ¡°Oh oh!¡± Ashlynde nodded with understanding. ¡°Well they said that-!¡±


    Marenix put a hand over her mouth and made her mumble into her hand for the second time. Ashlynde was too gullible an idiot to be left alone, truly.


    Marenix was about to open his mouth when a new presence filled the air around them. Large gauntleted hands were placed on both his head and that of the girl¡¯s.


    ¡°What are you kids talking about?¡±


    To their sides was a tall, masculine man. Marenix recognized him immediately from the insignia he wore, and his general age and maturity. ¡°D-Daventdale Se Sabathi¡­You¡¯re the vice-captain of the 51<sup>st</sup>, Alisson¡¯s right-hand man¡­¡±


    Marenix gulped, immediately scared that he¡¯d be reprimanded for making a scene about something confidential.


    ¡°Right you are. So, anything interesting going on?¡±


    ¡°N-no sir¡­¡± Marenix stammered.


    ¡°Sorry sir. I was just leaving.¡± The black-haired girl bobbed her head and glanced at Marenix, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for wasting your time.¡±


    With that she turned and left.


    As Ashlynde was struggling and trying to free herself of Marenix, Daventdale looked to him, ¡°If there¡¯s anything wrong, you be sure to tell someone. You understand? You¡¯re still kids, you don¡¯t need to solve everything on your own.¡±


    Daventdale smiled gently.


    Marenix averted his eyes, mumbling, ¡°We¡¯re both graduating soon. We ought to be able to.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Daventdale took his hand off of Marenix, and stepped back. ¡°You¡¯ll get yourself killed thinking like that. Anyways, ciao.¡±  With that the large 51<sup>st</sup> strode away.


    Marenix hadn¡¯t even noticed his presence. He had probably been watching the other two before. Ashlynde finally freed herself of Marenix and gasped for air.


    ¡°What¡¯re you trying to kill me!?¡±


    Marenix shook his head. ¡°No, I was saving you, idiot¡­You shouldn¡¯t be talking about military secrets, especially if someone wants to know and is so forward like that¡­It¡¯s suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Ashlynde shook her head. ¡°Being forward is a sure sign of innocence, since they have nothing to hide.¡± She crossed her arms and nodded to herself.


    Marenix sighed. ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re a sucker¡­¡±


    That girl changed her approach to coax out information from Ashlynde. If she had stayed the same, deadpan persona, it would¡¯ve been less suspicious. But someone like that¡­someone who changes their tone to manipulate others¡­


    ¡°Blegh!¡± Ashlynde stuck out her tongue at Marenix again.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get out of here. We¡¯re going to be graduate soon¡­No use getting into any trouble before then¡­¡±


    As they left the proving grounds, Marenix couldn¡¯t shake the well of pressure in his stomach that something very bad had happened. But when he looked at Ashlynde¡¯s smiling, carefree countenance, he wondered if he was just overreacting, like he normally did.


    Still¡­Alisson is returning huh? I¡¯m sure there will be a parade or something¡­


    ***

 2. Great Return

    ¡°This is really happening¡­right Alisson?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re going home.¡±


    Alisson reassured his apprentice, gently caressing her head as she sat between his legs. They were in the bunkroom reserved for the higher ranking aboard the ship. It was cramped, damp, and they could hear the ship creaking. A storm had picked up recently, and rain poured onto the deck, as such, there was no point being out in the open air. The two were alone under the covers there, safe from the chilly rain outside.


    ¡°Do you think any of it will ever matter¡­What we did? Who we met?¡±


    Celis asked him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But we were there together¡­We¡¯ll always be able to take solace in each other, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re the only ones who know what we saw.¡± Alisson said this while he kept on rubbing her head absentmindedly. ¡°When we get back to the homeland¡­You won¡¯t be able to tell anyone about anything. Nothing about who we¡¯ve met, what we did, what we found out¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Celis bobbed her head. She gave Alisson¡¯s hand a squeeze. ¡°It¡¯s us against the world.¡±


    The rain poured down in droves against the deck, making it hard to hear their soft conversation.


    ¡°For now, anyway.¡± Alisson concurred. ¡°We don¡¯t know who we¡¯ll be able to trust for a long time. We won¡¯t even be able to speak openly about anything while we¡¯re in Sidonia, lest her ears hear us. Are you sure you¡¯ll be able to keep a mask on that long?¡±


    Celis smiled gently, ¡°I¡¯ve learned from the best on how to do that¡­I¡¯ll be fine, Alisson¡­¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t be able to speak openly about even confiding in each other, at least around other Nekomata; we should be able to speak around other humans just fine though, like my servants¡­What about your friends, your old team for instance¡­Will you be able to keep your mouth shut?¡±


    Celis blew a bursts of air through her nose. ¡°More like my only friends¡­Oda and Ukari. They¡¯re probably prancing around with their masters¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll be able to look them in the eyes again?¡±


    Celis was silent for a while. ¡°I can¡¯t say I''ve changed all that much¡­They¡¯ve probably gotten stronger and more mature all the same¡­¡±


    Alisson wondered how true that was. As of this moment, Celis was near Alisson¡¯s level of fighting prowess. She had survived countless life or death battles with him, and had inherited a great deal of his veteran mindset. Alisson was the third best in all of Sidonia. The entirety of Sidonia. That meant that Celis was¡­He glanced down at her. Much, much stronger than her fellow apprentices. He pat her head once more, and she nuzzled him back.


    No other Nekomata at her age should have their Opensen¡¯s unlocked either; The ability to manifest those parts which denoted a Nekomata as a Nekomata, the feline ears and the twin tails, that was. Without them, the only difference from a human was a longer life span. That¡¯s why the girl in his grasp, despite being more than a hundred years younger, didn¡¯t actually look that much younger.


    They sat there for a while longer, content that their entire trip back to Sidonia would be a boring one. However that thought changed when claxons suddenly blared. A red light flicked on in the bunkroom, and through the ship¡¯s horn, they heard Maerene¡¯s voice:


    ¡°All hands to general quarters. We will be searched shortly by three Irinian vessels. Enact action plan three.¡±


    Celis and him looked at each other, and quickly slipped out of the warm cot and threw on clothes for the weather, and dashed topside to Maerene.


    ¡­


    They found Maerene on the deck by the helmsmen. When she spotted the two of them, she was quick to say that their help wouldn¡¯t be necessary.


    ¡°Are you sure¡­? Me and my apprentice would easily be able to board those vessels and¡­¡±


    Maerene smirked. ¡°Just sit back and let me show you the power of my ship, Alisson.¡±


    Alisson looked off into the distance, and past the pouring rain and rolling waves, were indeed three ships. It was hard to tell, but atop their masts were lavenders flags, the colors of the Irine Principality. Alisson glanced up the Machavelli¡¯s mast, to see that they had lowered the Sidonian flag that had so arrogantly flew when the ship had retrieved him, and they now simply flew a black flag.


    As the formation of Irinian ships closed in on them, they started to call with loudspeaking spells across the distance to halt and submit for a mandatory search. Maerene gave the acknowledgement signal, and Machavelli slowed to a crawl. Two ships came up on either side of the Machavelli, and another took up position ahead the bow. In doing so, they made apparent that the Machavelli was more than twice the size of the other vessels. Perhaps the Irinians felt emboldened by this in what they saw was either a merchant vessel or a very stupid pirate crew.


    Alisson stood tepidly by Maerene, squinting at her, wondering what exactly her plan was. The rain poured in droves onto the deck, were it not for the scuppers, there would very well be a pool of rainwater now.


    From the Irinian vessels, Alisson could see search parties preparing to board. They had armed marines and were fully prepared for a brawl it seemed.


    ¡°Lower your railings, we are boarding now!¡±


    One of the Irinian officers called from across the way.


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± Maerene muttered with a smile.


    She rose her hand up. The Irinians who had eyes on her through all the rain and bobbing of the ships only had a split second to discern that she raised her hand with the signal to fire.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    She shouted and brought her hand down. Alisson heard the creak of wood, and although he didn¡¯t see them, small ports across the sides of the Machavelli opened.


    Alisson was stunned in the next moment. The sides of Machavelli seemed to light ablaze and explosions rumbled. It was a quick crescendo of a few dozen blasts. The ships to port and starboard were decimated, their own sides were now but mangled wood. The structural integrity of the ships were so badly damaged that the deck of one of them started to cave in on itself.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    It was clear that these ships had not been built with taking this type of punishment in mind. These were ships built for boarding¡­That was supposed to be the only form of combat on the seas; that and magic bombardment ¨C But their firepower was so strong and esoteric that to try to build countermeasures wasn¡¯t worth it. But this, this was something different.


    The Irinian ships reacted, and their own mages started to prepare spells, which Alisson could make out as a glowing lights on their ships as they began to try to break off and drift away. The ship ahead the Machavelli tried to do the same, though to greater speed, having been undamaged.


    Maerene only grinned. ¡°Although we have our own combat capability with mages, I thought to test our new weapons¡­¡± She calmly explained to Alisson. ¡°Fire the bombard when ready.¡± She looked to the helmsmen, ¡°Remember, keep the bow pointed at the enemy, as much as you can.¡±


    She seemed to be treating this not as a dire battle but as training for the crew. She looked up and barked loudly, ¡°Shields up! All hands brace!¡±


    All across the Machavelli, marine mages threw up protective spells, and the crew braced for the Irinian magic barrage. It took a few seconds, but when it came, it came sporadically and disorganized. Even by naval mage standards, their fire was uncoordinated and far too weak to break through any sort of protection spells. It seemed that the initial attack of the Machavelli, whatever it was, shocked the other crews. Celis was clutching his side, unused to naval combat. Spells splashed across iridescent films not mere meters away from them ¨C It felt as though they were in great danger, and Alisson¡¯s instincts screamed at him to duck and cover, but he trusted Maerene¡¯s calm demeanor.


    ¡°The bombard is ready, Captain.¡±


    Maerene nodded. ¡°Alright, this our first time using it against a moving target. Tell the gunnery officer to fire when he sees fit.¡±


    For another few seconds, Alisson watched as the only undamaged Irinian ship attempted to speed away from the Machavelli, firing sparse spells back at it here and there. Its plan was probably to get some distance before ramming them for a boarding action.


    All the while the Machavelli kept its bow eerily pointed at that ship. For a brief moment, the waves threw the two ships on the same plane, and the bow-mounted cannon fired.


    This, Alisson was more used to. It was a magic cannon, evident from the large colored beam it left in the projectile¡¯s wake. The other cannons on the sides had no such wake, only explosions. However, the frontal cannon was not purely magic, Alisson caught a glimpse of a large conical projectile ¨C Such a thing was certainly odd, typically magic cannons were just that ¨C pure magic. To mount one on a ship was foolish, for they were far too heavy and bulky¡­But it seemed Sidonia had managed to do it.


    Alisson furrowed his brow; This ship just became weirder the longer this battle dragged on for.


    The shell impacted on the frontal Irinian vessel with such force that Alisson could hear the ship¡¯s keel snap. And snap it did, in two. There had been in fact magic shielding that the mages on that ship had thrown up, but it was little more than putting paper in front of a fist.


    The frontal Irinian ship had been completely destroyed, nailed from stern to bow. Eventually, whatever resistance the paralyzed side vessels were giving was ended when the Machavelli launched another broadside at each of the ships, briefly lowering its shields before ending the battle, just like that. All three ships sank within the next few minutes.


    Maerene nodded, apparently content, and turned to Alisson. ¡°As you can see, the Lady has cooked up a grand vessel. It¡¯s the pinnacle of ship building, probably anywhere in the world. Not even Andestine possess any one ship to defeat us.¡±


    Alisson bobbed his head in agreement, looking over the quickly sinking Irinian ships, and the surviving sailors that were going to die a slow death at sea.


    ¡­


    The rest of the journey was uneventful. They made it to one of the only ports that would receive them within the Aleeze Sea: The Harpy capital. It had a name, but Alisson didn¡¯t bother to remember. The harpies were a small, insignificant sub-human city-state above Sidonia. Being between three nations, the Caliphate, Principality, and Sidonia itself, Alisson didn¡¯t think the harpies were going to be around for much longer. They were not cooperative with Sidonia. This fact meant that they were all alone against the two human superpowers on the continent. Despite being unwilling to enter Sidonia as a puppet state, Sidonia was still able to strong arm them into being allowed access to the sea.


    As Alisson stepped off the Machavelli, he was greeted with the sight of taller-than-life trees stretching into the sky. In the distance harpies could be seen flying here and there, in residences both high and low. To greet him on the docks were an entourage of 51<sup>st</sup>. Daventdale, his vice-captain, and a couple others. Alisson broke into a smile and hugged the man when they approached.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, captain. Safe and sound?¡±


    ¡°Safe.¡± Alisson nodded. ¡°Safe.¡±


    ¡°Well Alisson, this is where we part ways.¡± Maerene, who had followed Alisson and Celis off the ship, curtsied. ¡°We¡¯ll see each other again in Sidonia eventually, like old times.¡± She said with a small smile, before stepping forward and grabbing hold of Alisson¡¯s hand.


    Alisson was so unaccustomed to civilized life that he almost thought Maerene intended to attack him, and he warily watched her as she brought her lips to his hand. She kissed his hand. Alisson blushed red, but didn¡¯t say or do anything in response. Maerene smiled at him, and quickly turned and boarded her ship.


    Seeing as though Alisson had blatantly strong-armed the existing orders of the Machavelli and her crew, Maerene would remain in port with the harpies until further notice. As they stepped away from the docks, he caught Celis glaring at the Machavelli for some reason, until he noticed that she was staring at Maerene directly, with a sour expression. Alisson realized that she was probably jealous; He hadn¡¯t told Celis that Maerene had been his fianc¨¦e, long in the past.


    ¡°So, any stories you can share with us?¡±


    Daventdale as usual started small talk with Alisson to try to ease his nerves after a mission.


    ¡°Nothing I can¡¯t share without-¡±


    Without Sidonia¡¯s permission.


    Alisson blinked momentarily. He sighed.


    ¡°¡­Yes actually. We ran into just about every creature and power that would seek to harm us¡­Andestine, all manner of beasts, bandits¡­¡±


    ¡°Andestine were way up in the north? Chasing you?¡±


    Alisson bobbed his head. ¡°Our mission was of critical importance¡­So much so that they sent a battalion of knights just to deal with us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re popular as usual.¡± Daventdale smiled. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you managed give them the slip?¡±


    Alisson¡¯s face hardened. ¡°No. We fought them.¡± He looked into the sky, past all the giant trees around them. ¡°We killed them.¡±


    For a moment the 51<sup>st</sup> around them murmured in awe.


    ¡°Looks like the Captain still got it¡­¡±


    ¡°An entire battalion? It must not have been a pitched battle¡­¡±


    His 51<sup>st</sup> murmured around him while they walked. It had been a pitched battle.


    ¡°You alright, Alisson?¡± Noticing his expression, Daventdale asked him.


    Alisson blinked a couple of times. ¡°Yes¡­It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    He looked to the insignia¡¯s his comrades bared on their shoulders and cloaks. Insignias of Sidonia. Of the 51<sup>st</sup>. How little those patches meant. That a man would kill you depending on which color and pattern of thread you had on your clothes. It was despicable.


    ¡°Daventdale. Why did you come here with such a large escort?¡±


    Daventdale shot a glance at him. Daventdale had fought by Alisson¡¯s side for years; He knew Alisson could handle himself. Clearly, the large escort was somehow warranted.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not as safe in Sidonia as it was when you left, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Heretics?¡±


    Daventdale nodded. Alisson looked down into the ground. Alisson, being both a prominent noble and a powerful fighter, was a frequent target of assassination. Alisson smiled to himself. ¡°I¡¯m thankful the enemy is straightforward at least.¡±


    Daventdale shook his head. ¡°Captain, you know better¡­They¡¯ll plant bombs under your carriage, poison your meals, bribe your servants, try to stab you in broad daylight¡­they¡¯ve even tried turning apprentices against their masters¡­¡± Daventdale briefly glanced to Celis worriedly. ¡°They¡¯ll try any sort of underhanded tactic to get you¡­I don¡¯t think that¡¯s very straightforward.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not their methods yes¡­¡± Alisson conceded. ¡°But the enemy themselves¡­They¡¯re simple and you can grasp them with your hand and mind.¡±


    They weren¡¯t tall shadowy figures that watched you from kilometers away. They weren¡¯t flesh-eating beasts that wore your friends¡¯ skins. They weren¡¯t a shifting land that ate people in fog. They weren¡¯t cultists whom under robes were but bug and hatred. They were just Nekomata. Like him.


    ***

 3. Rat Bite

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it!¡± Ashlynde slumped over Marenix, groaning, ¡°I¡¯ll be shoveling shit for the rest of my life!¡±


    She whined.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the worst outcome¡­at least you¡¯re in a safe place, right?¡± Marenix tried to reassure her.


    The graduation had taken place. Their assignments had been chosen. Marenix was to serve in the research division, under his elder brother Lente. It was the expected outcome. Ashlynde however¡­


    ¡°Civil duty¡­Hhhhhh¡­¡±


    To try to ease her pain, Marenix had recommended they pay a visit to a caf¨¦, as was their usual custom. They were sitting at low tables on mats, on the tables were silver containers with spouts that contained that veritable liquid, spiced in in the way that Sidonia was known for. Other Nekomata and some human Sidonians were sitting around tables chatting as well; the caf¨¦ was meant for those of Ashlynde and his ilk, that was, apprentices and those on the lower rungs of the social hierarchy.


    Whilst Ashlynde took tepid sips and averted her eyes in disappointment, Marenix could hear clearly the grumblings of the other patrons¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s just no way¡­These quotas are crazy¡­We might not be Nekomata but we¡¯re still Sidonians, sure, but that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re all miracle workers!¡±


    ¡°Shush! You keep talking like that and the Inquisition will revoke your honorary Sidonian status¡­¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t do that to us¡­Our families have both been integrated for generations! It¡¯s all the new labor that¡¯s been flooding into our borders that they should be going after¡­Who knows how many of them are spies and saboteurs¡­That¡¯s why everyone seems so scared of Inquisitors now a days, they¡¯re probably working overtime.¡±


    The mood was gloomy but cautiously optimistic that things would be better. Maybe Marenix shouldn¡¯t have taken Ashlynde here if it was only going to sour her mood¡­Marenix looked to her with melancholy. This may be the last time they can spend a day together like this, and see each other face to face. Marenix reached out to touch Ashlynde¡¯s head without thinking.


    ¡°Wow! Is that Alisson Vi Nuam¡¯s carriage?¡± Ashlynde suddenly jumped up, pointing out a window.


    ¡°W-what?¡±


    Mare stared at the procession through the windows to their side, squinting. He didn¡¯t have the time to form any thoughts or words.


    The middle carriage detonated, the glass before him shattered and his vision turned white.


    ¡­


    ¡°An attack?¡±


    Alisson mused. A horseman had ridden up beside their carriage and had reported in.


    ¡°Yes, they seemed to have taken the secondary bait procession. There¡¯s still no guarantee they haven¡¯t also caught wind of your real route though¡­My lord, you need to stay low and keep your head down¡­¡±


    The guard warned. Alisson looked to Celis. This was certainly different. Everyone¡¯s attitudes were far laxer than they should¡¯ve been. They exhibited less shock and more annoyance than anything. Just how much had heresy spread throughout the Capital? That an attack would be expected and two feints be placed?


    ¡°If this happened a year ago, the city would be on lockdown until the perpetrators found¡­¡±


    Alisson remarked.


    ¡°Times have changed, and certain people seem to really want you dead, captain.¡± Daventdale replied. ¡°Take us the tertiary route, just to be safe.¡± He called to the driver.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°No.¡± Alisson shook his head. ¡°Let me see the damage. Take us to the bait location.¡±


    ¡°But captain-¡±


    ¡°There is no bait more tantalizing than the real thing, no?¡± Alisson smiled.


    His smile faded and he sighed. ¡°You leave home for a few days and look what a mess it becomes¡­¡±


    Per Alisson¡¯s orders, they arrived at the road where the attack had taken place. Apparently a bomb had been placed in the road, and the middle carriage was destroyed. However, the carriage had been empty, and other than some minor damage to the city, no lives were lost. 51<sup>st</sup> and garrison guards flocked the area, looking for any trace of the heretics whom attacked. Alisson stepped out of the carriage and surveyed the area alongside Celis.


    There had been two bait processions, one that was publicly announced and very large, and one that had only been whispered amongst the garrison, but was still marked with emblems of Nuam. The real procession was unmarked and a single carriage. It seemed the inquisitors wished to use Alisson¡¯s return as a chance to attack the heretics. However, there wasn¡¯t a trace of anyone suspicious; even with guards crowding the rooftops and roads, watching everything.


    A caf¨¦ had been caught in the blast; laid outside of it were a few who had been injured, among them a couple of apprentice-aged kids. Alisson knelt before them, frowning. They both seemed unconscious, and feverish. They had already been healed by garrison medics; however as healing spells were wont to do, the effects of the damage still lingered as phantom pain, their bodies believing they were still injured.


    Another of Rickard¡¯s wrongful ideals of how to go about things¡­


    He used the telepathy spell on instinct so that only Celis could hear, and she nodded. He wasn¡¯t sure anymore whether telepathy actually guaranteed a secure communication route, but it was better than speaking out in the open, at least hopefully.


    Do you think they know about what happened to him, to Rickard?


    Celis asked, and Alisson shook his head.


    I doubt news of his death has reached so far south so quickly. Their information network is good, but it¡¯s not unreasonable¡­


    As Celis and him were discussing, a shy looking girl approached the two of them. She was dressed in black, with similar dark eyes and hair. She was older than the two apprentices, but not by much.


    ¡°Celis, is that you?¡±


    She asked tepidly, and Celis eyed her for a moment, squinting.


    ¡°Oda?¡± Celis tilted her head. ¡°What are you doing here? It¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    Oda averted her eyes. ¡°When I heard Alisson was returning from a dangerous mission¡­I was scared his apprentice hadn¡¯t made it.¡± She looked to Celis and smiled gingerly. ¡°But it looks like my fears are unfounded. You¡¯re as tough as I remember¡­There is something I wanted to talk to you about actually, in private¡­¡±


    Oda glanced at Alisson. Alisson shot a sharp glare at her and Celis, and bobbed his head in approval.


    Oda whisked Celis off into a secluded part of the road and spoke in a quieter voice, ¡°Ukuri hasn¡¯t been doing too well, she¡¯s bedridden right now¡­¡±


    Celis found herself not caring as much as she thought she would, but Oda continued. ¡°The apprentices of our graduation year are gathering for the traditional party, you know the one, right?¡±


    Celis nodded slowly as it came back to her. Traditionally, apprentices would gather in secret away from their masters and teachers as an informal send off, a real graduation from being kids. A tradition that had been passed down from generation to generation of apprentices.


    ¡°You¡¯re inviting me, is that it?¡±


    Oda slyly smiled at her. ¡°Yes, you should come. You can see how all the other apprentices have grown, I¡¯m sure a lot would want to spar with you, being Alisson Vi Nuam¡¯s apprentice and all¡­you¡¯re kind of a legend among the apprentices now¡­Most people thought you would die for sure.¡±


    Celis frowned. ¡°Flattery doesn¡¯t get you anywhere with me, don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    Oda rolled her eyes. ¡°Whatever, bed wetter. Be there. Afterwards, we can see Ukuri and bid her well.¡±


    Celis warily glanced at Alisson a ways away. ¡°If I have the time¡­¡±


    Oda, smiling, promptly turned and skipped away. Celis stared at her as she walked back over to Alisson.


    ¡°Celis, are you alright?¡± Alisson scoffed, his arms crossed. ¡°You don¡¯t seem too happy to have reunited with an old teammate.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Celis muttered. ¡°Oda didn¡¯t hug me.¡±


    Alisson watched as Celis developed a deep frown on her face, following Oda with her eyes. When Celis recounted the trivial things Oda had approached Celis for, it was certainly odd. Alisson had heard of the annual apprentice gathering when he himself was an apprentice, but he wasn¡¯t nearly as sociable or popular to get invited.


    Alisson looked back across the damaged road and the injured before him. ¡°I suppose there¡¯s nothing we can do about any of this now.¡± He set his sights on the Rolaign, far off in the distance, at the heart of the city; Where Sidonia was. He sharpened his eyes and began to walk when one of the injured called his name,


    ¡°A-Alisson Vi Nuam!?¡±


    A girl looked up to him, beaming a pair of sparkling red eyes at him, despite being bruised and dirtied. She began to try to get up to see him face to face, but Alisson moved his hand over her chest to stop her.


    ¡°Get some rest, little one.¡± Alisson said, smiling gently.


    ****

 4. My Fair Lady

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Sidonia requested that only you enter, Alisson.¡±


    A tall knight clad in gold informed him. Tall was an understatement, the two golden guardians of Sidonia herself were inhumanly tall, they were more than thrice Alisson¡¯s height.


    ¡°Fine by me.¡± Alisson waved away their words.


    He instructed Celis to wait outside, and she bobbed her head subserviently. The large doors to Sidonia¡¯s inner sanctum opened to reveal a large circular room. It had a high ceiling with the only source of light emanating from somewhere in the ceiling. Most of the room was covered in shadow except for the center. Alisson strode toward the center of the room, where sitting at a small tea table was the overlord of the Sidonian Empire; the Lady Sidonia. She had long white lochs and piercing blue eyes, her skin itself was also pale. Her body was most odd in that it was quite mature and motherly compared to other Nekomata. She wore only a simple white dress, and stared at him with a small smile as he approached.


    ¡°I have returned, my Lady.¡±


    He gave a flare with his cloak and knelt with his hand on his heart. Sidonia kept on staring at him with a seemingly self-satisfied smirk for a few moments.


    ¡°So Alisson, what do you have for me? You do know that you have gone against my orders in brazenly commandeering the Machavelli to come here?¡±


    Alisson stood without being given permission to rise, and looked at Sidonia in her eyes. ¡°I believe it was in my authority and initiative to report to you as quickly as possible, my Lady. I will draft up a report in the coming days explaining in detail the events of the mission, but if you¡¯d entertain me, I will summarize what is most important, and give to you what I believe is the largest fruit of my labor.¡±


    Sidonia nodded, still with a small smirk. ¡°Please do, then.¡±


    Alisson took a deep breath. ¡°The journey up the continent was not an unopposed one. Other than the normal difficulties faced on the road, Andestine was chasing us down.¡±


    Sidonia¡¯s eyes widened a little, but then slipped back into her normal countenance.


    ¡°They clearly knew of our intention, in that they met us and attempted to ambush us at several occasions, culminating in a large battle at Scratskoslovotskaya. We successfully reached and penetrated the Freigat Jungle, and inside we found what we were ordered to reconnoiter. However¡­¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t able to enter¡­¡±


    Sidonia put in. Alisson stared at her in silence for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s correct, my Lady. So, instead of cutting our losses and retreating, I acted to seek out a means of entrance to the structure. From the clues we could decipher, we ended up pinpointing a potential location in the Dead Zone.¡±


    Sidonia¡¯s smile started to fade, and her eyes started to widen, if only so slightly.


    ¡°Within the Dead Zone, we found what we were looking for.¡± Alisson slipped off his pack that he had vehemently worn and protected all this way, and placed it before Sidonia with a heavy thud.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Sidonia muttered. Alisson gave her another deadpan stare before continuing. He lifted the item of conversation from the bag; It was a black metal cylinder that looked industrially made.


    ¡°This item is what I believe to be the key to entering the structure you have pointed me toward, Sidonia.¡±


    He held it up for Sidonia to see. Her face was blank and her mouth was parted. ¡°This is the most important thing I can tell you.¡± Alisson continued, ¡°Whatever structure that is, Andestine was after it too, but now, I believe we have the edge on them.¡±


    Sidonia waved over an attendant from the shadows, who looked pale and lifeless. Alisson handed the cylinder to them, whom held it silently beside Sidonia.


    Sidonia shook her head slightly. ¡°You have done a great service to me, Alisson, this, let no one doubt¡­¡±


    ¡°I was merely doing my duty, my Lady. There are smaller, secondary items of interest I have found, if you would permit my apprentice to enter, I would also like to show them to you in person, although I believe summoning Marenix may be wise as some of them are quite scientific. I believe they will do well to better our understanding and advancement in the sciences.¡±


    Sidonia tepidly nodded, still processing Alisson¡¯s earlier words. ¡°Report to Marenix in your own time regarding that. Your instincts about this,¡± Sidonia motioned to the canister that the servant beside her now held, ¡°Being the most important fruit of your journey, is correct. Because of this¡­We will be able to strike at Andestine, we will be able to win.¡±


    Alisson stared dully at her. Win or lose. What did it matter? That¡¯s all she cared about.


    ¡°Rest up, then. You¡¯ve earned it. In time you will be sent to Queendom, seeing as though you¡¯ve sabotaged the operation there¡­¡± Sidonia smiled at Alisson.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°If there are no administrative things you need to inform me of personally, then I will take my leave, my Lady.¡±


    Alisson began to turn away, again, not waiting for Sidonia¡¯s dismissal.


    ¡°How did that apprentice of yours fair?¡±


    She asked, her old smugness returning to her. Alisson halted his motion, and looked back to Sidonia.


    ¡°That apprentice is Celistine Regadonia. I will be promoting her to a full-fledged member of the 51<sup>st</sup> for her performance. That is all.¡±


    Sidonia¡¯s eyes seemed to brighten in luminosity, and her smug smile deepened. ¡°You are aware you need permission from me to promote an individual into an elite unit?¡±


    ¡°Permission that I¡¯m sure you will grant, with all due respect my Lady. Trust me when I say that apprentice is more than she was when we departed. My report should make her growth clear. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, me and my apprentice will be resting for the night. I believe we¡¯ve earned it.¡±


    Sidonia hummed a little, but whisked her hand at Alisson, dismissing him, and leaned back into her chair as she watched him turn and exit the chamber.


    A Kitsune emissary quickly entered thereafter, ¡°Your Majesty Sidonia, a message from Queen Tsuhagara!¡±


    The doors closed quickly thereafter behind Alisson.


    ...


    The welcome back to the Nuam Keep, Alisson¡¯s home, was not as grand as one might expect. Before him and Celis, merely two servants bowed subserviently.


    ¡°¡°Welcome home, master.¡±¡±


    The truth was that these two servants, young twins whom Alisson had rescued off the streets of a backwater city, had been the only residents of the Nuam Keep. Of course, there were other noble families and close cousins and other Nuam affiliated bureaucrats, but with his father away from Sidonia with much of the house, there wasn¡¯t much reason to be here. Regardless, the two servants had kept the keep in extraordinary condition. There wasn¡¯t even a speck of dust that lined the intricately woven carpets or any of the immaculate furniture.


    Before him and Celis could settle in for the night however, his servants informed him of the current political situation with the houses of Sidonia; Things like which nobles had been married, new children of important families, and nobles who had expressed a want to meet with Alisson in the time that he had been away.


    Among them, Lady Salchyon, whom apparently only poked her head inside the Keep to make sure everything was ¡®okay¡¯. It seemed that everyone was expecting him and Lady Salchyon to duel; for in the time that Alisson had been away:


    Lackadaisical, the best swordsmen in Sidonia, went missing in action. Ardinand Li Arquis took his spot, and Lady Salchyon for the time being leap-frogged Alisson, and was now considered the second best. However, now that Alisson was back in Sidonia, a duel was in order to see who was really the second best.


    What a bother. It seemed people were very excited to see them fight, and that rumors of a duel had been blown up into a full blown expectation. Louise Alderon Salchyon and him were childhood friends, but were polar opposites, despite this they had never quarreled or fought, so a public duel like this was quite the spiced entertainment.


    At the end of the servant¡¯s long report, they had an uneasy expression.


    ¡°Master. We have a¡­request¡­¡±


    ¡°We have a request, master¡­¡±


    The two said tepidly, averting their gazes from Alisson and shifting uneasily on their feet. Alisson motioned for them to continue, and they shyly went on,


    ¡°¡°Would you allow us to hug you, master?¡±¡±


    How could Alisson refuse? He let them do as they wished with a gentle smile.


    ¡­


    ¡°Master, the bath will be ready soon. In the meantime, here is the drink you requested.¡±


    Celis looked quizzically at Alisson. ¡°Alcohol?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°We deserve some frivolities, Celis.¡± He replied, motioning for the servant to come closer with the plate of drinks.


    Within in his own keep, in his own room, with Celis and his servants by his side, Alisson couldn¡¯t possibly feel much more at peace and ease as he already did. It was a far cry from being¡­Well, anywhere they had been in the past few months, really.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much¡­?¡±


    Celis asked as the servant poured them glasses from a bottle from his family¡¯s personal collection. It was quite an expensive bottle to be enjoyed by a mere apprentice like Celis; she must¡¯ve felt a little wrong. However, Celis was no mere apprentice.


    ¡°You¡¯re a member of the core Nuam household for all I care, Celis. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± He smiled at her.


    The servant pouring the drink narrowed their eyes at Celis, perhaps wondering if she would have to treat Celis with as much respect as Alisson into the future; As not a simple guest and apprentice¡­But as a member of the family. After preparing the drinks, the servant bowed and left, leaving him and Celis alone in his quarters. Alisson lifted a glass up, and smiled at Celis.


    ¡°Well, bottoms up.¡±


    ¡­


    It didn¡¯t take very long for Alisson to become a giggly mess on my lap. I can see why he never drank up north¡­I feel a bit dizzy and overly happy, but not to Alisson¡¯s degree. I could feel acutely that my face was blushed red, and I wore only a dumb little smile as I looked at Alisson as he nuzzled my thigh.


    ¡°You¡¯re really soft without your armor on¡­¡±


    He purred.


    ¡°You are too, Alisson¡­¡± I pet his hair, and he giggled a little.


    On Alisson¡¯s bed, petting him like this¡­This is bliss¡­This would¡¯ve been what I described as heaven a couple months ago, but here I am. Life sure is different back here in civilization. Even up north when we had moments of rest, in an inn or out camping, we didn¡¯t waste any time with just enjoying ourselves like this.


    On instinct I leaned in and gave Alisson a deep kiss which he reciprocated. The motion must have made him quite happy, because out came his Opensen with a flash of light; Atop his head appeared cat ears and two tails rose into the air. I grinned deviously and manifested my own Opensen, and playfought Alisson¡¯s tail¡¯s with my own, wrestling with them. The tails twisted and wrapped around each other, much like our bodies. We were quickly entangled in a playful wrestle, hugging and cuddling like children, or maybe clawless kittens.


    It looks like we¡¯ll have some time before we¡¯re to depart for the Queendom on Sidonia¡¯s orders. In that time, there¡¯s a lot of bureaucratic housekeeping to handle, having been away so long. I just hope we can keep being like this into the future, even away from Sidonia¡­But seeing as though we can be so happy even now, with enemies all around us, I think we¡¯ll be just fine¡­


    ¡°Celis¡­Do you think we¡¯ll have children together?¡±


    The question caught me off guard, but I gently smiled into his eyes. ¡°¡­How many do you want?¡±


    He blushed with a smile of his own, averting his eyes. ¡°If we manage to get through this¡­and live together on a homestead out in Siphrine or Piedz¨¦¡­We should just start with one. I¡¯d like to bring them up well and strong¡­I wouldn¡¯t want to divide my attention with my own flesh and blood¡­¡±


    I stroked his cheek as he thought aloud. The Alisson I knew in the months prior would never have talked like this, or even considered a peaceful happy ending. I¡¯m glad I¡¯m here.


    ***

 5. Showing Face

    The day after we arrived home was filled with errands. I woke up with Alisson after having bathed last night ¨C It feels really good to be nice and clean again ¨C I then followed Alisson¡¯s morning routine while he was in the city, which started with a couple hours lifting weights and drilling. Since we know we won¡¯t be fighting for our lives for the entire day, we can exhaust our energy all at the beginning of the day to maintain our readiness; It was novel to me. Afterwards, Alisson and I picked out some clothes from his wardrobe to wear.


    It was weird to wear things that weren¡¯t armor, but I felt girly for the first time in a long time. Alisson looks really nice in noble clothes¡­Since I really didn¡¯t have much other than my training uniform given to me from the Academy, Alisson lent me some of his older clothes ¨C They fit me quite well.


    I nuzzled the collar of my tailcoat, thinking that Alisson had worn it too, long ago. Alisson said I¡¯ll have to pay a visit to the tailor at some point before we depart to get proper clothes made for me. Before leaving the Nuam compound of the city, Alisson wanted to pay a visit to the library. While he quickly outlined the draft of his formal report on our prior mission, he instructed me to gather books on a select realm.


    The realm of enhancement. Becoming stronger. No books on sword play, or muscle growth ¨C But texts on powers and magics that would give you an edge in combat. I asked Alisson about it, and he remarked that it was prudent for us to keep in mind further avenues of increasing our fighting power. Our techniques and bodies were probably near the peak of what was achievable for us; Thus, external and unorthodox means were now our greatest modes of becoming stronger. Powers that, to others, would be unattainable. Topics that strayed between the lines of legend and fantasy¡­To Sidonia, such methods were looked down upon;


    Sidonians prided themselves on a disciplined understanding of straightforward techniques. That was to say, they fought without relying on magic or magic items, and anything that didn¡¯t produce grounded results, was discarded.


    To an outside observer, this further pursuit of power seemed frivolous, but I knew the reason for it. The Nuam archives, as expansive as they may be, aren¡¯t all-encompassing; Alisson said that if we have the chance to browse other sources of information on similar subjects, then we should.


    Leaving the Nuam compound, we visited a barber first and foremost. Our hair had grown out of control in the months without proper tending, Alisson looks like a girl and my hair is really long, it¡¯s not supposed to go past my shoulders¡­Well it¡¯s not only the length but it¡¯s also a mess, obviously. We can¡¯t see nobles with hair like this. After an uneventful trip to a barber, Alisson was far more handsome and I was far less primitive. We then paid a visit to the armory in the Rolaign, that held specialized weapons and requisitionable gear. We went there to deposit our armor and weapons and spent magical items, so that they could be tended to and prepared for the next mission. The quartermasters very obviously gawked at our ruined armor ¨C Such armor was probably deposited by the dead more often than not.


    Alisson advised that I should take the time earlier rather than later to put in a word with the smiths regarding my weapons and armor ¨C There were a lot of changes I had learned that I wanted done up in the north, not all of them crucial, but they would certainly be nice. Thus, I had some homework to do in writing up some requisition papers for myself. Next, was onto the real reason we left Nuam compound¡­Politics.


    After a full day of being in the city, meeting with nobles and keeping up appearances for the Nuam house, and eating out ¨C A welcome luxury I¡¯d forgotten ¨C Alisson and I both had one last meeting toward the end of the day. Alisson wanted to informally meet with Lente Li Arquis, the head of science in Sidonia and a childhood friend of his, to discuss his findings on our mission, and to touch base in general.


    I however, had the choice of going to my graduating year¡¯s send-off party. Alisson said I should go, since it was prudent that I could do things on my own in the social sense. Even if I end up just sitting around not talking to anyone, at least I¡¯ll have been there.


    It¡¯ll probably be more interesting than sitting behind Alisson like a dog all day in meetings with nobles. They all gave me funny looks, and some asked why Alisson had brought a lowly apprentice along with him to these important meetings. I understood where they came from. It was odd; The whole day, Alisson was treating me like an adult, like a fellow 51<sup>st</sup>, like a friend, and not like a student. It was completely different to the last time I was in Sidonia.


    I pushed my thoughts out of my head. Right now, I need to be presentable! I might not have the reputation of my family to guard, but now, I have Alisson¡¯s reputation to guard, being his apprentice. So, entering the gathering of apprentices, I kept my chin high.


    The whole thing was meant to be secretive. The location reflected this: It was in the sewers underneath the capital. I met up with Oda and navigated the large service tunnels under the city to find the gathering point. In contrast to the industrial, rusting, dirty sewers; the room was cleanly and soft, and very childish. It seems the apprentices responsible for putting on the event had retrofitted an unused room with several large improvements and furnished it with amenities.


    Soft pink cloth coated the walls and magic lights shone brightly high in the ceiling. We had to take off our shoes because the carpet was a soft walkable fabric. Trays of treats and desserts were laid out across the room, and several groups of apprentices my age laughed and chatted with each other. I recognized most of them, though they seemed to be from all of the socialite groups of our class- I didn¡¯t see many of the reclusive, studious types like myself.


    A few people who recognized me welcomed me in, if only because I was known as a good fighter back when I graduated. It was one of the given reasons I was assigned to Alisson as an apprentice. But most people gave me disinterest at best and disgust at worst. I found a quiet corner of the room while Oda went and chatted with other apprentices. I stared into the plate of treats I had been given.


    The gathering went on, business as usual for a long time, without me having to say anything or do anything. I¡¯ve never liked social outings. Alisson is all I need.


    Someone in the center of the room, on a little elevated platform hit a glass with a spoon to get the attention of the crowd.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to take moment to bring to everyone¡¯s attention, our very own Celistine Regadonia: The most notorious apprentice given that her master is none other than the fabled Alisson Vi Nuam¡­¡±


    One of the more popular types said, indicating to me. I¡¯d seen Oda and them conversing beforehand, and with Oda smiling at me from a distance, it seems this was probably put on by her.


    ¡°¡­But that¡¯s not all,¡± The prominent apprentice went on, ¡°Celistine here survived a trip all the way up north, encountering Sidonia-knows-what kinds of troubles and monsters!¡±


    The crowd ooh¡¯ed and aah¡¯ed.


    ¡°Would you like to make any remarks, Celistine?¡± The apprentice motioned for me to come to him, and take the stage.


    I showed a shy smile and shook my head no, waving my hand back and forth a little.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably classified, I get it¡­But-! There is something you can show us!¡± The apprentice went on, ¡°Your skill in combat! Here before me we have one of our most distinguished fellow graduates, why he slew a Gold Knight just last month!¡±


    The apprentice went on to explain this other apprentice, who was something of a big deal, apparently. He was large, his shoulders broad, and he had a cocky smile. I didn¡¯t bother internalizing any of their names. It didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°So, why not some fisticuffs? Come forward, come forward!¡±


    The apprentices were all worked up now, and it was hard to refuse. I guess they were making me fight the biggest, baddest guy they could find. Maybe they all had something to prove, to make themselves feel better; to watch the apprentice that was assigned to a famous master get beaten. Something like that. I eyed Oda as I rose to the guy before me. She was watching with great interest.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    In standing, I made apparent I was just as tall as him. I looked over his body. I was probably more muscular than him. It wasn¡¯t right to call him a man yet, but he wasn¡¯t a boy either. He rose his fists and took a stance, smirking at me. I did the same, giving a shy and nervous smile.


    After they said start, the guy swung for me. I can¡¯t believe I actually had my guard up for this. I stepped forward into his swing, and tilted my face to the side, his fist missing me by a paper. In stepping forward though, I let his chest collide with my collar, and I immediately let myself fall backwards onto my butt.


    I sat, rubbing my head with a little smile as everyone cheered the guy. He looked a little confused, but it looked like no one else even suspected that I wasn¡¯t actually hit by anything.


    I heard a few of them quip about me,


    ¡°I guess she really was dead-weight for Alisson that whole time!¡±


    ¡°What a letdown¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll never be a 51<sup>st</sup>, there¡¯s no way she deserves to be Alisson¡¯s apprentice¡­¡±


    But, after a minute or so, the jeers were replaced by something else. I was glad ¨C their comments pricked at me more than I care to admit.


    The more popular and viceful ones in the room, the ones who had beamed only scorn and disgust at me for what I can only assume is for jealous reasons, now smiled, satisfied by what they had seen. Over the next hour, the amount of people who approached to speak with me rose from zero. Whereas earlier they had shot nervous glances at me, they now approached with warm smiles, asking me questions about what life was like, if anything interesting had happened on my escapades, and what kind of person Alisson was.


    They asked things like if I¡¯d ever seen an orc before, or an angel. I had seen both, but I neglected to tell them the truth. They also asked about what the countries were like in the north. This, I could say plainly: That they were terrible places to live, and could hardly be called countries.


    I continued to give non-answers and spoke without really saying anything, but I apparently did a good job of it, because the apprentices seemed to like talking with me. I found myself smiling a little, my cheeks flushed with some sort of social excitement. The night thereon was entertaining and by the books.


    Some apprentices spoke of their times with their masters so far, and any exciting encounters they had, and so on. A few other apprentices also playfully fought with each other, sizing each other up and seeing who had grown stronger in the time since we¡¯d left schooling.  The apprentices who had gone into more civil sectors like the smiths, artisans, or engineers mostly kept to their own circles, largely discussing their fields and various logistics topics. Their topics of conversation were far more mature than those of the rest of the room.


    With that realization I was grimly reminded of the plain fact that the combat orientated apprentices here would not all survive the coming years. The civil service ones would continue to operate the Sidonian military machine while their friends went and died on the frontlines. It¡¯s not like I actually cared about anyone in the room, but I felt bad; knowing that I couldn¡¯t very well protect all their smiling, innocent faces. They didn¡¯t know what they were getting into. They didn¡¯t know anything. I smiled bittersweetly to myself. I was complicit in maintaining their innocence as well; But I had a veil of secrecy to confide within Alisson.


    Eventually the meeting started to come to a slow close. Apprentices started crying in each other¡¯s arms even, perhaps subconsciously realizing that this might be the last time they would see many, if any, of their friends again. Oda approached me, apparently laid back and satisfied with herself. She had spent the night talking with a few select apprentices, out of earshot from me specifically. It seemed less like they were catching up and more like they were making plans. At least, that was just me, I might just be paranoid. But I can¡¯t help but notice that Oda¡¯s body language said that she was far more eased around me; she didn¡¯t feel the same need as before to keep herself defensive around me. I could discern that in the time it took for her to talk to me.


    ¡°Enjoyed yourself, Celis?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­I know I said I¡¯d take you to see Ukuri but the thing is, her condition has gotten quite a bit worse, I don¡¯t think we should see her until she gets a little better.¡±


    I gave her a shrug. I always liked Ukuri better. Oda was just the annoying one who added dumb quips in; But Ukuri talked to me with sparkles in her eyes of genuine friendship. She was quite extroverted. I can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t enjoy her company, at least secretly.


    ¡°Well anyway, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you about, come on, walk with me.¡±


    We made our exit from the party and once we were in a more secluded part of the sewer tunnels, she picked up again, ¡°So, how has your master, how has Alisson treated you?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Why?¡±


    I gave her a blank stare.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that, well¡­Popular masters like that tend to be really rough on their apprentices, you know, since they have to make you so much better than all your fellow apprentices, since it¡¯s their reputation, right...¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± I looked away down the tunnel. My teeth started to clench.


    ¡°He¡¯s been a pretty bad master to you, hasn¡¯t he? You look, well¡­different. He hasn¡¯t hurt you, has he? I know they say Alisson is known to be a very gentle soul, but there¡¯s all these rumors about him that he¡¯s this crazy loyal servant who¡¯d slit your throat if he even thought you were going against Sidonia¡­That, and I¡¯ve done some research on him, and I was thinking that since his master was Serendipity, that must¡¯ve left some sort of long-lasting scars on him¡­¡±


    I grinded my teeth together. How dare you imply that Alisson hasn¡¯t taken care of me-!


    My eye twitched a little, more like a flutter.


    ¡°So, if he¡¯s had any craziness done onto him by his older sister during his training,¡± Oda continued, ¡°Then I thought there might be a chance that he¡¯d take something out on you. Besides,¡± She motioned to me, ¡°You know the rumors about him, right? About all of his former apprentices dying in terrible, horrific ways¡­You¡¯d think he would¡¯ve prepared them better, or maybe he set them up to be suicide-driven freaks or something¡­So I¡¯ve just been worrying about you¡­¡±


    My fist tightened slowly, but intensely.


    I took a small breath of air, which looked like a sigh from the outside, trying to calm myself.


    ¡°Not all of them died though.¡± I put in suddenly. ¡°Leukini Al Suzu is still alive, and that was his most recent apprentice.¡±


    I¡¯ve never met her. Alisson told me that Leukini hated him for her entire apprenticeship.


    ¡°Well yeah¡­¡± Oda conceded. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard much about her though. I think she was attached to some frontline unit or something, which is weird, because being the apprentice of someone like Alisson should land you a spot in one of the elite units, but¡­¡±


    We exited the service tunnels and got to the surface. Curfew would soon be in effect, and apprentices like us shouldn¡¯t be seen out in the streets this late. Despite this, Oda wanted to continue talking with me, so offered to follow me back to the Nuam compound. Having her enter Alisson¡¯s home was a definite no-no, so I said yes but resolved to end the conversation before we reached our destination.


    ¡°So, have you ever thought to, well¡­Stand up for yourself?¡±


    My eyes narrowed at her. I caught myself and straightened my expression.


    ¡°No... What are you suggesting?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­You still didn¡¯t give me an answer. How does Alisson treat you?¡±


    ¡°I already told you. He treats me fine. I don¡¯t think anything of it.¡±


    Oda rose a hand to her temple, and muttered to herself, ¡°Airheaded and a sucker¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± It took everything for that to not come out as an angry growl.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Maybe you really can¡¯t do anything on your own after all¡­Why did you even come out here today?¡±


    ¡°What kind of a question is that?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Oda sighed again. ¡°You know what? Never mind... have a nice night. I¡¯ll head back to my dorm now¡­¡±


    Oda turned and gave me a wave. I stared at her with sharp eyes as she walked away, not even looking back at me once. My teeth were grinding hard. I continued on to the Nuam compound. I got behind one of the perimeter walls near the keep, and silently put my back against it. No one was around.


    After a moment of looking up into the star-filled night sky, I clenched my hand and punched the brick wall next to me, my Opensen activating in the same motion. The explosive force made a small crater in the wall, and bits of stone fell from my knuckles.


    ¡°Damnit!¡± I shouted out at the sky, growling.


    Just who the fuck does that piece of shit think she is!?


    A million thoughts ran through my head as I grinded my knuckles into the wall. I wasn¡¯t wearing any gauntlets or armor. Realizing what I was doing after a couple of seconds, I pulled my hand back. My skin was cut up and abraded, but it¡¯s not like my bones are so weak as to break from that. I blew a heavy burst of air through my nostrils.


    I would never hurt Alisson. He would never hurt me. He¡¯s trained me well. I love him. Some third-rate piece of shit brat like you isn¡¯t going to do a thing to change my mind. The arrogance and ignorance of that little¡­


    I took a deep breath, and my body slackened.


    ¡­


    It wasn¡¯t long until Alisson got home. When he entered the door I fell into his arms, not even waiting for him to take his coat off.


    ¡°Alisson¡­¡± I whined. ¡°It was terrible¡­I hated it!¡± I shook my head vigorously.


    Alisson smiled wryly as he handed his coat to a servant. ¡°But it sounds like you managed it.¡±


    He pet my head. I giggled and activated my Opensen, my tails wagging behind me.


    ¡°I did.¡± I beamed at him. ¡°I kept a mask on and didn¡¯t say or reveal anything!¡±


    Alisson nodded in satisfaction, and kept petting my head. ¡°And I met with Lente. The results were, acceptable, but I was hoping for more¡­¡±


    I backed away from him. ¡°So, we can¡¯t¡­talk to him?¡±


    Alisson shook his head. ¡°No, we shouldn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t able to ascertain his mind. The artifacts we recovered though, I handed over to him ¨C He seemed quite happy about them, so I think we did a good job of picking good pieces to bring to the homeland.¡±


    I nodded to Alisson, the once raging fire of my joy at seeing Alisson gradually cooling down to burning embers. I hesitantly looked to one of Alisson¡¯s servants, rubbing my cheek guiltily.


    ¡°By the way¡­I might¡¯ve put a hole in the wall outside¡­¡±


    She looked at me with wide eyes, but frowned soon after, perhaps choosing not to question it.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    Ignoring the meetings and antics of the day, tomorrow will be important.


    It¡¯ll be my last day as Alisson¡¯s apprentice.


    ***

 6. Ballroom Clutz

    Early in the morning of the next day, Alisson stood at the end of Nuam Keep¡¯s ballroom hall. It was the very room that Alisson had first laid eyes on Celis, and where she had become his apprentice.


    He remembered vividly the events of the that day: The 51<sup>st</sup> had lost an entire platoon in a horrific battle; and so some of the crop of graduates were sent to be replacements. Alisson had watched as all of the apprentices were taken up by other 51<sup>st</sup>, until the room was empty save Celis and himself. The once empty sight he envisioned was now replaced by a room filled with cheerful faces and celebration. Now, the ballroom would host her official induction into the 51<sup>st</sup> as a full-fledged member, in the process shedding free of her apprenticeship.


    Dressed in his formal attire, he stood tall with his hands behind his back. Whenever he was at formal events like this, he tried to imagine himself as his father, standing pridefully with the same style of black tailcoat and gloves.


    After the last of the guests had arrived, he decided to start the proceedings, and announced in a booming voice,


    ¡°Friends, family, comrades, we gather today for a momentous occasion¡­¡±


    The hall grew quiet. ¡°Regrettably not all of our fellow 51<sup>st</sup> have returned from our previous assignments to bear witness, but those who are here may glimpse upon something the 51<sup>st</sup> has yet to receive in its history ¨C A new, full-fledged member whom we can call our sibling.¡±


    In addition to the 51<sup>st</sup> who weren¡¯t scattered across the continent on missions of their own, some noble families and close friends of the Nuam House were in attendance ¨C A new addition to the 51<sup>st</sup> was just as much of a political event as it was a military one. Some of the Arquis, Sabathi, Beranz, Capifilla Houses, to name a few, were in attendance. That was because the 51<sup>st</sup>, like most military units in Sidonia, had a cabal of backers set in the nobility of the nation. The 51<sup>st</sup> was of course primarily backed by the Nuam House, the second largest in Sidonia, seeing as though its heir was the 51<sup>st</sup>¡¯s  captain.


    ¡°Through fire, flesh, gore and dirt¡­Celistine Regadonia accompanied me through the north not simply as a student, but as my partner. She saved my life on multiple occasions, bested odds that even I, the third seat, would find hard-pressed to topple¡­On my honor, I vouch for her capability and fidelity...¡±


    As Alisson spoke, Celis walked into the room from the far end, and started down a long carpet toward Alisson, wearing a dress. The surrounding attendees started to clap for her as she walked toward him.


    ¡°¡­She has far outgrown the title of apprentice, that let no one doubt. So thus¡­¡±


    Celis stopped before him, and kneeled. Alisson drew a ceremonial blade in flash, and pointed it squarely at Celis¡¯s face. Celis put her thumb to the tip of the blade, and drew blood. Alisson lifted the blade in air, so that a red stream of her blood now flowed down its length for the audience to see.


    ¡°I declare Celistine Regadonia as no longer my apprentice, but as our faithful sibling in the 51<sup>st</sup>!¡±


    Alisson gave the blade a flare across the sky, Celis¡¯s blood glistening through the air and fading across the 51<sup>st</sup> in attendance. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Alisson looked upon Celis with a smile. Truly, if their mission were not secretive in nature, he would¡¯ve given her a medal. Twenty, even. Regrettably however, her individual feats were not for public knowledge.


    He was proud of her. She¡¯d come a long way. She was once a meek little girl. Now, things were different.


    ¡­


    ¡°Wow! You¡¯ve really grown so much!¡±


    A boy who had been made an apprentice in the 51<sup>st</sup> the same time as Celis, Haruniel, said with admiration, sizing up Celis. She was now taller than him, which wasn¡¯t the case before she had departed all those months ago.


    ¡°Your gait and the way you carry yourself, everyone can see it, Celis¡­You¡¯re totally different now.¡± Haruniel¡¯s master, Cherisa, an archer in the 51<sup>st</sup> Alisson had known for decades, spoke up as well.


    The two approached Celis as soon as the dancing and music started, and the room was full of chattering voices. Alisson wasn¡¯t one for parties or social gatherings, but appearances needed to be upheld and Celis deserved a feast in her honor.


    Alisson let Celis converse and socialize for a while on her own; she needed to develop both her own bonds with her now comrades in arms, and her social skills that they had so thrown away in the months prior. Afterall, the 51<sup>st</sup>, himself, and Celis; they were not bludgeons; They were scalpels, to be precise and diplomatic as well as combat capable. They needed to be able to present well in front of others. The 51<sup>st</sup> was one of the few elite units in Sidonia that was able to be used in such circumstance. The 53<sup>rd</sup> would sooner slaughter everyone at a party, and perhaps the 56<sup>th</sup> as well. The 57<sup>th</sup> would end up caving in a ballroom floor with the weight of their armor alone.


    After a while, and the musicians started to play a certain romantic song Alisson was fond of, and he thought to invite Celis to a dance. He bowed and asked for one like a gentleman from her, leaning in with a hand on his heart, flashing a wry smile at her.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°¡­Really? W-why¡­?¡±


    She didn¡¯t seem to understand.


    ¡°What, would you prefer me to court a dance with a rose between my teeth?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know any dancing¡­¡±


    Celis mumbled, shifting her feet shyly. Alisson smirked at her. ¡°That¡¯s not a problem¡­Just follow my lead. It¡¯s just like a footwork drill.¡±


    He extended a hand to her. She broke into a little smile and held it tepidly.


    ¡°There, there... just like this¡­¡±


    He spoke softly to her as they moved as one, back and forth, back and forth. Celis blushed for whatever reason. At an event like this, even though he was the heir to the most influential house here, and Celis was the guest of honor, it¡¯s not like everyone would be looking at them all the time ¨C There wasn¡¯t any reason to be embarrassed at dancing at a dance.


    Just as soon as Celis started to get comfortable with the basic movements, Alisson felt tremors through his feet. Big tremors. He locked his gaze on the door to the ballroom, wherein a second thereafter they swung wide open. In the light of the door¡¯s wake, was an armored procession.


    ¡°Oh! Prithee me! Gaze upon a new great warrior do we? Rouse the Salchyons, and call the Nuams, for a forbidden love will¡­uh¡­Bluam?!¡±


    Alisson frowned. The one who¡¯d spoken the nonsense was none other than Louise Alderon Salchyon. A girl taller than him whom was covered neck to toe in full heavy plate armor, but who moved as though she were unencumbered by it. She scanned the room before flashing a bright smile at Alisson with her bright blue eyes, her blonde hair seeming to reflect the light of the sun.


    The room had gone silent quickly with her stupid words, and everyone¡¯s focus was on her, only the musicians continued their tune. Behind her, were members of the 57<sup>th</sup>, the elite unit she was captain of, and the one most backed by the house of Salchyon, the most powerful and influential house in Sidonia, the chief rivals of house Nuam.


    So, when a fully armed procession of elite Salchyon fighters busted down the door of a Nuam party uninvited, it was simple to see why many of the attendees now stared with hostility at the Lady Salchyon. This sense of hostility was quickly shattered when Louise¡¯s servants suddenly appeared from behind her, with similar stupid smiles. The four of them were children, and shared their master¡¯s shining blonde hair and bright eyes, wearing jackets liveried with the blue of the Salchyon house. They spread flowers from baskets as Louise made a stupid pose.


    All the while the 57<sup>th</sup> ¡®Halberdiers¡¯, Louise¡¯s heavily armored subordinates, stood silently behind her, their helmets on and their towering figures eating up any light at their backs.


    She strode forward into the crowd with a cheerful smile. Alisson sighed. She had no sense for entrances or politics. Or anything that wasn¡¯t frontline combat, really.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve told me about your apprentice, Alis! I thought you and me were tight!¡±


    She strode up to Alisson and Celis, beaming a smile down at them. ¡°May I take a dance?¡±


    She laid a gauntleted hand down on Alisson¡¯s shoulder. He looked tepidly to Celis.


    This might be important.


    Celis reluctantly let go of Alisson and backed away, frowning. Louise took his hands immediately, and started swaying away with him, humming a dumb tune that was out of sync with that of the music in the room, but one that certainly made sense to her.


    Other than this, she was quiet. That was unlike her. Alisson would know; Lady Salchyon and him were childhood friends, it was an unlikely friendship the two of them had shared, being from rival houses.


    Alisson played along, dancing with Louise to the corner of the ballroom, where she guided Alisson through a door. The hallway they entered was darkly lit compared to the ballroom, and only a single window beamed a shaft of sunlight through at them. As soon as the door closed and they had relative privacy, Louise slammed Alisson against the stone wall, pinning his shoulder to it with one hand. She leaned in, almost nose to nose with him.


    ¡°Are you alright, Alis?¡±


    Her tone was suddenly gentle. He smiled softly at her. ¡°Yes, all is well. We had a tough time, but we came out on top.¡±


    She looked on at Alisson¡¯s face for a moment with a small smile. ¡°I wanted to check on you¡­Everyone¡¯s been saying bad things about you lately¡­You¡¯ve gotten very popular since you¡¯ve returned.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡± Alisson¡¯s smile faded.


    ¡°I¡¯m always here for you, Alis - You can always count on me!¡±


    What¡¯s going on?


    One moment.


    Louise¡¯s small smile was quickly replaced by her more normal demeanor, her smile turned into something less innocent and more devious. ¡°We¡¯re to duel soon after all! Last time you might¡¯ve won but, how do you think this time will go!?¡±


    Alisson averted his gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too confident this time around.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought!¡± Louise squeezed his shoulder tighter. She leaned in and nuzzled his cheek, as if she were a cat marking her scent on him. Her nose pricked suddenly and she looked at Alisson once more with a wild smile. ¡°Do I smell¡­¡± She made a few more motions of sniffing him, ¡°Bacilla? The scent of your apprentice? Lots of blood?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. A lot has changed.¡± He said tersely. Her sense was incredible to say the least¡­No one should¡¯ve been able to pick up on the fact that Alisson now had access to his Bacilla, save for perhaps his sister.


    ¡°So¡­! About your famed oh-so secret journey!¡± She promptly picked him up like a toy and shook him back and forth. It¡¯s not that she was much larger than Alisson, more that she was terrifyingly strong. She could dice three armored knights in half with one swing of her voulge, and Alisson didn¡¯t know if that was the limit. He had yet to see another person match her in physical feats.


    ¡°Who¡¯d you fight? Did you win? What kind of powers did you get? Did you get any cool artifacts!? Was there anyone strong? Stronger than me? I¡¯ll beat them up! Meet any cute girls?! Are they cuter than me? I¡¯ll beat them up!¡±


    She asked an unending stream of questions in a quick tempo that gradually melded into a singular drone from which Alisson couldn¡¯t make out any intelligible thoughts. Alisson didn¡¯t respond, he only looked at her with dull eyes.


    ¡°We should get back to the proceedings.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, I bet everything you did was boring anyway.¡± Louise dropped Alisson onto his feet and strolled back into the ballroom, cheerfully humming. He fixed his collar, sighing.


    He entered the ballroom once more to find Celis pouting at him.


    What happened?


    Nothing that important¡­You know Louise.


    He took up position to dance with her once more, which replaced her pout with a small smile.


    ***

 7. Put to Pen

    Alisson busied himself in the days leading up to the departure to the Queendom by writing and reading. As the sun blazed outside on Celis, training with her now fellow 51<sup>st</sup>, Alisson sat within his study, eyeing them from the relative cool interior of the building. He took a sip of his tea, and continued to write his report on the events that transpired on their mission. He conveniently forgot some topics and people here and there, but it¡¯s not like Sidonia had any means to realize that.


    He scribed the text with a fancy fountain pen, beside his report were the several books he¡¯d picked up from the Nuam archives. The one that lay open on the very top of the pile being titled ¡®KITSUNE: THE MOONLIGHT CANNON TECHNIQUE AND OTHER RELATED ABILITIES OF THOSE POSSESSED OF NINE TAILS.¡¯


    He was not only penning the report¡­In his mind, he ran through several ideas that he¡¯d never commit to paper out of fear. He occasionally glanced at a small map on his desk, pondering courses of action.


    As Alisson was writing away however, he heard a knock at his door and allowed one of his servants to enter with a message.


    ¡°Master. Lente Li Arquis would like to speak with you. He is waiting in the sitting room.¡±


    ¡°Send him in.¡±


    Alisson said with a wave, and moments later, Lente entered his study with a wry smile. He was a short boy, lacking in physical stature ¨C even compared to Alisson. Lente wore large round glasses, a large coat typical of those in the science division.


    ¡°What brings you here today, Lente?¡±


    Alisson asked without looking, continuing to pen his report.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not a social call¡­I have a couple things I was asked to pass along¡­¡± Lente gently sat down at a seat beside Alisson, and placed a bundle of papers on his desk. ¡°¡­The official orders and subsequent guidelines for the coming incursion to the Queendom. Things have really shifted around and melded together since you, well¡­Sort of went against the Lady¡¯s orders¡­¡±


    ¡°That would be a sure side-effect.¡±


    Alisson put his pen down with a sigh, and lifted the papers, flipping through them and skimming the headers, long used to the kind of paperwork those in High Command liked to produce.


    ¡°There are some amendments you should be aware of¡­it¡¯s¡­odd¡­The new requirements they shoved into the guidelines regarding you as soon as it became apparent you were joining them¡­¡±


    Originally, the Machavelli was meant to secure the port of the Queendom¡¯s capital city for further incursion from Sidonian envoys and related forces, but in commandeering the ship, plans had changed. Now, because of Alisson, the scheduled diplomatic envoys and security details would all be ferried by the Machavelli in one trip ¨C Not exactly good practice. Normally there¡¯d be at the very least a few other ships but the fact was, the Machavelli was the only Sidonian ship in the lake of Aleeze.


    As such, Alisson had been expecting some sort of updated rules imposed by High Command, however, one line immediately stuck out to him:


    In the event commanding officer Alisson Vi Nuam is unable to perform his duties, command will be unilaterally delegated to designated section commander Ardinand Li Arquis.


    ¡®In the event¡¯? Just what was that supposed to mean? Such clauses had never been included in prior guidelines that he¡¯d ever read. Alisson frowned, setting the paper down in thought.


    Ardinand was going to previously be in command of the operation before Alisson was shoved into it by Sidonia, but since Alisson was of a higher family rank, he was given de-facto control of the operation by norm; even though Ardinand was currently the number one standing fighter in Sidonia, in front of Lady Salchyon at number two, and himself at number three.


    The rankings didn¡¯t really mean much. The real strongest fighter in Sidonia wasn¡¯t even listed on them. She¡¯d long ago been exempt from public facets. There were those that chased fickle records and titles, and more power to them; but Alisson had never been one to care for any sort of accomplishment theatre.


    ¡°Check the guidelines about your requisition allowances, that¡¯s what I wanted to bring to your attention.¡±


    Lente added, and Alisson once again flipped through the papers. Why the articles on requisitioning? He was Alisson Vi Nuam, he was touted as the third best swordsmen and the heir to the second most powerful family; He was given full authority on what equipment and manpower he could ask for to complete a given mission ¨C That had been the case for the past century.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Alisson read over the lines.


    He was allowed no more than a squad of his 51<sup>st</sup>. It was odd that the requirement was even listed, but Alisson wasn¡¯t sure if he was even going to bring anyone else along other than Celis, so he shrugged this one off.


    He was not allowed the use of any items above grade one as classified by the armory division.


    What? Grade one items were used for self-defense, like a citizen would carry a dagger, or an ombudsmen would an item that could call for help or generate a defensive barrier. It meant that he couldn¡¯t even carry a sword, anything really, that might be used aggressively. He couldn¡¯t even wear any forms of protection above light gambesons. Alisson squinted, furrowing his mouth.


    He wasn¡¯t allowed to requisition any additional magic items or manpower; and if he so desired to, he was to inform Ardinand and receive his permission.


    He put the papers back down on the desk, his mouth curled into frown.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make too much sense, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Lente seemed to share Alisson¡¯s recognition of the unorthodox nature of these mandates.


    The incursion into the Queendom would be a small-scale effort to aid Queen Tsuhagara, queen of the Kitsune, in liberating the country from separatists and human influence. In being that the Kitsune and Nekomata were close allies, it was only natural that this was a desired outcome ¨C With the war ramping up, the Nekomata needed as many allies as they could get their hands on. The Queendom had long been made into a vassal-like state by the Irine Principality, and remained a nation only in name. Those that were loyal to Queen Tsuhagara wished to make their country once more independent, and rid themselves from Irine; Though of recent there was a growing separatist movement that had been left unchecked ¨C They now threatened to overthrow the traditional leadership and culture of the Kitsune.


    As such, political assassination, bribery, coercion, all the usual abundance, were on the table ¨C A full scale civil war was a potential outcome. That was to say, it wasn¡¯t exactly a safe outing. Alisson would be a target. Limiting his defensive options bordered on malicious in this situation.


    ¡°There¡¯s also that other matter I wanted to bring up¡­¡±


    Lente looked a little hesitant. Alisson looked to him, bracing himself for some sort of bad news ¨C Lente was the kind of man to hold the worst news for last. Alisson had learnt as much in the time they had known each other since they were kids.


    Lente procured one more paper from within his coat. Taking the paper, Alisson quickly realized what it was. He had received four such papers before.


    ¡®DECLARATION OF APPRENTICESHIP; BY HIGH COMMAND¡¯


    Alisson would be receiving yet another apprentice to train. It was meant to be a voluntary duty of older Nekomata, to teach and bring up the young; But this was an order from High Command ¨C More likely, from Sidonia herself. Alisson set the paper down, sighing. He didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter it seemed. He¡¯d have to babysit a fresh, useless young Nekomata all over again, after having just bathed in the satisfaction of teaching Celis all he knew and watching her grow to such prowess. He didn¡¯t even get a break from teaching, apparently. People always told him he was better off in a classroom, but he never understood why his friends held that opinion of him.


    ¡°You took that rather well¡­¡±


    Lente muttered, eyeing Alisson. Alisson shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a sworn duty¡­I can¡¯t exactly complain. Though the timing isn¡¯t exactly great now, is it¡­¡±


    He would be forced to take this new apprentice with him to the Queendom. That meant he had mere days to prepare them. Not good.


    ¡°Well, the thing is¡­¡± Lente procured another paper, and handed it to him. It was another notification of forced apprenticeship, but it wasn¡¯t addressed to Alisson. ¡°Alisson, your apprentice, I mean, the newest member of the 51<sup>st</sup>¡­¡±


    The notice was addressed to Celis. She would be receiving an apprentice. He stared into the paper, his hand shaking. He resisted crumpling it and tearing it up.


    ¡°This is¡­this must be a mistake.¡± Alisson growled, ¡°She just graduated, she¡¯s far too young for this. She might be a strong fighter with experience but teaching someone is an entirely different skillset¡­To nurture and look after another like a mother bird to a hatchling is not something a Nekomata in Celis¡¯s position should be expected, much less ordered to do.¡±


    Alisson grinded his teeth together.


    Celis was inexperienced, she would make mistakes¡­Alisson was reminded of himself. His first two apprentices had died right after their graduation. In other words, it was Alisson¡¯s fault that he didn¡¯t prepare them enough. Now with Celis, he was two for four, and at least she didn¡¯t hate him like Leukini did.


    He blew a burst of air through his nostrils. That was it then. Alisson would have to de-facto take three apprentices. Celis, for he would have to teach her how to teach, and her and his own apprentices that he would have to look out for.


    Without fighting arms, proper armor, few guards, thrown into a dangerous civil conflict of political intrigue¡­Alisson himself may find it easy to protect himself, and Celis herself as well, but their apprentices¡­Alisson clenched his fist, and then released it, sighing and calming himself.


    He would do what he could to protect them, but at the end of the day, himself and Celis were more important.


    ¡°¡­Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Lente¡­You should go. If these orders are anything to go by, I¡¯ll be quite busy in the coming weeks¡­¡±


    ¡°So it appears¡­Good day, Alisson. Let me know if you need anything.¡±


    Lente bobbed his head and took his leave. Alisson stood and looked out the window of his study, taking another long sip of his tea. Celis was fitting in well with the 51<sup>st</sup>; that was to say, she was holding her own in the drills. The other 51<sup>st</sup> seemed to be pleased with a new face included in their ranks, they were eager to welcome a new family member, which Alisson liked to see. Alisson sighed. The apprentice ceremony would take too long to organize; they¡¯d have to do it impromptu.


    It looked like Alisson would only have a few days to get the apprentices into shape, straighten their provisions, and set off for the Queendom.


    His mind was a crowded mess of thoughts about what was to be done. So many considerations to take into account; one slip-up would result in death for him and Celis.


    How he wished he could simply remain idle until he was prepared to act, but orders were orders.


    ***

 8. Apprenticeship

    ¡°So why are we here again?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­Stop asking me!¡±


    ¡°You always know what¡¯s going on though¡­¡±


    Marenix flashed an annoyed look at Ashlynde. She didn¡¯t even read the papers that had ordered the both of them to be here, at the Nuam Keep. They had been escorted in by two little servants ¨C They were humans and were younger than Marenix, but for whatever reason they intimidated him. Ashlynde and him now sat in the waiting room. No one was with them except one of the servants.


    What did the Nuam house want with him? House Arquis was aligned with Nuam as one of its best allies...but regardless Nuam shouldn¡¯t have had any reason to call them here. Marenix was just about to be inducted into the science division. He had just finished packing all his books and personal belongings after being released from the clinic from that heretic attack. And Ashlynde was days away from being sent to go¡­learn farming or something¡­Marenix wasn¡¯t sure if Ashlynde herself even had read her assignment beyond the category of ¡®CIVIL DUTY¡¯. It could¡¯ve been entirely possible that she¡¯d been placed in a more prestigious role than she feared.


    ¡°The master will see you now.¡±


    The servant eyeing them said.


    Marenix and Ashlynde looked at each other briefly, before standing and entering through a door opened for them by the servant.


    They were met with two piercing pairs of eyes. It was late in the day, the sun was setting and its orange rays flooded through the large window in the room. It looked to be an office or study, with a yellow haired boy behind a desk and a blue haired girl standing by his side. Marenix was momentarily frozen stiff by their gazes. There was something about them that he¡¯d never seen before, some sort primal instinct told him that they could easily eviscerate him where he stood before he could even see them move.


    It was then when Marenix realized who it was that he was in the presence of. Alisson Vi Nuam. The current highest ranking Nuam official in Sidonia.


    He swallowed a knot in his throat.


    ¡°Apologies for the short notice and lack of accommodations...Marenix Li Arquis? And, Ashlynde Chasattes?¡±


    Alisson said, his fingers interlocked in front of his face. Marenix had heard stories about him¡­He couldn¡¯t put the reputation to the face; Alisson looked far too¡­cute? ¨C To be a grizzled war veteran. And¡­was that a hairclip on his bangs? His title ¡®Fairy of the Battlefield¡¯ seemed to make more sense now.


    Ashlynde and Marenix nodded in the affirmative. Alisson sighed, and continued, ¡°Normally there¡¯d be a large gathering and a procession and a party and all that¡­But we¡¯re short on time, and you can thank High Command for this abruptness¡­¡± He breathed in deeply, and then locked eyes with them, ¡°The both of you are now servants of the Nuam house. Any prior assignments have been rescinded. You¡¯re our apprentices now.¡±


    Marenix¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°¡­No¡­You¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡­¡± He stared blankly through Alisson.


    ¡°This was not a meeting on the grounds of facetiousness.¡± Alisson frowned at him.


    ¡°But¡­But I¡­I studied in the academy for so long¡­tried so hard¡­I wanted to be in the science division with my older brother! Why are you stealing that from me!¡±


    Marenix¡¯s heart was beating fast, and he shook with terror suddenly, realizing who it was that he was speaking out against. Alisson sighed, and responded,


    ¡°I understand¡­This was not my choice. This was a decision made top-down by High Command. By Sidonia. Refusal is not an option. I can accept your grievances for today, but come tomorrow, I¡¯ll hear none of it. Understand?¡±


    Marenix stared down into the carpeted floor, his eyes twitching. He never wanted to fight. He looked at the individual fibers of the carpet, as if discerning greater detail in the environment would expose this as some sort of bad dream.


    ¡°Pardon, but Miss Chasettes?¡±


    Alisson¡¯s lifted an eyebrow at Ashlynde, who had her eyes shut, and was shaking as well. She was clearly suppressing some sort of emotion.


    ¡°Grievances?¡± She said, her voice wavering. After a moment her head shot up and locked eyes with Alisson and she beamed a crazed smile at him. ¡°I couldn¡¯t be happier! This is what I always wanted!¡±


    She stepped toward Alisson, like she was about to vault the desk and jump into his lap, when the girl standing by his side suddenly shot out a hand and blocked her, flashing a glare of death. Ashlynde backed off and raised her hands with a wry smile, instantly afraid of her.


    ¡°This is a dream come true!¡± She said, smiling despite the glare. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to be a 51<sup>st</sup>! I never thought I¡¯d actually be here as your apprentice!¡±


    Her eyes were sparkling. Alisson cleared his throat. ¡°Unfortunately, I will not be your master.¡± He motioned to the girl next to him. She sighed, her protective aura falling for a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m Celistine Regadonia. I¡¯ll be your master, Ashlynde.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± Ashlynde pouted. ¡°I¡¯ve never even heard of you!¡±


    Celistine clicked her tongue annoyedly and averted her gaze.


    Marenix looked up to Alisson. ¡°That means¡­that means that my master is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Marenix. I¡¯ll be your master heading forward. I¡¯m expecting a lot from a son of the Arquis family.¡±


    Marenix grit his teeth at Alisson¡¯s last remark. More expectation on his performance. It just didn¡¯t stop.


    Alisson stood and walked before Marenix. ¡°My apologies once more for the lack of ceremony but, let¡¯s get this over with.¡± He knelt before Marenix.


    Marenix swallowed a knot in a throat. He didn¡¯t have any say in the matter. Refusal would be going against Sidonia¡¯s word ¨C He¡¯d be hanged. But was it really any different than what awaited him? Alisson went up north, and faced death defying odds that made his older brother Lente terrified¡­Would Marenix really be able to survive in Alisson¡¯s shadow? He made up his mind, and extended his hand before Alisson¡¯s face. Alisson took his palm with a gentle grasp, and kissed his hand.


    Alisson rose, and smiled. He placed his hand on Marenix¡¯s head. ¡°Well, you should rest up for tomorrow. It¡¯s going to be a very, very busy day for you, apprentice.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Marenix averted his eyes, looking into the carpet again. ¡°Yes¡­master.¡±


    Alisson looked expectantly to Celistine, and she frowned, but reluctantly stood before Ashlynde. After beaming down an unamused look, she knelt before her. Ashlynde mirrored this attitude, and stuck out her hand, as though she were sticking her hand into the enclosure of a dangerous animal. Celistine grasped her hand and gave it a kiss, but it was far quicker and less ceremonious.


    ¡­


    This is crazy. These last few days have been crazy. I feel like my mind and body are eroding into nothing. The only thing I can think about is following Alisson¡¯s orders.


    ¡°The academy¡¯s standards seem to lower every year.¡±


    Was all Alisson had to say as he watched me sputter in front of him. We were in a forest outside the city, in a sandy clearing, where after running for hours on end I was now planking. The sweat was mounting on my body and I eventually collapsed with a gasp. My master sighed.


    ¡°I suppose you can take a breather for a few.¡±


    His words were like an angel¡¯s whisper. I downed some water from a canteen that he gave me and I sat up, breathing heavily.


    ¡°I understand that in being one dedicated to the sciences, your body is not as refined as Ashlynde¡¯s is, but if you keep this up, that will certainly change.¡±


    I looked down at my shirtless body, furrowing my mouth into a frown. Alisson continued however, ¡°You¡¯ll also develop a physique she might find more appealing.¡±


    I blushed and looked indignantly to Alisson. ¡°I¡¯m not into her! She¡¯s stupider than a sack of rocks and as reckless as a falling boulder! An idiotic brat like that is just going to get herself killed¡­¡±


    Alisson smiled gently at me. ¡°I understand. You must grow stronger if you wish to protect her.¡±


    I averted my eyes. I shouldn¡¯t even talk back to Alisson. He¡¯s been able to read me like an open book every time I do. But I guess I shouldn¡¯t be embarrassed when talking to Alisson about myself¡­He¡¯s my master now. He¡¯ll be guiding me for the foreseeable future. My apprenticeship could take years.


    ¡°You¡¯re a growing man, Marenix.¡± Alisson started. ¡°I was in the same boat at your age, slight of stature and on the¡­Let¡¯s say effeminate side ¨C you need to learn to embrace your masculinity regardless. It is something that takes long to refine and understand. It¡¯s something that I believe many forget about¡­It can be a flame to crush your enemies and protect your friends; or a flame of creativity, all the same as it motivates a man with unstoppable force.¡±


    I looked into the sandy ground as Alisson rambled. ¡°You don¡¯t provide a lot of specifics with your wisdom, master¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone is different, Marenix. Your solutions to the problems that life hands you will be different to mine, but there are general paths that I can point you toward. Of course, even these paths are ones I myself have taken ¨C There could be any number of other ways to look at something that may seem alien to us.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­what do you consider to be the one thing making you strong?¡±


    Alisson raised his brow at me. ¡°You mean in fighting strength? Or strength of spirit?¡±


    ¡°Combat.¡±


    Alisson sighed. ¡°The answers to both are complicated and multifaceted. But realistically, combat abilities are just repetition and experience. If you¡¯ve drilled and drilled for centuries you¡¯re going to have the edge on someone who hasn¡¯t¡­If you¡¯ve felled numerous opponents before, you¡¯re probably going to win against someone who hasn¡¯t. Most of the battles you encounter will be as simple to resolve as this ¨C Where two inexperienced men test their training and luck. However¡­Once you reach an apex of power, that is, matured, and face off against similarly matched opponents of veterancy ¨C That is where the technical side of combat I believe is expanded into a tree of possibilities and esoterics.¡±


    I sat digesting his words. Alisson has been mouthing off to me like this at every chance I¡¯m not physically straining myself. I can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve exactly internalized everything he¡¯s said, though.


    ¡°Esoterics?¡± I asked.


    Alisson shrugged. ¡°Techniques that are beyond simple swordplay tricks and the like¡­Like veteran bowmen using magic-imbued arrows, or swordsmen partaking in the blood of dragons to grow physically stronger. We know that these produce tangible results, but they aren¡¯t things that the common fighter will ever achieve or need. There¡¯s also techniques that may rend less tangible results, like partaking in a tribe¡¯s coming of age ritual, or seeking the blessing of a spirit ¨C These may not have an immediately obvious practical benefit.¡±


    I looked up at Alisson. ¡°I¡¯m guessing as a fighter so high up in the world¡­This realm is what you look to pursue.¡±


    Alisson nodded. ¡°Of course, keeping your body and swordplay in the best condition it can be is mandatory¡­But these esoteric techniques can¡¯t exactly be obtained with a simple stop at a store, the most that people ever get are one, after all. But, Marenix¡­I think you¡¯re rested enough. Another set, please.¡±


    Alisson tapped his thigh expectantly with a smile. I let out a groan and went back to feeling my body burn.


    ¡°Enjoy this time while you can, Marenix.¡± Alisson looked out across the forest. ¡°You may never know when you last live peacefully.¡±


    ¡­


    My apprentice was drowning before me. That was partly thanks to me.


    ¡°Master! I seriously can¡¯t swim anymore!¡±


    Ashlynde, in a swimsuit before me, was frantically trying to keep herself afloat in the water. I had brought her to a pond in a forest outside the capital, Alisson was probably nearby with his apprentice. He told me to just do whatever I thought would strengthen her body. So I ended up chaining a weight to both her legs. I¡¯m surprised she hasn¡¯t gone under yet.


    ¡°Master! Master!¡±


    The water was kicked up frantically as she panicked. She¡¯s been panicking for the past five minutes now, so I don¡¯t know when she¡¯ll start sinking for real. ¡°I¡¯m not going to jump in there with you unless you actually start drowning. I don¡¯t wanna wet my clothes.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe my master made up this training exercise just to see her apprentice in a swimsuit!¡±


    I did make it up. If it were up to me, I¡¯d make her swim in the nude, but Alisson told me not to be unnecessarily cruel.


    ¡°Shut up¡­¡± I rolled my eyes at her. ¡°If you still have air in your lungs enough to complain then you¡¯re fine¡­You know this pond has been used for decades to train apprentices like this¡­I wonder if there¡¯s a bunch of skeletons at the bottom of weak little girls like you¡­¡±


    A lie, but my apprentice didn¡¯t know any better.


    Ashlynde shrieked and tears started forming at her eyes as she paddled the water faster in an attempt to stay further away from the bottom of the pond. The body of water was actually surprisingly deep for how small in surface area it was.


    ¡°Master! You¡¯re cruel! Let me get out! I wanna leave!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you rest in a second.¡±


    ¡°You said that a couple minutes ago! Master!¡±


    Am I cruel? I¡¯ve never trained someone else before. Compared to real combat in the north against beasts and man, this is nothing. It all just feels so trivial. She¡¯s not in any danger at all ¨C She¡¯s not even feeling any pain from wounds. I remember the first time I was stabbed. I thought it was the worst thing in the world. Now, I know there¡¯s worse that can happen.


    My eyes lazily drifted to my apprentice. She doesn¡¯t know yet. I can¡¯t exactly force her to the brink of death to get her to wisen up, that¡¯d probably be too cruel ¨C Even if it was to ultimately save her.


    Finally, Ashlynde started to irreversibly sink into the water. ¡°Master! Master!¡± Her calls came out in shoddy breaths. I reached down into the water and pulled her tiny body up with a single hand, the heavy weights dangling off her legs. I gently placed her on the rocks, sighing.


    ¡°Good work I guess¡­¡±


    I muttered, looking over her exhausted body, as her chest heaved up and down. There seemed to be a piece of weed wrapped around her foot, so along with the weights, I took it off, staring at it quizzically.


    ¡°What¡­is it¡­master?¡± Ashlynde heaved between breaths.


    ¡°This vine here was going to pull you down into the water.¡±


    ¡°R-really!?¡±


    ¡°Well, over the course of years it would have.¡± I threw it into the water. ¡°It grows slowly on other plants from the depths, and it pulls them down gradually over a long time. You probably just kicked your foot into an existing vine, though.¡±


    ¡°What a weird plant¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of weird flora across the world, yeah.¡±


    We sat in an awkward silence for a while as Ashlynde panted.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Ashlynde said between breaths, ¡°Are you ever going to tell me about yourself and Alisson¡­?¡±


    I looked out across the forest. If I were to squint my brain would confuse the area with Freigat, and adrenaline would immediately seep into my bloodstream. I shook my head.


    ¡°Another time. When you¡¯re ready. We¡¯ll tell you everything when Alisson deems it right. I might not tell you everything right now, but I¡¯m not going to tell you falsehoods. It doesn¡¯t feel right to lie to kids like you.¡±


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡±


    She clearly didn¡¯t see.


    ***

 9. Inquisitorum

    Yeah. I¡¯m starting to realize just how weak my apprentice is. She can¡¯t even do three sets of upside-down crunches. Well, it''s better than not being able to do two like she was a couple days ago. We were in the Nuam proving ground, overcast clouds above blocked out the sun, it would be raining soon. Despite that, we were still training. Rather, me and Alisson were training our apprentices. Alisson gives me pointers when we¡¯re alone, and told me that I was as much learning how to be a master as Ashlynde was learning how to be useful.


    Ashlynde hung upside down in front of me, wheezing.


    ¡°Ninety-seven¡­¡±


    I counted, my arms crossed as she sputtered, her skin shining with sweat.


    ¡°Ninety-seven¡­¡±


    ¡°Wh-what!¡±


    She gasped.


    ¡°That one didn¡¯t count. You need to lift yourself all the way.¡± I replied, unamused.


    ¡°B-but master!¡± She sputtered, ¡°My bra is starting to slip off!¡±


    I eyed her top, it was true. I sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t have any boobs so you shouldn¡¯t be embarrassed about that. Instead, worry about getting some abs, then you might look more appealing to at least some males.¡±


    Ashlynde went loose halfway through her rep, gasping for breath. ¡°I never knew¡­that my master was such a pervert¡­¡±


    ¡°Excuse me apprentice?¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I NEVER KNEW THAT MY MASTER WAS SUCH A PERVERT!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it louder idiot!¡±


    I smacked her upside the head and she fell over into the sandy proving ground floor with a yelp.


    ¡°This is going splendidly, truly, it is¡­¡±


    Alisson muttered. He was standing a ways off, before a collapsed Marenix, who hadn¡¯t even done half the crunches Ashlynde had.


    ¡°It¡¯s been days and I haven¡¯t even laid a finger on a weapon! Master-!¡± Ashylnde pouted at me. ¡°Why are we just doing drills and footwork!¡±


    I sighed. ¡°You¡¯ll understand later. The basics come first for a reason.¡±


    Alisson gave me this same treatment when I was first his apprentice. I grew antsy as well, like Ashlynde. Alisson however entertained me a duel which I lost so badly I was put into a coma. I¡¯d like to humble my brat of an apprentice at some point, but beating them up right now would accomplish nothing ¨C We need to temper them first.


    Ashlynde opened her mouth, probably to whine, but was cut off by a familiar voice from behind me.


    ¡°Celis!¡± Oda shouted to get our attention, before muttering under her breath inaudibly, ¡°I see you¡¯re training with someone more your speed¡­¡± She closed in and continued, ¡°Celis ¨C It¡¯s Ukuri, she¡¯s¡­we¡¯ll she¡¯s not going to last much longer.¡± Oda said grimly as she paced toward us on the proving ground.


    The hell? Was she really that sick? I feel like I would¡¯ve known about it if that was the case. I furrowed my brow at Oda, but she continued, ¡°She wants to see you¡­She¡¯s in our old dorm room right now, come on.¡±


    Oda turned and whisked her hand, not waiting for my response.


    ¡°And why exactly should she be there if she¡¯s in such a bad condition?¡± Alisson questioned suddenly, stepping forward and crossing his arms.


    Oda sighed. ¡°That¡¯s just where she holds a lot of sentiment. I don¡¯t think you¡¯d understand, Alisson, you were never in an apprentice team like us if I¡¯m remembering correctly.¡±


    Alisson flashed a look at me, and I frowned at her. She¡¯s not even trying anymore. No Nekomata would address Alisson like that.


    ¡°Is it really so important that I should stop training right here and now?¡±


    Oda slowly turned at me, looking between me and Alisson. ¡°You¡¯re not a kid anymore, right Celis? You don¡¯t need your master¡¯s permission to see a friend before she dies.¡±


    I grit my teeth, suppressing a scowl. Alisson flashed another protective look at me.


    Will you-


    I¡¯ll be fine.


    I blew a burst of air through my nose and broke forward, much to Oda¡¯s delight. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll come. Ashlynde, you can have the rest of the day off.¡±


    ¡°W-what!?¡± I heard her yelp in confusion behind me.


    We had been running them ragged all day and night since their apprenticeships had begun without rest, her surprise at being given a break made me feel a little bad about it.


    ¡°I do need to settle our equipment for the day after tomorrow. Marenix, you¡¯re free as well.¡± Alisson adjusted his collar, eyeing me.


    As we walked away, Oda asked me, ¡°Who were those two kids you were with? They looked weak¡­you¡¯re his apprentice already so who are they?¡±


    I guess Oda didn¡¯t get the memo. She doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m no longer an apprentice and that I¡¯m now a 51<sup>st</sup> with my own apprentice. There were tons of prominent nobles and people at the party¡­I don¡¯t know how she didn¡¯t hear. I sighed.


    ¡°Just some kids who Alisson thought to give a few pointers to out of the goodness of his heart.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡±


    ¡­


    We walked down the halls of one of the dormitories for apprentices ¨C The one me, Oda, and Ukuri stayed in when we were a team. It was only a year ago that I was walking through these halls with starry eyes, not knowing anything about the world.


    Me and Oda walked in silence. It looks like she didn¡¯t have any small talk prepared in advance this time.


    The sky outside was cloudy and overcast ¨C It would be raining soon. Only gray poured through the windows, which progressively darkened over time. We soon reached our room, to which Oda motioned for me to enter first. I took a deep breath and opened the door. It was indeed our old room. On one of the beds lay a girl with cyan hair, her eyes gently closed and her skin pale. I walked up to the bed as I heard Oda shut the door behind me. The room was dark, with the curtains drawn, only a small light of gray lit the area.


    It was then that I realized that Ukuri was dead. I laid a hand on her forehead, frowning. A certain smell pricked my nose ¨C It was not Ukuri¡¯s corpse, it was something else. A familiar smell. One of a certain poison.


    So that¡¯s how it is.


    ¡°Celis¡­Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for someone like me to just walk up to the Alisson Vi Nuam¡­¡±


    I shifted Ukuri¡¯s hair gently. ¡°It¡¯s only dangerous if you¡¯re an enemy.¡±


    ¡°¡­What if I told you that your master¡­He killed your brother, Rickard. Is Alisson then not an enemy?¡±


    I shut my eyes. ¡°My brother died along with the rest of my family when the Regadonian Keep was razed. That was almost three decades ago. Alisson had nothing to do with it.¡±


    ¡°Celis, really¡­You don¡¯t have to play dumb anymore.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± I stared into Ukuri¡¯s face while Oda crept closer to my backside. I¡¯m sorry Ukuri. I should¡¯ve known.


    ¡°¡­Unless you mean to tell me that you didn¡¯t know that your master killed Rickard Aud Regadonia not months ago¡­¡±


    I looked up into the ceiling. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of heretics in this world. It could¡¯ve been anyone.¡±


    Oda suddenly broke out into a laugh. ¡°That¡¯s right Celis¡­Anyone!¡± She grabbed me from behind, restraining my arms. ¡°It won¡¯t take me long to cut a hole right into your spine from here, Celis¡­¡±


    I let her speak.


    ¡°¡­If you want to live, you need to pick your words very carefully, Celis, and answer me truthfully¡­¡± She spoke with a small smile, like in some sadistic sense this act of holding my life in her hands gave her pleasure. ¡°Rickard Aud Regadonia. Did you see your master kill him?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Oda clicked her tongue. ¡°Do you have any idea who Alisson fought and killed!? Rickard was a powerful man! Their fight should¡¯ve split the very earth apart! You¡¯re telling me you didn¡¯t see anything!?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Oda growled. ¡°You must¡¯ve seen Alisson fight all those months being his little dog ¨C You¡¯re going to tell me everything about it, his weaknesses, trump cards, everything!¡±


    Her grip on my tightened. Even after her declaration of intent to kill me, she must not think I¡¯m too dangerous because she didn¡¯t even have her dagger drawn to do it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He never really did anything special, and he never lost or had any short comings.¡±


    I felt Oda¡¯s grip shake. ¡°You¡¯re useless! Useless until the very end! You¡¯ve always just been an empty-headed idiot! Blindly following Sidonia! Your entire family was killed and yet-! You¡¯re nothing like Rickard!¡±


    ¡°Is that a bad thing?¡±


    Oda fell silent. ¡°You¡¯re useless. You won¡¯t be able to do anything to save your life¡­¡±


    After a moment of silence, Oda continued. ¡°So I¡¯ll just put you out of your ignorant existence now¡­and avenge Rickard.¡± She whispered into my ear.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to kill me, just like this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Oda leaned into my ear. ¡°Are you going to plead for your life? I¡¯ll hear you out, really, I will. Say it. Beg for that one thing you want¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°There¡¯s one thing I want¡­¡±


    ¡°And that is¡­?¡± Oda smiled sadistically.


    I flipped Oda over my shoulder and swung her into the wall. The wall cracked and exploded, bits of debris flying through the room. I grabbed hold of Oda¡¯s throat and slammed her weak body into the floor with the same force. Within the blink of an eye, Oda was on the floor, at my mercy. Blood fell from her mouth, her internal organs were probably damaged, and she might¡¯ve been paralyzed due to the blows to her spine.


    Her body is so frail and weak. It¡¯s really a shame Ukuri was killed by a rat like you.


    Oda could only sputter as my grip on her neck tightened.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to die. For being a heretic. For poisoning Ukuri. For even thinking to hurt my mate.¡±


    Her hazy eyes widened and she sputtered in my grip.


    ¡°I killed the kind of the beast that secretes the poison you used on Ukuri while I was in the north. I know its smell.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°You might not be stupid, Oda, but you aren¡¯t smart either.¡±


    I rose a hand over her face and tightened my fingers audibly into a fist. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you suffer and die.¡±


    Oda trembled in my grip, and mouthed breathlessly, ¡°W-wait-!¡±


    I threw my fist down. It crashed with explosive force, shaking the floor. Oda¡¯s eyes were clamped tight, and her chest rose, hyperventilating. I could smell a faint trace of ammonia from her. She was still alive, because my fist hadn¡¯t hit her.


    It hit the ground right near Oda¡¯s cheek, where the stone floor now bore a crater the shape of my fist.


    ¡°¡­But why would I give you the mercy of a quick death?¡± I asked her rhetorically.


    I took a deep inhale, and at shouted at the top of my voice,


    ¡°Inquisitors!¡±


    I looked down at her with a smile. Her eyes were wide, and she was shivering.


    If she wasn¡¯t a conniving heretic who had answered to Rickard and killed Ukuri, she would¡¯ve looked like a terrified girl, worthy of pity and mercy. Letting go of her, I stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the inquisitors will love to have you. You can tell them all the weaknesses you think Alisson has.¡±


    Apparently, Oda wasn¡¯t paralyzed because she started to try to inch away toward the door. She had trouble breathing all the while, her lungs were probably popped or something. I slammed my foot down on her shin with just enough force to stop her from getting away, and then, I waited.


    All the while Oda started to cry and beg between breaths. She even activated her Opensen. I don¡¯t know if it was the first time she ever used it ¨C As they tended to come out in moments of extreme emotion ¨C Or if it was some last ditch attempt to fight back. Her tails raced up to attack me. I grabbed onto one and twisted it, hearing a crunch as Oda squealed in pain. The other I grabbed, examining for a moment, before bending it and hearing it snap; I dropped it to the floor, it lay there lifelessly, bent.


    It was a useful ability we had, but one that could easily just become a weakness. Looking over at her tails, I remember when I saw Alisson restrained; how I saw his tails ripped from his body. I heard the sound that they made in doing so. I looked over at the two feline ears now on her head. I remembered another time when Alisson¡¯s ears were grabbed crushed, and then pulled from his head.


    They recovered of course, and now no one will ever know that he suffered like that. Oda should be grateful she only feels this level of pain.


    She eventually passed out; her body probably couldn¡¯t have sustained the pain she was in from my first two blows. Weakling.


    The inquisitors soon arrived thereafter. They would always come should you call from anywhere in the city. One of them stepped into the room, their massive frame and gray clad attire eating up all the light from the outside. They wore alien helmets and didn¡¯t say a word the whole time. I lifted my foot off of Oda¡¯s shin and pointed at her.


    ¡°Odariss Fael is a heretic. She threatened my life after luring me here. She also poisoned apprentice Ukuri Sauzban. She intended to use me as a pawn to assassinate Alisson Vi Nuam and to extract information from me. I¡¯m sure she has much knowledge about the heresy in the city. I swear the truthfulness of this statement by my rank as a 51<sup>st</sup> and as the former apprentice of Alisson Vi Nuam.¡±


    With that, I sentenced Oda to untold weeks of torture before an eventual execution. I flashed a look of scorn at her as the inquisitor silently lifted her limp body.


    I don¡¯t know if Oda was so stupid as to not realize how many lies I told, or if I was really just that convincing.


    ***

 10. Bonsai Duel

    So, Oda had been a heretic all along. Alisson was hardly surprised. The kind of esoteric behavior that she displayed rarely came from a Nekomata¡¯s personality alone. He had followed Celis from a distance to be safe, but evidently Oda grossly underestimated her.


    Regardless, he instructed Celis not to tell anyone about the incident, even the apprentices. This was common with most heretic activity, but Alisson especially wanted to remain under the radar. Of course, he had to later instruct Celis on how to pen a report to High Command about her side of the story and all events pertaining to Oda that Celis had witnessed. Well, it was behind them now. Tomorrow, they would depart for the Queendom.


    Firstly however, Alisson was to take Lady Salchyon up on her duel.


    ¡°Are you really sure about this, Alis? You know your father will be furious if he learns that the Nuam heir lost to the Salchyon heir¡­And Lord Salchyon all the same if you win¡­¡±


    Daventdale asked concernedly before Alisson entered the arena.


    Such duels between powerhouses were rare. Alisson needed to make the most of this. He made sure that him and Louise fought in as public of an area as possible. There was a proving ground owned by the Salchyon house that hosted a large enough arena, with seating to boot. It wasn¡¯t as grandiose as the ones they had in human lands, it could barely seat more than a few hundred people. Sidonia wasn¡¯t one for entertainment spectacles on the daily.


    Regardless of the paucity of seating, word would get around fast of the outcome of the fight.


    With one last deep breath, Alisson stepped into the arena. This was not a matter of life or death. Just a simple spar. That¡¯s all. He wore his typical white cloak and the usual armor under it, and had chosen a common rapier. He had nothing else. No items, extra weapons, and he most definitely wouldn¡¯t use his Bacilla. This was by no means a real fight. He wouldn¡¯t even carry extra knives he typically used for throwing.


    The crowd roared as he entered. Louise was already waiting in the center, leaning on a voulge, smirking at him. She was adorned in large plate armor, among the heaviest of armor in the world. Alisson looked quite lacking by comparison. Her armor and blonde hair shined in the sunlight, her blue eyes catching the gleam of the sky. Celis was in the crowd, but he couldn¡¯t spot her anywhere.


    ¡°So Alis¡­Finally man enough to face me after all these months¡­I know you wanted a public setting, but this is way not your style!¡±


    Louise said with a smile. Alisson didn¡¯t bother to reply and drew his rapier, sinking into his stance, with his blade over his elbow.


    Once the fight commenced, both sides turned into a blur. Louise may have been adorned with that armor of hers, but she moved just as fast as Alisson. They clashed several times within the first few seconds, sparks flying as his rapier collided with her voulge and armor. Alisson didn¡¯t try to pull anything fancy, he would just hold his own.


    And that is what he did. Louise rushed him down numerous times, and Alisson retreated, sometimes with a parry but never riposting. This continued for a long while as both sides had no fancy tools or techniques to show. The audience started to get visibly bored with the display, some even booing. Louise¡¯s stupid quips seemed to do little to entertain them throughout.


    Once Louise concluded the fight had reached its climax, if such a monotonous display could¡¯ve had one, she gave a demon¡¯s smile, and a rush of steam escaped the folds in her armor, before the plates of her armor fell from her body. She was left only in a black gambeson, as she rushed toward Alisson. Her speed had nearly tripled, and Alisson was quickly overwhelmed. It was her signature trump card; one that the crowds had seen many times before.


    Quickly, Alisson was worn down physically, and grew exhausted. Alisson saw fit to use his Opensen now ¨C With a flash of light, feline ears and two feline tails now appeared on his body. This seemed to do little however, as the onslaught from Louise, who hadn¡¯t even used her own manifestation, still controlled the flow of the battle.


    That wasn¡¯t to say all Nekomata had their manifestations at their beck and call, but Louise was certainly one of them ¨C She simply didn¡¯t need the boost in vitality that they provided at this moment.


    He found himself on his ass not long after, her voulge pointed at his face.


    The crowd roared, with both cheers from those who preferred Louise to win and boos from those who had been betting on Alisson.


    ¡°And with that I think it¡¯s clear for everyone to see!¡± Louise stuck her voulge into the ground and loudly declared to the crowd: ¡°Demons are stronger than fairies!¡±


    She said, a hand motioning to Alisson. He rubbed his head with a frown, but his eyes showed no traces of anger. Louise looked to him, and continued quieter, ¡°At least, that¡¯s what you said I should say¡­I still think its dumb!¡±


    Nobody but Alisson could¡¯ve possibly heard her over the drone of the crowd. He looked to the watchers, and how they looked on back at him with faces of disappointment and surprise; That the great Alisson Vi Nuam, would be such a weak and boring opponent.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡­


    Later in the day, Alisson made his way to the Rolaign¡¯s armory to retrieve the gear he would be personally using for the mission. At one of the kiosks, an attendant passed over to him the items that he had requested, or rather, been allowed, to use. Among them, a simple gambeson, and a ¡®defensive¡¯ armament. It was a folding blade of sorts. Alisson stared at the oddly shaped weapon quizzically.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry milord, but this is the best we could do¡­¡±


    The Nekomata behind the bars of the kiosk spoke softly. It was late in the day, and there weren¡¯t many there.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Alisson shook his head. ¡°I was expecting something less than a dagger ¨C you have done me a great service¡­¡±


    It was the truth. Alisson wasn¡¯t expecting any sort of actual weapon, but it looked like someone in the armory division was looking out for him. This weapon looked custom made for the occasion ¨C By folding like it did, it technically complied with the standards laid out for grade one items, while still being a blade of sufficient length. Of course, it was still less than ideal ¨C The random rapier Alisson had used for the duel earlier in the day was more desirable.


    Even then, nothing was comparable to the weapon he had used whilst in the north ¨C One that he had been forced into handing back to armory, where no one else would even have the affinity to use it. Alisson sighed, attaching it to the back of his hip; He would just have to make do.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He bobbed his head and made his way back to the Nuam compound. Marenix had been waiting for him outside.


    ¡°Master¡­You dueled Lady Salcyhon earlier in the day?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    Marenix averted his eyes while they walked.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything to either me or Ashlynde then?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that important.¡± Alisson gruffly replied. Marenix¡¯s eyes widened at him. ¡°Just be happy that you had some time off. You¡¯re ready for tomorrow, I hope?¡±


    Marenix bobbed his head. ¡°Yes, master. It¡¯ll be the first time I¡¯ll have gone so far from the homeland but...I¡¯m ready.¡±


    The cloudy sky above started to rain slightly and after some time, Marenix once more probed him, ¡°But master¡­you¡­lost. To Lady Salchyon. Isn¡¯t that¡­a bad thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very bad. I¡¯ll certainly be losing sleep over it.¡± Alisson replied blankly.


    Marenix, his apprentice, was certainly far faster to question Alisson than Celis was when she was his apprentice. But that was a good thing. Marenix seemed to have spent far too long babysitting the more na?ve Ashlynde. He was certainly mature for his age, but he was still inexperienced.


    Marenix furrowed his brow in response at Alisson.


    ¡°Word has already spread far, master¡­They say you and Louise made top-tier fighting about as interesting as a Kitsune tending a bonsai¡­Wouldn¡¯t that hurt your reputation a lot? Won¡¯t it make people think you¡¯re weak¡­?¡±


    Alisson smirked at Marenix, ¡°Yes, yes it would.¡± Before looking blankly away. ¡°We¡¯ll be in the Queendom soon. You don¡¯t have to think about politics or reputations while we¡¯re out and about, apprentice. Just worry about staying alive.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, master.¡±


    Despite responding in the affirmative, Alisson could still see Marenix stealing wary glances at him out of the corners of his vision.


    He would tell him everything in due time, but this wasn¡¯t the time or place for that.


    ¡­


    Rain hounded his room¡¯s windows as Alisson was awoken by a storm early in the morning. Celis, sleeping beside him blissfully, was the first thing he saw. After petting her for a while, he arose, seeking to wash his face with some water.


    Today was the day they would depart for the Queendom. Alisson would leave the safety and familiarity of his homeland once more. It all seemed so trivial now after his last voyage. This was just a simple, childish task in comparison. Despite this, he felt void in his stomach from traveling away from his home, an irrational fear. Faraway places had been dangerous to him before, so certainly they were going to be dangerous again; Something along that line of reasoning.


    Alisson looked into the mirror before him after dashing water on his face. His torso seemed ever so slightly more tone and large than it was a year ago, but that might have just been his imagination.


    He stared grimly into his own eyes, concentrating on them, as to lose focus in the rest of his face.


    He suddenly saw the face of his older sister in that mirror. A woman with long, yellowed hair like his own. He could only briefly meet her gaze before he averted his eyes, his heart pumping and adrenaline wafting into his bloodstream. He doused more water on his face, and the visage disappeared. He took a deep breath, listening to the rain falling against the keep.


    The sun had barely risen, he could still sleep in for a while longer. He deftly slipped back into the sheets with Celis, which over time calmed his beating heart, and his quivering body.


    ...


    ¡°Welcome aboard! I swear on my ship and crew we¡¯ll get you to Ahvaratsu in one piece!¡±


    Maerene, the captain of the Machavelli, declared proudly before the apprentices and other passengers that hadn¡¯t ever met her. Their trip from Sidonia to the harpy capital had been uneventful, and now, they were to set off. In Alisson¡¯s entourage were a great deal of powerful specialists.


    Those in the dark about the power of the Machavelli were dubious that some ¡®Marene Ad Maccu¡¯ and an unknown ship could really weather the seas to their destination. Alisson had to assure them that yes, Marene and the Machavelli, although obscure and fresh onto the Sidonian naval board, were indeed competent. Of course, Alisson knew nothing of naval warfare, but a word from him was enough to temper the party.


    As the Machavelli left port, him and Celis stood near the bow of the ship, feeling the sea winds rush against them.


    ¡°We¡¯re going back out again¡­¡± Celis murmured.


    Alisson smiled gingerly at her, and put a hand on her head, petting her while no one was around. ¡°This time won¡¯t last as long as before, I promise.¡±


    Celis smiled back.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get the ball rolling while we¡¯re away.¡± Alisson stopped petting her and looked grimly into the horizon. ¡°With every action we take we¡¯ll float further down the stream. Eventually the current will be so strong that we won¡¯t be able to go back.¡±


    Celis peered up at him. ¡°But this is the only way, right?¡±


    Alisson shook his head. ¡°There are other ways¡­¡± His eyes suddenly sharpened. ¡°But those would require that we give up our dignity as independent living beings. We¡¯ll make our own choices. We¡¯ll take our own risks. We¡¯ll undo what the world has wrought.¡±


    ***


    <hr>


    End Movement 0

 11. Ahvaratsus Mischief

    Movement 1: The Kitsune Queendom


    It all just feels like a waste of time, doesn''t it?


    <hr>


    The Machavelli bobbed in the gentle waters of the morning sea, anchored close to the coast of the Queendom. On the shore was a large forest, which easily concealed an operation to move cargo off the ship and onto the land. Several rowboats made trips back and forth. Alisson and Ardinand both watched from the deck of the Machavelli. They would be parting ways here.


    ¡°Will you be alright, Nuam? The city will be dangerous, you¡¯ll be out in the open, exposed¡­I read the guidelines about you, you won¡¯t have any weapons or armor, and only one fresh inductee from your 51<sup>st</sup>¡­¡±


    Ardinand looked over at Alisson concernedly, his arms crossed. Ardinand was a man who resembled Alisson¡¯s, some might say ¡®princely¡¯ looks, but his browned hair and red eyes marked him as one of the Arquis bloodline, like his younger brothers. He and Alisson¡¯s resemblances stopped at their positions and aesthetics, however.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll have Celistine with me. She¡¯s more than a match for any manner of rogue kitsune or Irinian scum.¡±


    Alisson responded, feeling the cold wind of the sea blow at his face. Ardinand sighed.


    ¡°There are some bigshots in the area, you know that as well as I do¨C the Crimson Swordsman comes to mind. And they say Sir Remis is on station at the border to the Queendom right now¡­Who knows what other heavy hitters might be lurking.¡± Ardinand shook his head. ¡°Just remember, you won¡¯t be alone in Ahvaratsu. My group will be nearby, just call if hell turns up early.¡±


    Alisson looked on at the couple dozen men that had departed the Machavelli, under Ardinand¡¯s command. They were the majority of Sidonian military assets being sent to the Queendom; The remaining manpower consisted of himself and Celis, and their apprentices. That was all. This separate team would make their way into the city unannounced, while another group of envoys would enter from the port. This was not something any side in the conflict knew about. If the Queen learnt that Sidonia was sneaking in a hardened platoon of fighters complete with heavy equipment, there¡¯d be a scandal. Ardinand had brought with him fighters of the 56<sup>th</sup>, and some of his personal guards.


    ¡°And Alisson, keep Marenix safe for me, will you?¡±


    Alisson gently smiled and bobbed his head.


    Ardinand departed shortly after, and the Machavelli rose its anchors to start its final sail toward Ahvaratsu, the Kitsune Queendom¡¯s capital.


    ¡­


    The docks were ablaze with activity. Ships came and went, unloading and loading both people and goods. I¡¯d never seen such a hustle and bustle before¡­Sidonia doesn¡¯t have any ports of this size.  The trip here was uneventful. Me and Ashlynde finally drilled using weapons with our masters, but with the rocking ship, it was hard to keep my footing at first. The crew was quiet and solemn the whole journey.


    But we¡¯re finally here. Sun beamed on my face from the clear blue sky. Sea birds flew overhead, and a din of voices and industrial noises filled the area. I could spot deeper into the city the unique Kitsune architecture, the signature pagodas and red bricks most of all. All around there were Kitsune, people who had on their heads large, fluffy fox ears. On their backs swayed a varying numbers of fluffy tails, most had only a few, though.


    Departing the Machavelli in a large group were the envoys sent by Sidonia, and those assigned to guard them, being me, Ashlynde, and our masters. Of course, it¡¯s not like one could look at our party and immediately know our affiliations; it¡¯s not like we wore insignias of Sidonia or anything, but we didn¡¯t take steps to hide our faces either.


    Almost immediately after setting foot on the docks however¡­


    ¡°Alisson! Over here!¡±


    A particular Kitsune with orangey hair and large, devious red eyes ran toward us. I looked to my master worriedly,


    ¡°Do you know her¡­?¡±


    Alisson sighed with a small smile. ¡°Yes. She¡¯s an old friend.¡±


    As she approached, I realized she had seven tails, the most I¡¯d seen thus far.


    ¡°Hi there! Oh, it¡¯s been too long you two!¡±


    She embraced both Celistine and Alisson in a hug, which they reciprocated, albeit not as energetically.


    ¡°I was assigned as your guide here in Ahvaratsu.¡± She looked to the rest of the unamused diplomats, and curtsied, lifting the hem of her hakama. ¡°I am Tsuharane of the Areni clan. But you can just call me Tsuhara.¡±


    The kitsune led our entourage into the city proper. I listened intently to her descriptions of the various buildings and shrines we passed; some were hundreds of years old. The streets were wide and filled with activity. Most of the residents were Kitsune, but I could make out the occasional human here and there, but no other kinds of people.


    Tsuhara led us to where we¡¯d be staying for the duration of our visit. A district in the city was cordoned off for governmental affairs, and a large building within seemed to play host as an embassy. We had the whole top floor to ourselves.


    The entourage of Sidonians was quick to disperse, spreading out to their individual rooms, some already departing to meet with notable figures in the city.


    As soon as we were alone with Tsuhara, her tone changed drastically.


    ¡°Political theater is such a bother sou¡­¡± She let out a sigh, her shoulder¡¯s slackening. ¡°Surely you two are all dirtied-up from the ship-ride, are you free? Let¡¯s go to a bath! And who are these two kids you¡¯ve got following you around¡­You two didn¡¯t get busy as soon as you left me in Daigoro, did you?¡±


    The ¡®sou¡¯ seemed to be some kind of enclitic or catchphrase I wasn¡¯t familiar with.


    ¡°This is Marenix and Ashlynde, they¡¯re our new apprentices. Please treat them with the same courtesy you would us.¡± Alisson spoke for us. ¡°And yes, we¡¯ll take you up on your offer.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­apprentices¡­¡±


    Tsuhara eyed me up and down. I felt her eyes touch every part of my body and I felt a shiver run down my spine. She gave a quick lick at her lips after looking me over.


    ¡°Cute boys tend to mass in packs, I see¡­How many of you will there be by next year?¡±


    Alisson sighed. ¡°You can ignore her, Marenix. It¡¯s safe to do so most of the time.¡±


    I felt a blush on my face, and once I realized it, I covered my cheeks. It was a strange feeling I¡¯d never felt¡­No one had ever called me cute before. Something deep within me wanted to interact with Tsuhara more, but I followed in Alisson¡¯s footsteps and remained stoic as best I could. We walked out into the city, mostly in silence. It was a little scary. They were supposed to be old friends, so why were Alisson and Celis not speaking with Tsuhara in public? Well, they were, here and there, but it was about such mundane and boring things that I tuned them out. I watched the walls of the city pass me by as we walked.


    On them were posters, rather legal notices, speaking of shrines being closed down, and certain Kitsune customs being met with legal fines if done in public.


    We arrived at a bathhouse that Tsuhara is apparently a regular at. Kitsune have a very strong bathing culture, even I know that. There are tons more baths of varying types here in Kitsune cities than in Sidonia¡­Hygiene here is a pass time, whereas in Sidonia it¡¯s more like a duty. I can¡¯t say I dislike the idea. Tsuhara, being someone high up in Kitsune society, got us a private bathing room.


    That was another thing unique to the Kitsune, their baths were public and social. Of course, we Nekomata are pretty much the opposite, so I think it was courtesy that Tsuhara got a private room. But that still means that I was left with the conundrum before me¡­


    I was shaking nervously next to Alisson in the men¡¯s changing room. It was just us here, but¡­I have to¡­strip? Here? I¡¯ll be nude in front of A-Ashlynde? I was frozen, my mind a mess. My prudish Nekomata brain couldn¡¯t comprehend it. Alisson, noticing my trembling, let out a sigh, and threw a nearby towel over my head.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can use one of these.¡±


    Alisson, my savior! My angel! ¡°T-thank you¡­master!¡±


    ¡°I was just like you not a year ago, Marenix.¡± Alisson averted his eyes from me, frowning. ¡°I understand how you¡¯re feeling, and innocence is a good thing that should be a preserved, but¡­There are lines dividing practicality and triviality that once we look at through unfiltered lenses, are stupid to worry about.¡±


    I peered up to Alisson, feeling that he was about to talk at me for a while. I wrapped the towel around myself and then started stripping off my clothes slowly as he spoke.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°You are born nude. Animals all around the world are nude. Think of the raw power that your body can exert, the techniques it can employ; the ingenuity of your nude brain to use tools and to adapt¡­in a battle of life and death, it matters not if someone can see you nude¡­What matters is that they can see how you¡¯ve refined your body, reflected in its muscles, its shape, and speed; And there¡¯s no shame in being proud of it therein if you¡¯d like to.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­Are you a nudist, master?¡±


    Alisson¡¯s eyes widened and he shook his head. ¡°No. There are very good reasons socially why we use clothes to cover ourselves. It¡¯s a factor of social cohesion, a string in the embroidery of society. I¡¯m just telling you that¡­Here in a situation like this, with people you like¡­Ashlynde, that is¡­it¡¯s okay to not be ashamed of yourself.¡±


    You could just tell me that instead of going on long winded rants, but thanks for the affirmations anyway, master.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try¡­¡±


    Alisson started to thus strip like me, and I couldn¡¯t help but peer over at him. I had imagined Alisson as being either super ripped or totally skinny but¡­he¡¯s actually just somewhere in the middle. I mean, I guess that makes sense¡­


    My eyes lowered and I looked back down at myself, and then back to Alisson, and then back at myself. My face started to grow red again.


    ¡°Something wrong, apprentice?¡±


    Alisson tilted his head blankly, his eyes as innocent as an angel.


    ¡°No, nothing...¡±


    I looked down and resolved not to look at Alisson anymore, tightening the grip on my protective towel.


    ¡­


    ¡°Wow! You¡¯re developing in all the right places Celi-sou!¡±


    Tsuhara said, not even waiting for me to take off my clothes before saying that.


    ¡°Shut up, stupid fox¡­You didn¡¯t even see me the last time we bathed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to see to notice the way you carry yourself¡­it¡¯s totally different! You and Alisson really must¡¯ve¨C¡±


    ¡°Shut up...! I¡¯ll hit you.¡±


    Tsuhara shrugged smugly. ¡°All I can say is: I¡¯m disappointed I didn¡¯t get there first.¡±


    Ashlynde, between the two of us, looked on blankly.


    ¡°Er¡­What are you two talking about?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? We¡¯re talking about se-!¡±


    I smacked Tsuhara upside the head.


    She fell over, chuckling to herself. ¡°Ow¡­! There¡¯s no need to take your anger out on me¡­¡±


    ¡°She does that to me too¡­¡± Ashlynde mumbled.


    ¡°Anger over what?¡± I asked, irritated.


    ¡°Anger that stems from your tiny, small, petite, miniscule breasts!¡±


    I rolled my eyes at her. She was bigger than me. Big deal.


    I should¡¯ve taken Alisson¡¯s lead in ignoring Tsuhara¡­Talking with her is just a way to make me look like a fool in front of my apprentice. Speaking of which¡­


    Before Tsuhara could stand, I quickly wrapped a towel around her.


    ¡°W-what¡¯s this for?¡±


    ¡°Master¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°U-uh¡­okay¡­¡±Ashlynde quickly submitted to my will.


    Tsuhara was quick to object however, ¡°A towel? In a bath!? That¡¯s like using a fork to eat instead of chopsticks! You gotta do it right¡­¡±


    She slipped behind Ashlynde, about to disrobe her when I grabbed her by the scruff of her little conniving neck.


    ¡°Stay away from my apprentice.¡± I growled.


    I don¡¯t want this stupid fox seeing my Ashlynde in the nude.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? We¡¯re all girls here¡­And those two boys are basically girls too¡­But whatever, suit yourself, Nekomata¡­¡±


    She looked on demeaningly. I¡¯d like to see her try some sort of Nekomata custom that makes her embarrassed¡­Like¡­What do we even do? Drink coffee? I wasn¡¯t ever taught anything like culture. Just how to contribute to our fratello and Sidonia. I¡¯ll have to ask Alisson.


    ¡­


    Alisson and his apprentice sat in the bath quietly, clearly hearing the women shouting before they entered. The two apprentices sat nervously stealing glances at each other; The sight was quite adorable. Alisson suddenly realized that him and Celis probably looked the exact same in months prior.


    However, once they were in the bath properly, the mood in the air changed drastically.


    ¡°So, why are you Sidonians really here?¡± Tsuhara asked, her face straight.


    ¡°I would rather we relay Sidonia¡¯s intent directly to the Queen¡­But as I understand it, there¡¯s a long waiting period¡­¡± Alisson responded.


    Tsuhara nodded briskly. ¡°I¡¯ll put in a word to get you a meeting with her as soon as they can manage. But for now, I¡¯ll have to be your humble courier, you must understand.¡±


    Alisson closed his eyes. ¡°Officially, we¡¯re here to negotiate trade deals with the Irine Principality¡¯s trading partners in the coming event that the Queendom as a nation ceases to exist.¡±


    Tsuhara¡¯s face darkened. Alisson continued slowly, ¡°In truth, we¡¯re here to cleanse this city of them. High Command believes that by severing the head of the Irinian snake in the Queendom, we will halt their integration at large of your people. At least for a time.¡±


    ¡°¡­Just the four of you? Unless those lame-looking ambassadors were really shinobi or something, I don¡¯t think you have the numbers for that¡­They control the city, Alisson.¡±


    Alisson glanced at the two apprentices, tepidly listening as steam rose from the wooden bath. He figured it didn¡¯t matter to have them here for this. Alisson agreed to come here for a reason.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware. They have some embassies and barracks here and there. We¡¯ll flatten them in due time.¡±


    Tsuhara shook her head angrily. ¡°No! You don¡¯t get it. It¡¯s not just a couple buildings and a group of humans here¡­They¡¯ve implanted themselves in our society¡­Degenerate nightclubs, the tearing down of our shrines, the banning of our traditions, an influx of migrant humans! Already they have collaborators all throughout the Queen¡¯s cabinet, and most of the trade associations are controlled by them¡­Irine is behind it all. We even have to praise Prince Iridide just to be ¡®inclusive¡¯ with the Irinians¡­The Queen is not like the Lady Sidonia¡­that¡¯s to say she can¡¯t push back against this anymore.¡±


    Alisson was silent for a long while. ¡°I see. I assumed the two sides were on equal footing at the very least.¡±


    Tsuhara looked into the water with a frown. ¡°We¡¯re losing the war. Culturally, economically, there¡¯s so many human norms that are just common now here¡­¡± She looked up to Alisson, ¡°Surely you understand how we loyalists feel...No, we¡¯re not loyalists, we¡¯re just normal Kitsune! Real Kitsune! They¡¯re the ones labeling us loyalists! Like we¡¯re supporting some dictatorial Queen and we¡¯re terrorists or something¡­They want to tear down the monarchy, oust the Queen¡­But that¡¯s how we¡¯ve lived for generations¡­¡±


    Tsuhara started to shake. ¡°Ever since coming back from my mission to Daigoro, it¡¯s been so demoralizing! My own clan¡¯s shrine was turned into a warehouse for Irinian arms!¡± She clenched her fist. Tears started welling in her eyes. ¡°They can¡¯t do this! This country is for us¡­for Kitsune! I don¡¯t care if all these humans are coming here seeking a better life, they¡¯re doing so at the expense of the thousands of years of our labor and work to improve this land!¡±


    Alisson frowned. He hadn¡¯t seen Tsuhara break down like this before. Alisson opened his arms, and motioned for Tsuhara to come closer. Seeing this, Tsuhara shifted forward and fell into Alisson¡¯s embrace. He let her cry into his shoulder for a while, caressing the back of her head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t begin to understand how it feels to see your people come to this.¡± Alisson spoke softly. ¡°But it¡¯s okay, Tsuhara. We¡¯ll get rid of them. All of them.¡±


    A long few moments passed in silence. He understood how she felt; returning your home only to find it suddenly so alien and wrong.


    She leaned away, and looked into Alisson¡¯s eyes. ¡°But there¡¯s only four of you¡­and two of you are just¡­¡± She looked over at Ashlynde and Marenix. ¡°Useless apprentices¡­You can¡¯t hope to dismantle such a deeply rooted parasite¡­even if you manage to pull it off, you might end up damaging the host as well.¡±


    Alisson bobbed his head. ¡°Trust me. I might not know exactly how things will play out here, but I swear on my name that by the end of it, the Kitsune will have their sovereignty, and their dignity.¡±


    Tsuhara looked into the water with a small smile. ¡°I can rest assured then, surely sou¡­¡±


    With Celis pouting at him, he gently pushed Tsuhara away from him. Tsuhara leaned back, lifting up her hand and clenching and unclenching it. ¡°I should¡¯ve thought to check just what kind of package Celi-sou has to work with¡­¡± Her eyes shifted over to Marenix, ¡°Did he impress you?¡±


    She was probably saying that to get them to forget about her crying and lighten the mood a little. Alisson sighed.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Marenix reluctantly opened his mouth to answer, but Alisson was faster,


    ¡°Playful your intentions may be, and as much as me and Celis are fine with it¡­Our apprentices may not find the same belittlement of physical structure as something to be disregarded.¡±


    Tsuhara looked at Alisson, furrowing her mouth. ¡°You could just tell me not to make fun of them, but you still put things oh-so eloquently when you¡¯re embarrassed, sou¡­¡±


    The rest of the bath was uneventful, barring Tsuhara¡¯s lecherous manner. He was pretty sure Tsuhara was a virgin, so he didn¡¯t know why she carried herself like that.


    A year earlier, Alisson would¡¯ve thought that bathing with his apprentices and some fox was abhorrent, as such lower creatures shouldn¡¯t have the privilege to gaze upon him or share the same body of water. Now, it all mattered so little to him.


    ¡­


    After eating out with Tsuhara, we parted ways with her and made our way to the embassy. That whole bath was probably the most uncomfortable I¡¯ve been in my entire life. That stupid fox only made things more embarrassing for me, at times even Ashlynde played along with her. I asked Alisson afterwards why he even decided to take her up on the offer, to which he responded that there were certainly worse places to have a private conversation. So, I guess it was a matter of my master and Tsuhara speaking privately; they must be cautious because of the separatists.


    ¡°Hello there, Alisson Vi Nuam! I¡¯m Captain Versatsu, I¡¯ll be keeping you and yours safe over your stay ¨C So just come to me if you ever have any problems!¡±


    A booming kitsune introduced themselves as we entered the building. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man. He was apparently the captain of the city guard. Along with him were a couple other kitsune who would be guarding the embassy to keep us safe. Again, it seemed to be a defense that was in place because of the separatists.


    Hmph. I smirked. I¡¯m a VIP.


    Moving on, we found our rooms and got acquainted. It quickly became evident that me and Ashlynde would be sharing a room here¡­But compared to sharing a bath, sleeping in two separate beds was far easier.


    ¡­


    With him and Celis finally getting some privacy, he could get down to business. They both lay in bed, talking quietly.


    ¡°Our objective here is simple. I want to meet the Queen.¡±


    ¡°To get her on your side?¡± Celis tepidly responded.


    ¡°Yes, to get her on my side. Well, and to seek the Moonlight Cannon. I believe I can put the technique to use in ways the Kitsune would think unorthodox. There¡¯s also the matter of the spirit that lives in one of the shrines here, if possible, I¡¯d like to meet with them. There¡¯s any number of boons they may grant us once they learn of our intentions.¡±


    Alisson remembered his last encounters with spirits. They were small, peculiar things, hosting swaths of old knowledge and tools, and all bearing child-like appearances. The ones Alisson had met were above all else lonely ¨C He didn¡¯t know if the one living here in a shrine would be like that. That was to say, that lonely spirits, and people, were easier to sway to one¡¯s side.


    ¡°I want to spend this time while we¡¯re being a decoy here finalizing some plans I¡¯ve been thinking about¡­But they all hinge on what happens here with the Separatists, and what kind of person Queen Tsuhagara turns out to be.¡±


    Celis frowned a little and averted her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s great and all but¡­There¡¯s something that really bugged me today¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Alisson tilted his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get all close like that with Tsuhara.¡± She flashed a glare at Alisson. ¡°I didn¡¯t like it.¡±


    Alisson smiled gently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­She¡¯ll get no closer than that to my bare body.¡±


    Celis still wore a soured expression, but reluctantly settled in next to Alisson for the night. He gazed out the window to their room, overlooking the city. For being touted as a bastion of traditional ways, the city hosted a lot of night life.


    ***

 12. Spirit Shrine

    Today Alisson was to meet an Irinian liaison, on behalf of some trade commission or the like. He had been instructed to go to a certain club at midday, but Alisson had time to kill until then.


    ¡°This here is the Seishin shrine! One of the oldest shrines in the city!¡±


    Tsuhara motioned to the gates of an imposing structure. He asked her to bring him here in the meantime. This was the shrine that supposedly housed the spirit Alisson had heard of. If he could meet with it, it may prove beneficial.


    Tsuhara led Alisson¡¯s party of Celis and their apprentices into the shrine proper, where within its walls was a garden of stone. That was to say, that the ground looked to be made of rocks and stone. He could see some of the Kitsune serving at the shrine sweeping the paths and making sure the rocks of the garden were neatly arranged.


    ¡°No farther than this!¡± Tsuhara swept her hands out, halting Alisson. ¡°It¡¯s unsightly for guests to be wearing such attire, deep into the shrine, at least.¡± Tsuhara gazed at Alisson. ¡°You¡¯ll have to change.¡±


    Alisson looked to his companions and shrugged. ¡°Fine enough. You all can stay here with Tsuhara. I wish to go further.¡±


    Tsuhara nodded with excitement and waved over one of the shrine girls. Tsuhara was left to spout the lore of the shrine to the poorly enthused Nekomata.


    Alisson was led by a shrine girl into a wooden structure with some privacy and handed traditional clothes of the Kitsune, a hakama and a kimono, and some odd footwear called tabi. After failing to wear to the robes after a couple minutes, the kitsune thankfully helped him.


    As he stepped out into the open air, he could feel how quiet and peaceful the sounds were here. It was as if there were a barrier between the shrine and the city. He was told to follow the main path into the garden and bobbed his head in thanks to the shrine keeper.


    ¡°Oh and sir¡­You are a Nekomata, correct?¡±


    Alisson nodded.


    ¡°Then you should show your true self, you will appear more guileless. Sei will more easily recognize you¡­¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    With a flash, Alisson activated his Opensen, and ears appeared at the top of his head, and two tails swung at his back. He left the shrine girl behind, walking along. As Alisson followed the path, the air fell quieter, and the density of the flora grew. The shrine was deceptively large, it seemed, for Alisson walked for quite a while.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Alisson stood tall, glancing at the surroundings. The canopy above was now thick enough to blot out the sunlight, and a relative darkness now surrounded him. The path ended; and ahead lay only a tangle of flora. He stepped off the path, and stared into the dense brush before him with sharp eyes. The ears atop his head narrowed and tilted across the landscape, but he heard nothing out of the ordinary.


    Alisson knew this realm of the world well. It may have been a different culture, a different country, but it was such a familiar feeling that surrounded him. He sat down, and stared into the brush, and waited.


    He felt no need to speak out to call for it. If it wanted to show itself, then it would.


    Time passed and Alisson closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t know how long he sat there, but eventually, he understood that he was not welcome here.


    ¡°My apologies. I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you.¡±


    He stood and turned, and walked back down the path. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught two glimmers staring back at him. But he chose not to investigate. This was evidently not the right time.


    ¡­


    ¡°¡­Which led to the 3<sup>rd</sup> Budou War. Eventually a bunch of kitsune, including the Queen at the time, all crammed in this shrine, and cast a barrier that still protects this hallowed ground from foreign invaders to this day¡­So if you¡¯re thinking any evil thoughts, you¡¯ll get ripped into little bits by old magics!¡±


    Tsuhara raised her hands, trying to scare the apprentices, but they were both light on their feet, bored by the history. The sun was high in the sky, and I briefly considered going after Alisson, but I saw him not long after walking toward us wearing kitsune garb, with his Opensen activated.


    ¡°Did you speak with the spirit?¡± I asked.


    Alisson shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately, no. It was a pleasant walk though, and certainly a wonderful place to reflect.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at him. He looked funny wearing that Kitsune stuff, with his oblivious and serious expression. He could probably be told to do anything ¡®in good manners¡¯ and he would. I feel like most other Nekomata would just march straight into the middle of the shrine and demand what they wanted.


    ¡°Alisson!¡± Tsuhara embraced Alisson. ¡°You look just like a kitsune wearing those! A strong traditional male sou!¡± She looked up at Alisson, and quietly whispered, ¡°Marry me?¡± She tilted her head, eyes like a puppy dog.


    Alisson was briefly stunned and blinked his eyes a few times, one of his ears fluttering atop his head, as if mishearing her words.


    ¡°My condolences, but now is not the time for jokes.¡± Alisson looked to the sky, and then at Tsuhara with a frown. ¡°I must shed this attire which an Irinian would find disgraceful.¡±


    Alisson remembered what I told him and pushed Tsuhara away. ¡°Kitsune included.¡±


    Alisson stared out of the shrine, a face of disgust forming on him, and I knew why. The liaison was to meet him at a particularly distasteful establishment, apparently. A nightclub.


    ***