64

Chapter 64: Rebuilding anewNotes:

Oof Two months!

Sorry hehe

Don't worry I didn't lose motivation for this fic (or at least I found it again) so I hope I will get faster with writing soon. (But with work and stuff don't be too hoepful)

The chapter isn't very long, but it leads into the next arc of the plot and that is hopefully good enough.

Pandora was as invaluable as ever for the beta process :)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Chapter 64

There was no denying it.

This world was probably not a dream.

After having helped her to calm down, Reinhard had carefully explained to her what had happened in the last few weeks. It was all so... fantastical, yet the longer he spoke the more weird flashes of 'almost-memories' appeared at the back of her mind. Always out of focus, blurry and vague, but undeniably there.

Tanya felt like a child.

Like the biggest idiot who had ever graced the earth.

All in all, this whole evening had to be the most embarrassing event of her two – or three – lives. Who could tell anymore? With her mind partially wiped, maybe she would never know the specifics of how she landed in this strange land of animal people and medieval fantasy tropes. Some weird crystal robbed her of her memories, obviously a scheme from Being X, and she fell for it like a naive fool!

Oh, what a mess she made...

"Don't be sad Milady, everything will come together eventually. I am going to procure the best healers of the kingdom and see what they can do. Perhaps you shall recover completely and if you do not... then I will still support you until the end. Look at what you have achieved in such little time already... With your keen intellect you will no doubt surpass my wildest expectations in no time. I believe in you, Tanya. "

The worst part was the total sincerity in his voice as he looked her into the eyes. Never had anybody been so nice to her before, but she was too tired to question any hidden motives. If she could accept being magically teleported to a different world to take part in the selection process for the position of monarch then she could also accept the unwavering devotion of her knight.

She groaned.

"Remind me again why I even willingly took part in this political debacle? Because it seems more trouble to me than a pretty crown is worth."

Reinhard merely smiled tranquilly and patted her hand.

"For the kingdom's sake, Milady. Though it pains me to admit, the nation is in an ailing state and in dire need of a capable ruler. Poverty is rising and our neighbour states are growing restless at the opportunity to invade our weakened borders. Trade is suffering and the people fear for their future."

"Yeah, but why did I volunteer for that duty? I am just a lieutenant colonel, no stateswoman."

"At the start of the royal selection, you made a rather convincing argument against each of the other candidates. I believe that you asked the attendees something along the lines of ' Don't you deserve better than greed, militarism, arrogance or naiveté '? Despite the bold nature of that statement, I cannot disagree with it. I have absolute faith in your ability to lead and were you not the best candidate for the throne, I would not have sworn myself to you. You are incredible, Milady, and you are going to be the best queen Lugnica could hope for."

Jeez, what overblown opinion did this guy have of her? She was a somewhat accomplished soldier and salaryman, but not a mythical hero or genius or whatever! Against such amazing expectations she would inevitably measure up to be a disappointment.

Urgh, she really didn't want to disappoint this guy.

Judging by how he had totally outclassed her at combat earlier, playing with her and dodging swipes that should not physically be evadable, Reinhard was an absolute beast on the battlefield. If she ever fell out of favour with him then she had no desire to experience what he could do with the sword at his side that earned him the title "Sword Saint".

"Well… if you put it that way..."

Damn it. Due to his excessive praise, refusing to take part in this unnecessarily complicated election process would only sound selfish and cowardly. After all, if she was the 'best' candidate then how could she leave the poor citizens with four 'subpar' choices instead? If that was actually the truth mattered not.

Either she had grossly oversold her own abilities weeks ago, or those other candidates were indeed tyrants and despots in the making. They however, were still intimately familiar with the political landscape of this country and likely possessed far reaching networks of spies and allies. She was at a total disadvantage here...

With the exception of Reinhard of course.

He could have easily killed her if he wanted, but he stuck to her side and prevented her from making a terrible mess of things. Tanya needed to cement their work relationship and earn the trust that he put in her! This knight was her most precious resource.

Yes, this was far better than nothing. The change from soldier to politician was abrupt, but she could manage. When she played her cards right then this life would possibly be the best out of all of them!

A genuine smile curled on her lips as her resolve strengthened and her mind settled on a wave of hopeful determination.

"Thank you, Reinhard. Together we can certainly achieve many things. I shall strive to do my best if you will have me."

"Please lift your head, Milady."

Tanya's gaze met his and he nodded at her almost excitedly.

"I am happy to have you back. I knew you would overcome this obstacle as well."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------q------

"You honestly claim this to be the result of a fever?"

Crusch knew that Reinhard was lying. She also knew that he was aware of her Divine Protection and the fact that she could clearly discern such falsehoods. What she could not discern though, was why he was lying.

It was... upsetting to see a normally so upstanding and honest person blatantly deceive the nobles he served reliably for years.

"Yes. In her slightly impaired state, Lady Tanya made the unusual decision to play a prank on the honoured guests of this ball. After realizing the mildly problematic nature of her jest she has chosen to retire early and sends her deepest apologies."

Well, the last part was actually true! Not that any of the sceptical aristocrats would realize that.

"This is absurd! Laughable even! Why would she-"

"Hey, powder face! Let it go!"

Ah, Subaru. The likeable fool couldn't have chosen a worse time to pipe in. Should she save him from embarrassing himself?

"You dare?"

Nah, maybe it was the mischievous influence of Felix speaking through her, but it was more enjoyable this way. If Emilia couldn't control her knight then she better learn quickly. People in general needed to learn more responsibility in order to not become dependent on outside help and grow weak like Lugnica had done over the centuries.

'Curse the stupid dragon...' she silently spit.

"It's rude to doubt Tanya's knight like that! Isn't he some important honcho as well? Moreover, you've seen that she wasn't acting normal. Cut her some slack! No need to badmouth a royal candidate, right? "

Small, approving nods spread throughout the crowd. Although the boy's speech was crudely formulated, it was still poignant and factually correct. Lord Torlib had committed a minor faux pas by openly questioning the Sword Saint's ( admittedly false ) statement.

Caught in embarrassment after the public sentiment essentially shifted against him, the baron went noticeably red in the face which was remarkable for the sole reason that he was caked in makeup. It vaguely reminded Crusch of Margrave Mathers, if a bit less 'clownish' looking.

Reinhard apparently took pity on the twitching man and cleared his throat.

"As a gesture of her regret and boundless generosity, my Lady has seen fit to bestow every esteemed guest of this event with a piece of skin from the Hakugei, the White Whale itself as a trophy of her glorious victory. They shall be delivered to you shortly."

Crusch chuckled at the simplistic nature of this overly transparent ploy.

By directing everybody's attention to her success, away from her mishap, Tanya was attempting to re-establish dominance, overshadowing her mysterious illness with rare trophies that had the nobles squabbling like children over a shiny new toy. Most of these spoiled idiots were so easy to distract that she honestly had to wonder how her beloved homeland had not long since fractured under the weight of the elite's casual incompetence.

At least Wilhelm would be delighted to have a physical reminder of the fact that his wife had been avenged. He more than deserved that much.

"Heh, a dog dispersing treats to his fellow mutts... How amusing..." drawled that harlot Priscilla from somewhere behind her, indifferent to the outrage her demeaning words would cause.

Arrogant or mad, her every sentence was uttered with the cool confidence of a player who was certain that their opponent had already lost. In any case, Priscilla's meteoric rise as one of Lugnica's most influential landowners confirmed that there was some basis for her self-perceived superiority, however shaded in deception that might be.

There was also a certain excitement hidden underneath the seemingly careless boredom and Crusch endeavoured to be wary of whatever the 'Sun Princess' was anticipating. If her impression of the young blonde was right then she would be the type to find delight in chaos and misery.

'A typical Vallachian trait.' remarked a vicious, prejudiced voice inside her mind before it was suppressed.

Crusch was not going to let herself fall to such pettiness.

"Furthermore, Lady Tanya thinks it prudent to once again discuss the future of our wonderful kingdom with the other royal candidates."

'Truth.'

"Therefore she has asked me to deliver a casual invitation to Lady Emilia, Lady Karsten, Lady Barielle and Lady Hoshin to join her for tea tomorrow afternoon. Though she might not be fully recovered, she was quite insistent. As equals in the race for the throne she would be overjoyed to welcome her in her new home."

'Partial Truth.' surmised her Divine Protection.

Equals? Since when had they been equals? Especially with Tanya's lead of eliminating a sin archbishop, hundreds of witch cultists and the Od-be-damned White Whale in a single day?! One did not need to be well versed in court politics to spot the obvious blandishment. If this whole evening hadn't been so confusing she might have felt insulted.

Naturally she was required to show up to this sham of a tea party anyway. It would be highly imprudent to give that little demon a reason to dislike her or rally the others to her cause in the duchesses' absence. It would make her look weak and ungrateful as well, inciting ungainly rumours of jealousy amongst the populace.

First the foreign girl nearly lost her mind and now came with an offer of parley...

Crusch renewed her vow to get to the bottom of this mystery and if the wellbeing of Lugnica demanded it, eliminate the budding menace before it was too late and things could spiral out of control!

Notes:

Thank you very much for your patience! You may not belive it, but it makes me very grateful that you took the time to read my story and be attentive enough to stick with it!

I am learning more about writing every single month and you are responsible for that!

<3 <3 <3< p>