About the honesty (and the past)

28 October 423

Small preparations were made and completed, with the big plan I had for today finally ready to be fully implemented.

I had taken a while to work out some of the flaws and the details, but I felt confident that I had everything under control. At least, from a very optimistic point of view. There were many factors that could have ruined things, with the first of many tying up to the chance of one of the candidates just disregarding the invitation and not checking due to how intense the challenge had been and how things had been tough on them. I wouldn't have been surprised or even angry at this possibility as I knew that I did exaggerate a fair bit, but I was quite relieved when my invitations were all returned positively and thus marking the plan with a full green light. I was mostly done with this, and I had to really struggle to keep Felix from discovering what I had prepared for the very unusual and unexpected meeting. He was rather determined to dig at least a few details, but he ended up backing away frowning and empty-handed. I wasn't exactly planning to have anyone to ruin the surprise and… I had to also ask Bea, Alice and Majima to keep quiet about this little crazy idea of mine. Much to my surprise, Beatrice approved of it as she saw the importance of it despite how stupid it felt and was. It was a must at this point and I had to go through that kind of personal… Well 'humiliation' sounds a bit too much. I guess it's more of a toll to pay than else.

Unsurprisingly enough, I found none of the candidates through my usual strolls in the castle. Usually I would end up spotting either Priscilla or Crusch wandering around for a reason or another, but I saw neither of them during my early shift's break. I knew that both Anastasia and Emilia generally spent most of their time out of the castle and into the capital. Felt… I wasn't sure. The spy network sometimes knew where she was, and at times they were unable to properly locate where the blonde had gone. Even Fourier had gone 'missing', and I had a strong feeling that it was all tied to the fact they were trying to carefully remain away from my sight until they discovered what I had planned for that unusual rendezvous that tied up to the first test. Maybe they expected this to be a continuation of the test? Even though I specifically wrote that it wasn't? To be fair to them, I could have been lying and so they were just keeping vigilant out of precaution than anything more malicious-driven. Still, I knew that what was going to happen was more… bad on myself than others. So I went on my merry way as I knew I was deeply going to regret having put myself in this very situation. The day was fine as I spent just a minimal amount of hours in the office, then the rest with the twins and Annerose. They had heard that something was going on and… of course, as the curious kids they were, swiftly pressed me for some explanation or even untold details about it that could have given them the clues to paint the whole canvas… on what was going on.

I was rather limited in that regard as my 'defenses' crumbled a wee bit when it came to three children putting some good effort into stealing words out of me about that topic. I mentioned that I was technically going to apologize, but not just by words. And that seemed to give them the outline of what I was planning to do. I decided against offering more, knowing that if they had somehow spotted one of the candidates, they might have blurted out what was going on. I didn't think it was wrong for these three to be truthful when necessary, but right now I really didn't need that 'flaw' to be used against me now that I needed the utmost radio silence for the time being. And so I managed to keep my mouth shut for long enough to keep them from achieving their current goal. Homework helped create a distraction and bring up a topic for the lesson that was more amusing like the story of Rockefeller and how he started his path to massive riches from selling apples. The idea and the whole narration seemed to be more than enough to leave them mesmerized and push them away from the awkward subject I didn't want to deal with any longer.

After I was done with the modest lunch I planned to eat for today and I had gotten all the energy I needed for the big event, I started to make my way to my office and… wait there. This was the setting of the rendezvous as it was the 'safest' place in the castle. In my opinion. And the one from the head of the spy network I commanded. Then again, this could also be taken as a subjective comment and- Still, I had to get through that kind of stuff for good and… I had a plan. I was going to follow it through and, hopefully, it was going to work. I didn't have to wait for too long as the guests were soon arriving. After just a couple of minutes, the first two candidates came and took a moment to look at the location they were now in.

Felt arrived first, her red-eyed gaze swiftly taking in the full scale of the room and… she was a bit annoyed by how many books there were by the instantaneous scoff and bored look spreading on her face. Emilia was next and her reaction was the opposite. Like a child being brought to one of the greatest candy shops in the world, she stared around with wonder and curiosity, but also kept a degree of unease as she spotted me sitting behind my desk and that she wasn't the first invited guest to come in. Then it was Anastasia's turn and… she didn't say or do anything in particular. She looked around, clearly grasping her new surroundings, but she remained so calm and upbeat that it was difficult to understand if the sight had surprised her or not. Crusch and Priscilla weren't interested in looking around at a place they both were familiar with, and I felt my chest squeezing painfully at the well-veiled emotions they were aiming precisely at me as they spared just a gaze at me when they entered one at the time. I could feel the hurt and I knew that, deep inside my subconscious, I was praying this entire idea worked at least partly on what I wanted to accomplish. Fourier entered last, and he seemed the least nervous of the entire group. The words from the day before returning to my head as he was aware that something meaningful was meant to happen here and today.

"Welcome and I wish to thank you all for sparing me an hour or two of your free time to join me here on this occasion. I wish to remind quickly that this is just barely tied to the Elections and, as you can see, there are no judges in here-"

"Beyond you."

My lips twitched at Anastasia's interjection, but I still nodded at it. "That is indeed correct. Except right now I'm not serving as a judge."

"Then why are we here?" Felt asked with a scoff. "Maybe I had things to do if it wasn't that important."

"It ties up with the first challenge, specifically to the last step of it," I elaborated with a serious tone. "And I believe you all have your questions regarding it and its difficulty. So please, ask and I shall grant you as many details as possible without endangering your chances within this competition."

"Why?" Crusch inquired with a surprising amount of steel in her tone. "What would be so important to require this meeting to even happen?"

"As the judge which took charge of creating the task, I have to also take a responsibility which is to make sure that, after taking under consideration the height and difficulty of this challenge, I plan out something that fits within the stage of this election. Thus, I decided to take blame in this regard and ask for this 'punishment' to be dispensed and personally be exacted by the candidates themselves."

Surprise was now painted across the faces of the guests, with even Anastasia giving me a baffled look over this circumstance. At first there was confusion about it, especially from Fourier as he didn't seem to have expected me to take a more 'formal' approach to legitimize this matter, but also because I was being so incredibly serious about it. As soon as I was done with this explanation, I took a moment to deliver the copies of a contract which I was going to sign in front of them. Confusion remained, but the shock was quick to come back the moment they realized what was going on with these papers. After I was done passing these files around, I paused as I realized a certain blonde wasn't even paying attention to it, staring at me with a serious look.

"I didn't read much, so what is that you have to give us?" Felt asked, clearly uninterested in what was written on paper and wanting to hear it straight out of me. "Like seriously, what is it all about?"

I sighed but… I accepted the request. "I will answer three specific but private questions… or go through a single dare, an action that you will have me go through that has to be still restrained to some limits-"

"While also keeping in mind the degree of frustration created by the task," Priscilla chimed in, perceiving an opportunity which I had to give her right now or else face greater anger coming from her. Her eyes lighted up in eagerness, with any annoyance faltering the moment she realized how good that actually was on her part.

"That would be correct, yes."

And before either Crusch or Priscilla could jump at the chance and get their wishes materialized, they were shocked when Emilia proceeded to beat them by a few seconds by lifting her hand up to gain my attention.

"Yes, Lady Emilia?"

"I-I would like to ask you the questions if… if it's alright, Lord Bukharin."

I nodded, doing my best to not look directly at the two determined girls. "No problem with that."

The half-elf took a moment to think about what to ask and she seemed rather certain of what she planned to ask. In fact, I was almost surprised by how fast she mustered the courage needed to go through this while ignoring the gazes she was getting from the others.

"You really are an Italian, aren't you?" She asked in fluent Italian, making me smile at that situation. She really wasn't 100% certain of that? I guess brief interactions like that hadn't exactly helped her with that.

"That would be correct, signorina Emilia."

The girl shuddered briefly at the honorific, but managed to nod back at that response. The others looked surprised at the fact we were no longer speaking in 'common tongue', making the effort of understanding what was going on quite tough.

"Signor Bukharin… is it right for me to assume you… you are not trying to avoid me, right?"

"I hadn't put an effort on that, no. In fact, I would be more than relieved to share a private moment where we can discuss more about this entire situation," I answered eagerly and her eyes widened, almost displaying an unnatural amount of wonder coming from a young adult like her.

"So, I can ask if you would be willing to do this through a letter?" The half-elf asked her third question.

"I would be more than delighted if that's possible. I have my own questions after all, and I wished to ask someone that has… Well, I lived through that tragedy."

She slowly nodded, a bit saddened by the memory I brought her to her mind.

"It wasn't your fault, signorina. So please, don't be that sad."

…

Emilia smiled at the kind words.

"T-Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Just as that exchange was over, I turned to the others. "I believe Lady Emilia has got her three questions answered. Who's next?"

Priscilla didn't say much at first. She stood up from her chair, carefully and yet calmly making her way around the desk before setting herself on my lap, leaning close and quite personal, gaining the shock and the awe of the rest of the candidates… before delivering a loud slap that actually cracked my neck a tiny bit. I flinched at the unexpected hit, but I was even more shocked when she leaned closer and planted a soft kiss on the burning spot.

"Next time that you commit to something so infuriating, there shall be a punch instead of that kiss."

The threat actually got a shiver out of me and the young woman didn't ask for more before returning to her seat, seemingly satisfied with that reaction and… the reaction I had at that. Seriously, I was always on edge when she was around in that kind of mood. And just as the Countess was done, it was time for-

"Lord Bukharin!" Crusch interrupted my musings with a serious tone. "I, Duchess Crusch Karsten, demand a duel from you in two weeks from now. The wage will be decided that very day and the place of our fight shall be the Castle's private sparring grounds."

I blinked, slowly nodding at that unexpected demand but… I could tell there was much more tied up to that kind of response. Something I just couldn't catch or I was willingly ignoring for my sanity's sake.

...Why is she so red-faced?

With that weird request accepted, it was Felt's turn and she decided to go for a curve ball. I was a bit stunned when she asked me for this but… it wasn't that horrible. In fact, most of the candidates were overall caught off-guard by the simplicity of her demands as she happily sat on my lap… while I tried to untangle the hair style that Reinhard forced her to have. He called it elegant and 'noble', but I couldn't help but agree to the blonde's reasoning that this was a torture device for her due to how insanely complicated it was. How does Reinhard even know how to style women's hair like that? I was definitely going to have a serious talk with him once I was done with this mess. Still, I managed to untangle that atrocity and free the poor girl from that suffering. She didn't ask for more, but mentioned that the next time she was going to 'prank me so much that I would have to face even twice the regular amount of paperwork as I usually do'. Her threats were well-received and replied with a 'Yes, sir' which really left Felt in the best mood possible.

Anastasia was next and her questions were… worrying to say the least.

"Would you be open to mistresses?"

I frowned. "No?"

"Not even if they would let you in charge or-"

"I'm generally uncomfortable with that idea," I admitted, having yet to sort out how to handle the whole romantic situation.

"I see… How about dates? How much would it take for a young woman… of about my age, my height, and my form and lovely personality to be able to secure a date with you?"

She managed to keep an angelic smile and expression despite the tremendous pressure exerted by both Priscilla and Crusch. I knew that Anastasia was greedy, but this was just borderline suicidal.

"A lot. Really a lot."

…

"Aw..."

I was a bit confused by her lack of interest in exploiting this matter more, but my attention shifted to the last candidate. Fourier didn't seem sure of what to ask or what to have me do. He gave me a long look, he closed his eyes for just a brief moment and… then smiled.

"I wish that you do something for me, Lord Bukharin. Something that I think could conclude this entire visit with style for me and my fellow candidates!"

I frowned and then I felt my teeth gnawing as Fourier had me bowing prostrated at the small group while pressing my forehead on the ground.

"Please, accept my humble and most genuine apology regarding what happened during the first task of these elections. Truly."

I could already feel Prisca's smug look over me, maybe even Anastasia… while the others were either surprised or shocked by the fact that someone like Fourier would have asked for something like this. But this wasn't a wrong request, and in fact perfectly encapsulated the purpose of this entire mess. To apologize, not by words but by actions.

I guess this ended up in a proper success? I thought while remaining like that for a while. Eventually the entire meeting came to an end and I had much more to do now. I had to deal with Crusch and her request, same for Emilia and… I think I had reasons to worry about Anastasia's new interest in me.

Yep, this was a brilliant failure with a side of success...

Somewhere else…

Silence ruled in the small cave that had been for so long abandoned by those that once used it as one of the many magical workshops around the world. A little sanctuary that was once used by the greatest wizards and many apprentices to study the arcane and discover the secrets of mysteries and of the unknown. It was a place of knowledge, and of memory. A laboratory to analyze and create novelty, to exalt a sense of mystification that transcended logic and reason beyond common sense and creativity combined. It was a place where something akin to a cult existed, a precursor of the Witch's Cult which festered Lugnica and other places in the world. It was a hideout for those that were pardoned by the great Sage as researchers of tomorrow.

At least that's what Pandora knew from old scripts and fragmented messages, her memories of such a place having long faded away since she first opened her eyes to the world. Many would have called it home if it had been their birthplace. A structure that was sturdy and born by hardship, but also criminal deception and madness committed against nature itself. Creating a new life through magic and biological imprint wasn't meant to be a project anyone should warrant without some legitimate reason. In her mind, Echidna was also guilty for the process of creating copies of deceased people, but the purpose she used those for wasn't tied to the depraved nature tied to the very project that created her, Pandora. A look back into the past and she had just a few of memories that had survived as she lived in this place. A specimen, the most successful of the batch- the closing element to accomplishing the delusions of a pathetic whelp. Her harshness wasn't driven by anger, but by mere contempt and annoyance towards her 'Creator'. Foolish John Bukharin thought that her hatred was aimed at her 'father', and yet the truth was so, so more complicated than just that.

Initially, the girl thought that John was a coincidence of a person due his name and striking resemblance with him but… she was so wrong. The more she interacted with him, the more he realized who he was and why he felt so familiar- so important. Why could he counter her and other Witches' Authorities? John Bukharin… was no stranger to this world. Even before he was first summoned here. He didn't even know this, he was truly unaware of the fact he had something someone like Subaru Natsuki didn't have. A legacy upon their name that was left behind by those that were in similar situations, but for different reasons. And despite her amnesia, Pandora would never stop remembering the first time she opened her eyes and she was bestowed with sight. When life was no longer bubbly floating into a tank filled with liquids, with sounds as the main element of time passing, but an existence of colors, of learning and… of feeling warm within. Her eyes opened in the most peculiar circumstances. For some reason, she knew words and she could understand when people were talking. Either to each other, like her creator and other researchers… or to her, like her father. There was a strong difference in her mind when it came to the idea of creator and father, of life-donor and life-bringer.

The difference stood in how her perspective judged each individually. Her creator was a man that worried about her life, but not for the sake of it, rather in a need to keep it prolonged just enough to get the answers he needed to solve another problem. Her father was initially… a nobody. He was no researcher, he was no mage- and yet he was there, looking and taking some of his free time to 'check on her' as he would usually say. A soft knock by the reinforced glass, to gain her full attention and tell her it was him, and then he spoke. He knew she could speak back, not when her body felt so tired and drained early on. A rough voice, a caring tone, and a cheerful one-sided conversation that always left her wondering if everyone was always nice like that, and that the men behind her existence were the only cruel ones. Pandora learned of good and evil while in that tube, same for the sky, the flowers, the clouds, and the grass. 'John' told her all he could and kept a suave voice all the time, at least as much as he could with what he had. Here he was, a 'nobody' as many researchers would call him, gave her what she never got out of them. Something that she secretly craved but never received due to her 'purpose'.

John didn't mind. He 'listened' to that plight and granted her what she wanted by talking to her. By making her feel like she really existed and wasn't just a prop that had been left like that for the sake of a silly purpose. She once heard him tell her something that left her wondering for so many days.

"You look so pretty, you little princess."

...Pretty?

Her mind knew the meaning, but how did it apply to her? Until now, she could identify as a girl, she felt like the meaning of girl would be on a biological level, same for 'princess' as she was described as unique and the only young girl there. But pretty? The existence of a new realm of knowledge felt crippled by the fact she couldn't see yet. She couldn't see how it applied- was that something she should feel or maybe accept without hesitation? Her worries remained minimal, at least until she felt the need to gaze upon the word. It was during one of their 'talks'. John was explaining to her how this was all tied to the creator's wife- how he had wanted to put an end to 'bad influences that were doing more bad than good'. Confusing, and yet the most baffling element was when the creator heard and 'fought' against her father. The two men adopted aggressive voices, with the focus of father remaining her.

"Don't yell too much, she will not like it."

Indeed.

"As if she is listening, John. Her brain shows little reaction as of now."

Creator, you are a dummy.

"She is aware of what is going on-"

"She is not. Pandora hasn't been active for months now, and here you are talking about this private matter to a dying puppet of flesh, Mr. B- GAH!"

Pandora felt something stir within her chest at that… insult? Or was that the truth. Was she a puppet? A fake individual?

Just as she thought of this, her body tensed as her ears caught the noise of struggle.

"H-How dare you! She is alive and well. Your spells are just as unreliable as usual."

"As if this would fix anything of the truth, John. Your participation wasn't supposed to extend to mere don-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Flugel-boy! As far as I'm concerned, once this whole mess is over, I will bring my daughter out of this crazy place. Your permission be damned!"

Daughter. The confirmation of her titling. She was… father's daughter. A smile finally formed on her face, satisfaction burned warmly and comfortably within her body and soul as she finally felt the need. The need to gaze upon her father and… prove that he was right. She was 'a fighter', his 'princess'. Pandora didn't give up like the previous efforts. She fought back and… she won. It felt overwhelmingly satisfying to feel it. Her victory cemented by the shock of her creator and… the joy brightly expressed by the bearded man looking back at her. The pride, the unquestionable amount of affection aimed right at her. She felt… pretty. She was pretty.

Pandora smiled back at her father, and she slowly moved her right palm right where he was pressing on the glass, she couldn't help but smile even more at how small her hand was compared to hers. She felt… tiny, but rightfully so. And while the two enjoyed the peace of revelation, the victory of truth, the creator looked at the scene with awe and… fascination. A cynical mind at work, suppressing the unease of going through an unpleasant experiment for the sake of someone else.

'Phase 2' started and Pandora… remembered little of it. Only that it was unfair and unpleasant. She hated it. Her hatred was suppressed just barely by her father. He held her close, he whispered her kind and encouraging words. He would apologize if the pain was too much, he would take risks to give her gifts and made her feel loved through that torture. But then… he disappeared. The creator didn't tell her what happened, he never mentioned why he left, or what happened to him. The researchers were quiet about this too and… this all proved to be their undoing. Pandora's patience faltered, thinning down to the point where her usually calm and shy behavior switched to something more furious. She snapped at people with ease, she was incredibly upset by many experiments and foolish attempts to calm her down and… then it happened. An explosion, the girl had willed it. It was there that she realized she had power. And not just something inferior compared to her wardens. Her will was easily implemented into the world.

She 'ruled' the world. As a princess taking on the throne after her father had gone missing. She was Queen, but a worried and frightened one. She fought her way out of the facility, she clashed with Flugel, she wanted her creator to finally tell him the truth and… he merely told him an answer that was true and yet so vague.

"H-He was sent home. He was too dangerous on you- he would have jeopardized the entire project and-"

"S-SHUT UP!"

Pandora didn't kill him. She merely slapped him unconscious. A lesser being like him deserved the least from her. He wasn't worthy of her wrath, and yet he gave her what he wanted. A clue that she could work on. The next few centuries, Pandora grew but never lost sight of her goal. Finding her father was the priority, with the world being a child play for her to use for her advantage. She looked all over the lands, questioning people, sometimes begging, sometimes threatening her way into answers. But nothing. She couldn't find him. After just a century of searching aimlessly, Pandora mustered enough bravery to venture back in the abandoned facilities. She looked through it and found just some burned documents mentioning him. He had existed, but his real role and place of origin weren't mentioned. But it was there that she found documents that gave her another clue. If Flugel didn't know where 'he was', then maybe the one he wanted to save knew. She had to, it was her last ditch effort. Satella had been sealed away in a place Pandora couldn't, for reason she had yet to understand, break in. Insufferable but… not completely impossible to overcome. There was a chance, an idea- she knew she had to prepare for the plan to come into fruition.

So Pandora waited and… decided to pollute her Creator's legacy. The cult he controlled? Corrupted and manipulated to be the army she wanted to conquer an unwilling world from those monsters behind her pain and tribulations. She came so close to the gate hidden in the Elinor Forest, but the girl ruined it. She made it impossible and… Pandora couldn't strike her for some reason. Something about the attack, the killing of the little girl's 'mother' triggered something within her that completed only when little Emilia reacted. Anger, refusal to perish her free will to others, hopelessness. Her retreat was marked with a blank but saddened outlook. She genuinely felt like she was now the monster Flugel called her many years ago.

Of course, if it is for father, she would more than happily be the monster this world deserves.

Time passed, she needed Emilia to get back up and try again. It could be done, this time with more care and attention. She had better resources and better men under her control but… then he came in and turned things upside down.

She remembered father, but she didn't remember his name. So when John Bukharin came to be as a pawn in the big chessboard, she failed to realize that she had another clue, this one more succulent than any other she had before now. She needed him, alive and willing. He had to know- he looked just like him. In a way, he behaved like him. The punishment she was last bestowed? It felt like a classic characteristic tied to her father. Pandora was no delusional mad girl, and she knew she did many horrible things. She knew she deserved it but… it felt wrong. That wasn't her father, she could tell without hesitation. And yet the familiarity made her curious about this element. He couldn't be influenced or controlled, his state in the world was above hers somehow and… she wanted to know why. But he didn't know. He was clueless, he knew of her but… not in the pleasant way. That wasn't father yet she knew he was close to him. He held the truth and she was a seeker of it.

In due time, she grimaced tiredly as she finally brought her mind out of her memories. Waking up from the endless flashback, Pandora blinked as her gaze was blurry from the tears, her lips stained in drool at her heart-wrenching sobbing. She tried to fix herself, but she was there, sitting on the broken tube right where she started to be. The darkness greeted her instead of her father, and she felt only…

Cold.

AN

Apologies and Mysteries! Pandora's backstory 'partly' unleashed (because there is more than just what she remembers) and… John is her dad? That can't be! ...Unless the plot is a bit more complicated than it seems.

Omake 25: IF (Different Entry – Emilia)

The Capital wasn't exactly the best place to visit after having spent roughly seven years away from most settlements in Lugnica. Still, I didn't regret taking this risky route and kept by the wilderness as it seemed to favor the little girl that was my ward and… my surrogate sister at this point. It's been so long since that first meeting, in that land ravaged by the blizzard, when I first met her. Emilia was so tiny back then. Tiny, frightened, and defended by a generally overprotective spirit with a penchant of freezing and shattering anyone that dared to hurt 'his daughter'. Puck was difficult to convince but… Emilia seemed to instantly latch onto me when I realized she was speaking Italian. The moment she learned I could understand and speak it too, she immediately saw me as a trustworthy individual that matched with those she lost in the disaster that destroyed the forest. She was crying a lot- I had to hold close to that very terrified and shivering child as I was allowed to hole up in the small refuge she and Puck had been staying in for a while.

Many surprises came out from that unexpected circumstance, but even more when I realized that I was supposedly the one in charge of the situation. Despite Puck's age and 'relationship' with Emilia, he wasn't exactly in the mindset to take any wild steps without precaution and knowledge of the 'outside world'. It took some convincing and even he had to admit that staying any longer in this hideout was as risky as being bolder with the situation. Seven years, all of those pressed on my flesh as the trip around Lugnica turned into a trip around the world to understand all the mysteries surrounding the place. We went mostly everywhere, discovering new things or realizing that some secrets were way more complicated and different than just that. In the span of these many years, our group also grew in size and 'quality' so to speak. Emilia giggled as she chatted happily with a huffing Prisca, the young woman having been one of those that joined the traveling 'team' together with her bodyguard, Arakiya. The dog-girl nodded quietly, smiling eye to eye as she was content of the fact her lady, the one she grew up with, had turned up in such a jovial individual without ever needing to worry about fighting to achieve an ambition that was unreachable due to the state of things in Vollachia.

She wasn't the only 'surprise' guest that became a permanent part of the group. Staring blankly around her general surroundings while keeping away from the main crowd, the Great Spirit Zarestia was taking a moment to suppress a little more of her murderous instincts. She was a… challenge back in Kararagi. I really was unaware a 'monster' of this magnitude really existed in the region and I had cursed many times the moment where I foolishly drew Emilia so close to a deadly situation. Luckily enough, the situation fixed itself quite nicely… in exchange for me getting a few scars due to the ferocious battle that happened just before Zarestia accepted to join our group. Despite her problem tied to her powers, the fact that she seek naturally to murder everything that was alive and moving, Tia was really a good-hearted person. Someone I really didn't mind having around and chatting about whenever it was necessary.

After so many years, we were finally here, in the capital of Lugnica. One of the many noblemen tied to the Royal Election caught up on us. He wanted to test us out due to how our reputation had picked up the attention of the sages. Surprise? Both Prisca and Emilia resulted in worthy candidates for the Election. I grimaced at this event for a while, but I realized that both girls weren't unwilling to split and form different factions. And that was going to matter a lot due to this. Much to my surprise, the event of the first day, the one tied to the OTL, was almost the same as before. Instead of Emilia ending up without her insignia, it was Prisca and… we found Barusu. Same alley where he got beaten up in canon and he really needed medical attention at this point. The rest of the story proceeded pretty much the same as in canon, except that Barusu didn't seem to RbD in this instance. Not when Elsa was outmatched tremendously by the combined effort both me, Arakiya and Tia presented to her. She wasn't in the mood to linger, sparing both Rom and Felt about this instance.

Everything was… good. I think. The timeline was already starting well enough, with Subaru deciding to tag along due to a little crush he had developed for… Prisca. Much to my shock, the logic behind that entire attraction was based on the fact that the 'kind woman' had helped him up and teased him just enough to make it feel like she was flirting with him. Boy didn't expect the murderous glares Arakiya was willing to give him while also talking about her interest in eating spirits 'but also favoring frustrating young men with delusional fantasies of love'. As expected, Prisca knew and favored this kind of situation, loving too much how Arakiya was being more vocal than before about the love she held for her lady. And with Subaru joining the group… I knew that we were soon going to have to worry about the Witch's Cult directing more attention on us to try and get Satella's Chosen one.

It was an unpleasant concept, but not as tough as the one I had towards Emilia. Seven years helped me shape up a stronger lady out of the shy half-elf I adopted as my little sister. While not the toughest girl around, the young woman was willing to put her best to either rule the Dragon Kingdom with strength and good will, or help Prisca doing so as one of her closest advisors. All in all, everything was fine until one question popped up from Emilia about the situation rising up from Subaru's entry.

"Uh brother?" She asked as I finished setting up my bed in the room we were sharing. I looked at her, smiling a little.

"Yes, Lia?"

She looked at her mattress with a long look and then looked back at me with a tiny blush. "Is it wrong for siblings to be in love?"

…

And now I knew why I had a strong sense things were going to be tough in the next few years. Who would have known that romance from a surrogate sister was actually a possible cause of future deaths?