This is about Heads Trembling

25 October 423

I was finally back in the capital, and already missing the peace and quiet of my little 'holiday' as I found myself assailed by many dilemmas as I focused mostly on finishing the last touches for the first test of the Royal Election. Because yes, the event wasn't going to be something that copied the original regarding the loose rules and the lack of major elements that allowed the judges to study the various candidates' qualities. There was a chart to follow, books about the first monarchs to rely on, and ultimately a system based but modified from the Lion King's test. We didn't have the Dragon Tablet to follow, not when the Kingdom was finally pulling away from Volcanica's pact due to, officially, being left mostly helpless in times of need.

Yet I knew the truth about the dragon himself thanks to Satella's own words with what she knew of the dragon. The dragon had gone for the Pleiades Tower, becoming its guardian but also turning it in its own prison for the sake of… unknown reasons. Not even the half-elf knew what was up on that very matter. Still, the woman had been quite open as soon as her mind had been composed back to a full state of wholeness. And she was pure wholeness alright as her little intimate moment faltered in an embarrassed but cute attitude towards me. Considering this particular circumstance, I decided to offer her one thing that I had planned to give regardless of this development. A metia, an advanced model that had been conceived for the purpose of keeping a solid connection between two extremely distant ends without relying on expensive mana crystals. The crystals that were used were meant to gain energy from the users, making the connection quite cheap and fairly easy to handle without burning too many coins at once. The devices worked well as we would be able to check once I was back at the castle and I provided her with the general idea of what I planned to do.

First, the Elections needed to be solved before I could move properly and do things beyond my current political post. The moment this big predicament was concluded, I would be able to take more leaves with the new monarch settling in. I would still have to pay utmost attention to the work unfolding in the capital, but my priority would then shift to find answers to the many queries I had in my mind from the only place that I knew was holding everything regarding the 'liar' the Witch of Envy had revealed existed in the old circle of 'friends' led by Flugel. Someone in the original group- but also someone that didn't exactly appear like a dangerous fellow until it was too late to react against him when it caused something bad to happen. Something that then caused the Calamity, someone that almost ended the world by acting dangerously around Satella by hurting Flugel. But who? And how? And finally… why?

Satella had no recollection of this situation, failing to even grasp how it all started. Only that it was tied to Flugel and… something he did. Which made sense but also not since it was clear that the individual the Witch hated wasn't Flugel. The topic itself was immensely confusing, but I knew that I would have to wait before actually entertaining the idea of further exploring this matter. The Pleiades Tower was the only way to get some straight answers as safely as possible. At least until I managed to keep myself and others from breaking any of the rules within the challenges to access the knowledge held within it. And that was going to be something that needed time, a good squad to follow my requests and the personal capacity to subject myself to the madness held within the tower. The traps, the tests, the tricks and the illusions… that kind of journey was really going to take a while to be made, but I was told by Satella she could wait for that long. She had been waiting for long enough to not mind some extra patience in this regard.

I have yet to think what to do with Shaula…

The girl was going to be a factor to be both interested and worried about. I knew she was trying to mean well considering how her mind seemed to keep a solid grasp on reality despite her being a Mabeast, a special-kind of Mabeast at that, but she was dangerous as soon the rules of the Tower were broken. And she had directly aimed to get Barusu to break one back when he wanted to know more about the connection between him and Flugel. So upsetting that it happened since I really found the character interesting. Interesting enough to keep her alive with some extra planning? I had some plans, but I doubted most of them could work considering how Meili's powers didn't seem to do much to Shaula's altered form. And I could count just a handful of magical ways to actually try and make sure she was taken away and her limitations altered to not have her snap into a mindless frenzy. It was an idea since I had yet to value this matter on my own through some serious brainstorming, but I planned to do so eventually and way before the trip itself.

Beyond this mess of questions left unresolved, one thing brought me a brand of relief in the form of the expedition against the Hakugei scoring a resounding success with their mission. Both Reinhard and Wilhelm returned with this victory, and yet I could sense a degree of displeasure from both. But it wasn't aimed at me, but… something that was still tied to the mission itself. I didn't pry since I could tell they weren't in the mood to generally talk with how curt both replied to my questions and how quickly they gave up their papers. Was this tied to the fact that Wilhelm's wife didn't die inside the whale? It was a possibility that I was definitely going to dig more about the moment I felt more confident into pulling that kind of stunt. If Reinhard took this badly, I was going to suffer. And not just physically. I knew he was a good guy, but all good guys had their sore spot one should never want to poke and tease them for too many times. Plus, if anything, I knew being left alone with Felt was going to put his mind elsewhere. It was a hassle for sure when it came to someone like him, but it was refreshing. How many times did he come to have a task as frustrating and entertaining at the same time. I really worried I was the first one to give him some challenge- but I wasn't a cute girl that was just lashing out at the strangeness of the world, so I doubted that counted as a prelude to what he got to face with the blonde on a daily basis.

So I crossed this topic within my mind as something I was going to dig further into… once I was done with this blasted request to have the first test ready to be started in the capital by all contestants. It was the first test and yet I could feel the pressure building within myself and from others as this had to be brilliant and right on the spot when it came to test the candidates' capacity to… be strong. And by strength it wasn't just physical, but also connected to the overall set of skills they had and how they could use them in a sudden and unexpected scenario. It was going to be quite the difficult first task that tied up with two puzzles and a single question under magical oath. Not really the finest planning, but it was still a troubling one that I had to make sure was fool-proof and cheat-proof. It was going to get a few people angry considering how 'forceful' it was going to be with the last question, but I really hoped to not find any surprises by the time that unfolded. Five more days and I would know more about the truth.

The rest of the day proceeded relatively smoothly. I had already gone through giving a lesson to the twins and Annerose. The kids were learning steadily, and I could tell in two years they would be advanced enough to start actually taking on small administrative tasks. Not an outright job as I was against starting any child-labor regulation within the country, especially in favor of such a heinous practice. The idea of giving them something to still work on was mostly based on the idea that they needed to put their knowledge in practice. And Annerose had plenty of reasons to make some experience before she was old enough to take on the mantle of head of the Miload's household. She was smart, but experience was the determining factor that allowed someone to grow more mature and capable of handling difficult situations along the way to adulthood and beyond. And I really worried that Roswaal was going to do something to her considering she was related to him through the Miload family being a branch line of the Mathers family and since Roswaal himself didn't have a child to reincarnate in. I would have to take precautions together with Satella to prevent this from happening if I spotted any interest in him to try and pull some creepy stunt of that kind. Hopefully it was going to work and I wouldn't have to deal with losing a child's mind to a twisted and greedy bastard like that ridiculous magician.

Another detail that I would soon end up having to face tied up with a request from Ferris regarding his mother. Hannah was a hard-worker that was respectful, polite and had formed quite a bond with some of the older maids and butlers in the castle. Really experienced in this kind of work, but also slowly starting to show signs of an illness I had heard about and was treatable if I was given confirmation it was indeed the light version of what I once had. So I asked her to come by the office right once she was done with half her usual shift. She looked surprised at first but didn't protest the request. At roughly four in the afternoon, a knock by the door caught the attention of the office's occupants and I spoke up.

"Who it is?"

"It's Hannah, Prime Minister sir."

I nodded. "Please enter."

The woman complied as she opened the door and entered the room. Hannah sure looked slightly tired and fairly… ill. Not pale or anything, but generally hunching and seemingly having a little trouble keeping her mouth shut while breathing.

"Hannah, please. Take a seat," I urged with a hint of authority, feeling like this was going to be a tough matter to face without acting as drastically and quickly as possible. "Alice, can you please bring me the box that I was going to give Felix?"

The pseudo-clone slowly nodded as she retrieved the container while the old maid sat down in front of me. "Lord Bukharin, what did I do to… warrant this call?"

"Nothing yourself, Hannah. Nothing really you should be worried about… when it comes to your exceptional working ethic."

She offered a small smile, but I could tell she was slightly worried despite my assurance. Soon I had the box in front of me and I carefully lifted the lid to reveal the content inside. A simple tool that took many trials and errors to get a working one, but definitely one step in the right direction when it came to modern medicine.

"This little tool is called Stethoscope from the land I hail from," I started to describe while showing her the object itself. "The main purpose of this tool is to allow a medic, a healer, or a doctor to get a proper listen to a patient's breathing without being too… invasive compared to placing an ear onto the chest or the upper back."

"Oh? Is that… something you wanted to give to Felix."

"I planned to give it for his birthday, but considering the circumstances, I would like to test it on you if possible. It's not magical and, as I said, not invasive. You just need to softly press this little end just above your… well, bosom. Between that and your neck, so that I can get a reading on something I've been told."

…

"Do I have to?"

I sighed. "I promise it's nothing bad, Hannah. But I've been told that your breathing has worsened compared to before. I want to know the situation through this since I believe your conditions require further medical help."

She sighed curtly, slowly nodding. "I understand..."

Smiling kindly at her concession, I asked Alice to help to indicate her where to place it. Hannah was a little nervous over the cool sensation left by the metallic end pressing on her uppermost section of the chest. She breathed slowly, and I caught up to a very curious… issue about it. Despite how slow she was going, her lungs were pumping slightly faster as in taking in and letting out less air than they should. It was concerning and soon, as the procedure was done, I saw down back to the desk to comment on my findings.

"You have told me already that you have worked for the Argyle family ever since you were quite… young, Hannah. You were sixteen or seventeen-"

"Y-Yes?"

"And you have been living mostly limited to the main building of the manor, right?"

…

"Yes. But… Why do you need to ask me this? What is… what is the problem, John?"

It was the first time she called me so informally and I could tell from the frightened look on her face and voice that she was legitimately unable to hold any formality on the matter. I didn't blame her, but I could already tell she was going a touch too far with the reaction.

"Nothing that can be fixed by having you moved to a more open setting. One that would enable you to be in a place where you aren't constrained within a building and forced to take in only 'closed air'," I suggested with a calm voice. "A few months ago I asked you what were your thoughts about retiring, and I had explained to you how it wouldn't be the castle or me firing you, but setting you up to properly retire with a monthly pension and the chance to enjoy your life without needing to work anymore."

"I-I told myself I could keep working."

I nodded. "And I agreed to let you work because you asked. But you know better than me that I can't force someone that is growing ill by the hour due to this condition to spend her life like this. I wish things were simple enough to give you the chance to remain and keep on with this job but I will have to formally request your retirement once more, and this time I will be more pushy about it because of your medical condition."

…

"I'm… Does that mean I can no longer stay in the castle?"

"No. You will be visited frequently by Felix, the twins, me and… whoever you ask for whenever you need," I replied with a quiet tone, knowing that I couldn't sweeten up the deal any further. I gave her as much as I could without being too excessive about it. "You will live in Erindor as a permanent guest of the mayor's manor until you will be able to afford a house and live on your own. If you wish to live on your own."

"I'm… I'm sorry."

There were tears, but I decided to not give her a hug. Not now that she needed just a moment to be quiet and in silence. I remained still for a few minutes, before speaking up again. Trying to offer her the best way to leave with someone she cared and trusted a lot.

"I will ask Lady Karsten to free up Ferris from his duties and assist you to prepare your things and escort you to Erindor for the whole trip. This is not a goodbye, Hannah."

"I-I know but… but I find it… unfair."

I blinked at her word's choice, but she spoke up once more before I could inquire about it.

"Y-You can- Can you promise me that you will really visit?" She asked really softly and I smiled.

"I will. But I have to ask you to spend more time outdoors. It doesn't mean walking, you can even take time reading a book under the shade of a tree or… talking with someone. I reckon now you will have many excuses to 'discuss' with Orestes whenever you two are in need and available to each other."

She actually giggled at that last sentence, but I could tell it was a bittersweet one at best. Truly an awkward decision to take that left me particularly unnerved for the rest of the day. I expected paperwork to be the final obstacle for the next few hours… but I was provided with new trouble, this one coming right from a message from my intelligence network. A message that left me particularly confused.

'Chess-master, Target Sloth-A has requested to speak with you in a location through map and diplomat. They seem to mean well.'

What in the glorious fuck does this even mean?!

I was taking a big risk, but one that Satella assured she had 'taken care about' already. In fact, as I contacted her regarding her connection with Petelgeuse, the answer I got about this sudden approach from the madman took me off-guard. She had spoken to him and… tried to unravel the mess within the Archbishop's mind. An absurd option, but one that seemed feasible considering she was being treated as the absolute element within the man's life since he started to be the monstrous Sloth-driven monster that became Barusu's first serious boss in his adventure.

And now I was supposed to face him and hopefully be spared by any trouble coming out of him. It sounded easier in theory, yet I doubted this could be that simple in practice. The meeting had surprised my intelligence branch as they had been contacted directly… meaning that somehow the Witch Cult was keeping tabs on my group after so long. A worrying scenario that had me starting to shuffle things around and make sure that a flexible change of bases was going to happen every two months. I doubted it was going to fully solve the problem caused by Pandora as she was possibly the one behind this little trickery, but for now I focused on the issue at hand. And that was Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti and his own brand of insanity.

The meeting by one of the forests distant to the capital felt incredibly weird, the fact it was happening with just me, Majima and the guards offered by my espionage group left me a little tense on how effective that was going to be against the Archbishop. I could technically overwhelm him since I could see the Unseen Hands and I knew how to counter them if needed. The real trouble was if Guese decided to switch bodies to one of his Fingers and make things more irritating for everyone there. Despite the dread forming a pool within my chest, I still proceeded to check the invitation, and hope Satella knew who she was trusting right now when it came to possible allies within the Witch Cult. I was very tense but… I felt an awful amount of relief washing over me as I could feel no murderous intent as soon as I felt the Archbishop's gaze upon me. We were finally getting close enough, the man and his minions having to have wasted a lot of time there from the way the ground by his feet had started to alter. Dirt moved around, leaving the small path trailed by his steps as he walked back and forth to await this visit.

Despite the long waiting, Petelgeuse almost beamed in delight as we stopped right in front of him and his group.

"Yes! My brain trembles in joy as my lady was right. You're here- you're finally here."

I blinked, feeling Majima tensing up at the gaze we were receiving.

"That would be correct. My name is John Bukharin, to whom I am speaking to?"

"Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti! I can feel the need to rejoice at your arrival, oh the beloved one!" The man hummed loudly. "Please, oh please- let me ask you a question! She said that you could tell me one thing I forgot."

"And that is?" I pressed quietly, letting him ponder about it.

"It was something about… yes! Two names. There are two names I always tried to remember, but I can't! I just can't for some reason! So tell me… who did I forget?"

…

I took a moment to sigh. The answer was clear, but I felt unsure of the reaction that would get out of the madman. Would he be happy? Sad? Murderous? I wasn't sure but… I still decided to give him the truth. I could tell not doing so would warrant worse scenarios than the ones I thought of being honest in this case.

"Emilia and Fortuna."

The two names shook him out of his reverie and… he took a few steps towards me. Eyes wide open, hands by his mouth and allowing his fingers to be slightly compressed by his teeth. He looked confused, angry, sad and… annoyed.

"How did you know those names?"

"I met Emilia. And I studied the history of Elianor Forest"

"You did, did you? But how did you meet someone that I knew is dead?"

"That's because… she is not dead. She froze up the forest but didn't die that day," I answered readily despite the tension growing due to his approach. "And Fortuna, I know you blame yourself for her death-"

"I killed her. I killed her… I KILLED HER!" He started to repeat, but I decided to speak up about it.

"You didn't."

…

"W-What? Sh-She told me you were a truthful man."

"I am."

"I killed her. I killed- I killed Fortuna. My head is trembling so much, but I can't rejoice-"

"Because you can't grasp at the fact you didn't kill her. You were used to kill her," I interjected calmly. "It was another one that killed her. The one that attacked the Forest, the one that forced you to inject the Witch Factor into yourself and sacrifice a chance to be happy to protect them."

…

"You- You know so much."

"I do," I admitted without hesitation. "And I know you're still angry. Beyond your madness, beyond your veil of endless emotions… you hate her. You want her dead."

"Y-Yes! That brat- she deserves hell and more!"

"And I want this story to end well. We might not be the same person, and I doubt you will ever have the chance to be back to your previous self, but I know you want this to end happily for those that deserve happiness. Fortuna deserves to be relieved from any trouble caused by her real murderer, and Emilia deserves to be freed from the pain of the past. The pain you tried to fight and still fell against it."

"I-I tried."

"I know you did," I replied tensely. "I know you tried to be there to protect them. But you couldn't beat her. Her authority was stronger than any created by Flugel. Then any used by the other Witches."

…

"You have a plan. I can tell you have. These words, that tone- it sounds like the one of a man with a plan."

I nodded. "I do."

"And what do you want me to do, Lord Bukharin? What can we do to make her pay?"

"That's quite simple. You… ruin her plans. And it all starts from the Witch Cult that is currently without Archbishops, that part I personally saw to kill."

"Greed?" He asked and I slowly nodded.

"Yes. Their groups need to be either killed or recruited. They surely will appreciate not being killed by other issues tied to Pandora plus… I reckon Regulus would have been happy to have a cheeky revenge with the way she treated him back then."

"Yes- yes! I can see the point… but? But what else?" The man offered with a wide grin.

"A map of where the two remaining Archbishops of Gluttony are."

"Oh, so you know that too? Never thought anyone would have seen through that. Three Archbishops, one you have already killed… or have you?"

…What?

"I killed Lye-"

"You did, but did you? Did you really kill him?"

…

"Are you just going to keep vague about it?" I inquired and he giggled.

Yep, crazy bastard is still a bastard.

"How about you tell me where their hideout is? I will find out on my own," I muttered calmly and I saw one of the caped figures move to write down something on some maps. "And… one last thing. This is actually something I asked the one you praise and bow to, but she couldn't remember because something prevented her to. Something tied to Flugel."

Petelguese blinked. "What about him? Did he do something bad?"

"It's tied to any trouble that could have forced him to be… cautious. About recent issues."

"Recent issues? About the past? Huuuuuh, I think I remember… yes. A reason? There was a reason!"

"The… the reason?" I inquired with a confused look.

"Yes, the reason! The reason why Flugel gave us all the factors. Fear, fright- he was worried about a dangerous man within our midst!"

That was the thing I wanted to hear and… yet I doubted it was much from the way he was describing the matter.

"Do you… know who it was, Guese?"

He hummed, turning and looking around and shrugged. "No. It's been so long and… and it's strange. I don't even remember much about where I might have met him- and yet I should have remembered… I wonder why?!"

"It could be tied to the man himself. I wish for you to be careful about any chance of this… individual from the past from returning. As far as I know, it could happen."

"Truly? I will take care, Lord Bukharin!" Petelgeuse… rejoiced as his minion finally offered the paper to one of the agents by my side. "And I think we will get going. We'll provide you with the tools to contact us in due time. When we are done with our current tasks… see you in good health, and I hope you know my head is trembling for you."

…

Fucking psycho, why am I attracting so many of them as of lately?

…

And what did he mean Lye could be alive?

AN

The Plot thickens and now we're pushing the story forward. Prepare for messes of high level, trouble from the stars, maybe Dio will visit (of course he is not, do not start any silly antics when I'm JK-ing my way to success!). Still, the Three Archbishops of Gluttony… or Two? What is the deal with Lye?!

But now a little 'Omake EX' about new story that is… well limited to a single site right now.

Omake EX 9: Always looked worse in Black

"You know? I don't like this whole… getting stuck upside down?"

"Don't you? And here we thought we were the same person," The sinister entity currently sitting at my chair hummed, taking a brief glance aimed at my current predicament. A modest layer of web-like substance was coating most of my entire body in a cocoon-like pattern, with only my head exposed, and had me hanging upside down from a modest height.

The creature itself had a humanoid appearance, the entire surface a solid black, 'bald' with three singular elements on his face that… well made it a simple face. Two white 'eyes' and an open mouth. The mouth itself had pointy teeth and from it, a viscous thick tongue calmly waved as the owner kept on gazing over the content of the table. Despite the malicious elements that could have given him the label of monster, or villain, the humanoid-like beast was just… doing the paperwork. And doing those faster due to the creation of multiple limbs through the nature of its current state of being.

"O-Oniichan, is this really- really fine?" Alice asked, standing much closer to where I was. Same for Beatrice but… there was also Majima. The smaller familiar had her eyes aimed in confusion at the intrusion, her logical self dictating to strike the invader, but her nose preventing her to do so as soon as she caught notice of his scent. It was something she had smelled before, I could tell, and that had her in the most distraught state of mind for the time being.

"John. Who is he?" The little blonde asked with a tense tone, almost demanding and cute at the same time.

"The name is Venom. We are the union of a symbiotic entity and a single human with many issues in life," The intruder answered smoothly. "But for our friends, we are the most devilish Cookie-Monster."

"...What?" Alice replied in shock, causing the figure to pause and sigh.

"Look, it's not that complicated. The basis is a human, then you have a creature from beyond the planet's boundaries whose main capacity is to absorb things and bond with living beings that are self-sufficient. Ergo, there are two of us and thus we use the we."

"I think Alice was referring to the insanity regarding your self-naming as a 'Cookie-Monster', I suppose."

He tilted his head, then he looked up at me and then back to the blonde. The confusion was perhaps driven by the fact they were focusing on that very detail instead of… Well, the rest.

"That's because our diet is mostly chocolate and thus cookies are our stuff."

"There is something within cookies, a base element within the ingredient, that allows him to feel full," I added with a loud sigh. "Can you please get me down? At this point, I think I'm getting a little too dizzy."

"Mh," Venom muttered before creating a tentacle and rushing it up to slash at the thinner section of the web tying me to the ceiling. My fall was mostly unceremonious, with magic cushioning most of what damage would have come out of it and giving me the chance to not get injured because of it.

The web itself was easy to cut through on my own and I managed to do so through the girls' help. I stood up, smiled and nodded at the worried trio before turning to glance at our unplanned guest. He didn't seem to pay much attention to the development, more interested in dabbling in the paperwork and… taking some odd takes on some of those. My eyes narrowed as I started to pick on the fact that he was using higher and lower variables in some of the 'responses' he was providing to some of the more economic-based elements.

"Why are you… going through these factors?"

"I looked at the previous data. You were going through a duller approach on these documents," The man hummed before turning up a little note he had written on the spot through one of his multiple hands. A quick glance at it and… it was actually an advanced calculation and analysis of the last three months of economic growth, plus corrections on what could have been done to 'shake up the boat in the right way' as one of the comments in it suggested. And after a longer look, I could see why he would think so.

The entire chart confirmed that the papers I have signed had some safe numbers that wouldn't allow for any bold move. It wasn't wrong considering how deadly playing economics was, but it highlighted a way too defensive take on the matter. Some prices could be altered even more from the looks of it and I was quite sure that this explained why just half of the big tower of documents I had to sign was getting done by this… interesting intruder.

"John, why are you… so calm about this? He is a stranger, he is doing your job and-" Beatrice tried to make a really compelling case and she was interrupted by a loud sigh from Venom.

"That's because the name on the desk says 'John Bukharin'. So why wouldn't a John Bukharin sit in here?"

…

"O-Oniichan?" Alice quietly asked, taking a few steps toward the desk, a surprised look on her face.

"I wouldn't say I'm your Oniichan. We might bear his face, his identity, we might have the same name but we weren't the one you spoke and interacted with since the beginning," The figure admitted, but slowly gave confirmation of his identity by revealing for a while his real face. Similar to mine but… older. He looked mostly fine, maybe a little tired from work or other stuff. Nothing… strange to be honest. "Still, I think I'm done here and… I should really go. I had business to take care of before leaving and… I guess it feels dumb to dodge paperwork by doing another kind of paperwork."

Mad, more like.

The rest of the room's occupants were surprised by this circumstance and remained quiet through the rest of the ordeal due to it.

"It was fun," The tall creature muttered as he reformed properly. "I'll be taking my leave now and-"

"Why did you even visit?"

Venom paused, then offered a thoughtful pose. "I guess it all comes from a conversation I had with Wade. Like the thing he did with Marvelverse twice already, except no murders happened and I was mostly annoying people."

"Of course," I hummed with a dry voice. "Let us not stop you any longer. Leave and… do your things."

The fellow Bukharin chuckled. "I will sure do that, 'Prime Minister'."

The portal closed as soon as he entered it, leaving many questions, many doubts and a single understanding. A single understanding he doubted he was ever going to regret if given the chance to go for it.

Never put on that much black on myself. I look fat in it.