Vulcan's Dilemma Pt. II

But just as soon as she did reveal her eyes to the leader, she returned to her polite demeanor just as quickly- likely remembering that there was an onlooking crowd watching.

So, she's the Royal Assistant huh? Is that like the official name for the Queen's main advisor? Mm, well whatever she is- I need to keep a serious tab on her, she isn't someone I can just disregard if I do make any big moves in the kingdom.

I look at Levii, she catches my eyes and gives me a 'I know' kind of look. We're both aware of how dangerous this lady is- that's good.

"Mmm, yes- please do remember to only use that title to refer to me, if you will." I've never seen such a polite smile writhe with obvious poison behind it.

"Mhm, sure, Royal Assistant. Now, back to it- the real reason?"

I don't know what kind of history these two women share, but whatever it was- the air around them made the cave feel ten degrees colder than it really was.

"Siiiiiiiiigh."

?...??

"SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH."

The girl with the crown, who I can now confidently believe to be Flaur Goetia herself, just let out two obviously forced long drawn-out sighs.

"We're here on reports that you're harboring a war criminal."

Her royal dumbass spilled the beans without an ounce of regal gravitas, the mob went wild.

"Us!? Have you gone mad!!?"

"We helped you fight Zepar, just leave us alone already!"

"Go back to your castle!"

"Go back!"

"Back! Back! Leave DAMN you!"

Oof, those're a lot of raised pickaxes- gotta be careful here.

I tap Levii's shoulder and motion to her with my eyes that we should probably make ourselves scarce; she agrees with me with her following me as we shimmy ourselves out of the ocean of blue-skinned miners.

But just as we manage to exit the crowd, I hear one thing I didn't want to hear at all anytime soon this early in the run- I mean journey.

"You."

I could feel a death flag rise on my head- if only that really did happen.

"You two, yes you."

I didn't need to look behind me to know who it was that was staring daggers into the back of my neck-

Levii grabbed my hand, usually in this kind of scenario when a girl would grab my hand I would ascend on the spot- but...

Ugh, damn my luck.

I look back, the Royal Assistant was pointing a long, slender finger at me- her eyes were opened slightly; the red slits being her irises dead on my own.

The Flaur gave us a surprised raise of the eyebrow, her spiky dark-purple hair ruffling itself from the quick swivel of her head to our direction; I guess she hadn't noticed us unlike her assistant.

But she soon then quickly redirected her attention back to the rising animosity of the crowd before her- as Levii and I slowly walked toward the awaiting Royal Assistant.

"Now now; I say reports." She spoke up once more, her voice kept an unwavering coolness to it.

"Which is why I've come to see for myself, as I know that the Djinn clan were avid supporters of my claim to rule."

"Otherwise- well, this kind of meeting wouldn't be as amicable as you see it now." She extended her arms around to show that it really was just her and the royal assistant- I'm guessing this is extremely out of the norm.

"So- let us take this somewhere else... because, I'm tired, and my feet huuurt!"

??

Wah?

I stopped myself dead in my tracks as I couldn't believe what I had just heard.

Just before, she was speaking so... Queenly!

And now? She's talking like a brat!?

"What a long day, ahhh- Carmi, I can't take much more of this I'm tiiiired." She looked away

She's pouting now!?!

Aw that was kinda cute- Wait, no!? This is no way how a goddamn ruler of a country should be acting like on something as important as rooting out war criminals!?!?!

Levii didn't seem too surprised by how she was acting, neither did anyone else really- why am I the only one reacting to this!?

"Well, now that you put it that way... guess' there ain't much complainin' I can do now, can I?"

The Djinn leader turned around and calmed down her crowd- they listened but kept grumbling under their breaths as she motioned the princess to follow- she obliged, leaving Levii and I with the scary Royal Assistant.

The gray display appeared again, but this time it was a lot smaller- almost like a long rectangular bar instead of its usual large square.

// [Passive Trait: Moon God's Grace Toggle Off State Overwritten, Activating...] //

// [Domination] Negated. //

// [Domination] Negated. //

// [Domination] Negated. //

// [Sage's Mind Tamper] Negated. //

// [Sage's Mind Tamper] Negated. //

The display bar kept repeating a ton of negated things occurring at a rapid-fire rate, could... could this lady be trying to cast something on me!?

I grabbed Levii's wrist reflexively, and the display reappeared again- this time it was colored white instead of its usual gray.

// [Moon God's Grace] Is being shared by close contact, absolving servant [Levii] of all status effects. //

Levii who had been oddly quiet until now looked back at me as if she just woke up from a long nap, her eyes blinking erratically.

"M-Milord?"

"Hmph." The Royal Assistant spoke up, her eyes now fully open revealing the maliciously black sclera of her eyes.

"Who... are you?" Her brows were furrowed furiously, and her otherwise polite pursed lips, were now in an agitated snarl- she stood defensively at Levii and I.

"W-Wait! I'm the Steppe Imp Princess!" Levii shouted, but the Royal Assistant ignored her.

"I know what you are- but, that thing-" She pointed her finger at me... wait at me? I'm a thing now!?

"That thing shouldn't exist!"

"Geez, it's rude to call me a thing!" I couldn't keep it in anymore, this is just too much abuse going on for my little, sensitive heart!

"You can quit your stupid attempts at trying to do whatever it is you're trying to do."

"It doesn't work." I pointed to my head.

"Hrnnn!" She snarled.

The Flaur's group were now half-way to the exit of the cave ahead, she stopped and looked back.

"Carmi!! What're you waiting foooor!" She yelled out in a cutesy, lazy little sister-like kind of tone.

The Royal Assistant suddenly stopped her defensive stance, her face returning back to the cold facade that she had before. But her eyes kept themselves fixated on me, I felt like a mouse stuck in a cage with a snake.

"Ugh... More variables to account for." She strained one of her neat eyebrows in exasperation.

"If it weren't for me knowing who she is standing next to you, I would've killed you on the spot you abomination."

"Don't call Mil- K-Kai that! He is the Steppe Imp's savior!!" Levii spoke out, honestly surprising both the royal assistant and me. Thankfully she also caught herself from calling me Milord outload.

Levii, you sweet, precious goddess you! Ah, have I died and reincarna-

"Whatever it is." And I'm back to reality.

"I don't care, but I can't leave you alone now that I know you exist."

She tapped her grey-heeled toe-shoes onto the path's ground impatiently, I could see she was likely juggling a thousand things in her head by how troubled she looked- even if she tried her best to not show it.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not here to cause any trouble...?"

I mean, that isn't a lie- I'm not here to follow out on Faustus' grand plan of revenge. I mean even then; I don't think he even needed me to do that in the first place- she'll lose her kingdom with how the currency situation is being handled as is easy enough.

"Come." Her face had fully returned to the polite facade.

"Follow me- do not say, touch, or interact with ANYTHING. We'll continue this once my business here is complete." She motioned for us to walk ahead and to follow the group nearing the entrance.

I didn't know what to expect, but Levii began slowly moving ahead. I was still holding onto her wrist, so I'm sure that she wasn't being further brainwashed or whatever the Royal Assistant was doing to her.

"Uhm... Milord?" Levii looked back at me still holding onto her wrist, she didn't look too bothered but I could see that she was sporting a creeping red hue on her ears.

"Ah- uh, *cough*, it's for uh- safety! What if we get lost in here, h-haha?"

Please buy it.

"Oh I see, if you say so M-Milord." She turned her head around, the both of us began to walk in tandem with our awkward wrist-grab.

Damn it, I can't even enjoy this this kind of skin ship- the Royal Assistant is keeping us in her death stare as she walks behind us, like a drill instructor waiting for us to make the smallest slip-up.

What a peaceful walk this was, while it lasted!

...

As we exited the cave at long last, I was given a surprising revelation from what I was witnessing.

Just ahead, near the horizon- I could see a city. The city itself looked normal, medieval as I would've imagined- but in the middle of it- far above the walls that surrounded the city- was a gigantic, spire of a castle.

It looked so out of place from where I was standing and seeing it- tacky, is the only thing I can really say about it.

I guess this wasn't a long walk for Flaur and her Royal Assistant.

"Look Mil- Kai." Levii caught herself once again, gold star!

"That is Modos!" She gave a cute fist-pump of excitement.

But out excitement was cut short as we we're funneled along with the group to a large building next to the cave's exit, it had a sign that read "Barracks".

But before everyone had entered within, the Djinn's leader stopped and spoke up.

"Alright, that's enough for rubbernecks." She looked back at the mob of Djinns and shook her head- what followed was a lot of protesting.

"B-But Chief!"

"We can't just leave you alone with 'them'!"

The leader, or should I say Chief now, silently allowed her people to gripe for a moment- but not before she ultimately just shook her head once more in disapproval.

"No buts, scram or I'll dock yer pay." Her eyes scanned the group, and with that- they soon began to leave in dejected droves.

"Sigh- now then, if you could follow me inside." She opened the barrack's large wooden door effortlessly with her stout arm, disappearing within wordlessly with the tired Queen in tow- leaving the Royal Assistant, Levii, and me outside to our devices.

I could see the Royal Assistant (geez I think I'll just start calling her Carmilla in my head, not like she can read my mind) begin to write something on her clipboard with a feathered pen.

"As I repeat- you will enter with me, and you will do absolutely nothing." She spoke coldly.

"Make one move that I deem dangerous- and you will die."

"Say nothing, do nothing, and if I could- I would ask you to listen to nothing."

"But that wouldn't be possible now, would it?" Her sweet smile made me feel queasy.

She went inside of the door, but I could see her waiting by the door-frame within waiting for us to follow in.

Before we did, I opened up my self-display; I had something to confirm first.

"The hell." I whispered, thankfully Carmilla didn't hear me to rouse any suspicion.

My skill [Moon God's Grace] was toggled off for automatic use, as I had left it before in the Steppe.

Then why did it override that in the cave?

It's not like I'm complaining, who knows how much worse today could've went if Carmilla's skills had gotten to me. They made Levii into a kind of listless zombie, so I could hazard a guess.

"Give me your stick and book before you enter however- and you, Steppe Imp Princess, your spear."

Levii and I wordlessly complied- there's no point in putting up much of a fight over giving up weapons entering a room with a literal Monarch inside.

Now that I take a closer look, Levii's spear is hardly much of a spear anymore- it's just a sharpened stick at this point. I guess that's what was left from the battle since that day.

Man, how the hell're am I going to get her better crap if you can't even buy stuff with money out here!?

I'm a stat-freak, I have to get my units the best gear possible for any situation.

Plus, I'm kind of curious as to what her whole Wind-Diety thing is about, and the class change she had gone through- that 'True Lancer' thing. I'm still not aware of whether or not she knows that she isn't just a regular Steppe Imp anymore other than her cosmetic changes.

Maybe I should tell her about my ability after this? I do feel bad about keeping secrets (not like I'm already completely lying to her face about being an amnesiac or anything, teehee?)

As we give our stuff to Carmilla, of which she grabs with a handkerchief to avoid actually touching our stuff- we enter the room proper- finding ourselves in a cozy, lounge like lobby.

In the middle is a large table with a smattering of documents sprawled all over it, and other various things I couldn't identity other than it being important for mining.

The Queen was sitting lazily in one chair, the comfiest of the given at the table, opposite to the otherwise uncomfortable looking stool that the Chief was sitting on. There was another chair set next to the Queen's, it was a plain wooden chair, but not a stool like the Chiefs, so I'd imagine a bit more comfortable.

The Chief looked up at us entering and gave a confused look- I don't blame her, if two scantily clad randoms appeared out of nowhere in your otherwise official government meeting- I would too be quite puzzled.

"I'm sorry- but er', who're they?" The Djinn Chief prompted this question to the Queen, but she gave an unbothered shrug as she spoke up.

"Dunno, but maybe Carmi knows."

"Carmi?" Flaur asked Carmilla who was now standing next to us after having put our belongings in a chest next to the doorframe. I could visibly see a vein pop up on her temple as she began to explain.

"Your Highness, please do not call me that."

"And for who these two are."

"She is the Steppe Imp Princess, Levii."

Levii gave a formal bow to the Chief and Flaur sitting at the table, if it weren't for her dirty appearance from walking for days without a good bath- she'd look just like a proper princess.

The Chief gave a small nod in response, while Flaur smiled.

"Ah, the Steppe Imp Princess." She spoke kindly, as if she was reconnecting with an old friend.

"How is your father, Vileii, doing? In good health I presume?"

///