Kleine

  Kleine sucked in a deep breath. The musky air of the Canticle was hardly a pleasant smell, but he didn’t have the luxury to choose where to feel relief. Rainwater gushed in the background, masking his watery footsteps as he made his way to the rendezvous point. The hood and cloak over his body was soaked and smeared in mud and debris. An intentional disguise to pass himself off as an Isarelle civilian in order to evade the scrutinizing eyes of Steiger, the Lionhearts, and Belle.

  House Belle’s last-minute arrival to the battlefield took him by surprise. They didn’t bring their full numbers, but their forces led by the Ice Maiden were enough to overturn the brief advantage that they enjoyed after Thanatos’s collapse.

  Seems like the newest generation of nobles have more righteousness and spine than their parents.

  Ardair’s nobility were embarrassingly easy to predict. Greed and self-preservation were all they knew, and so if an incident was threatened their wellbeing, they were almost certain to remain in their glass thrones. All the more if staying passive somehow placed them in an advantageous position. The fall of Thanatos satisfied both conditions—not only did Isarelle become a city of death, but the collapse of the spire was a definitive blow to the royal family’s ironclad reputation. From that perspective, House Belle’s late arrival had caught them off guard.

  In the grand scheme of things, House Belle’s arrival had done little to change the results. Thanatos had collapsed. Borealis’s military efficacy was confirmed. Isarelle had been ravaged. The royal family’s prestige muddied. And the cowardice of the nobility had been exposed to the public. The next logical step would be to fan the flames of rebellion across Ardair.

  The only thing they’ve lost was a few key inmates of Thanatos.

  More of them were just contingency plans. Nice to haves. But I had hoped to get one of Blighted Artist or Deathstrider out. Blood Father might have sufficed as well. Their absence changes things.

  Another source of azure light cut through the darkness of the Canticle. Kleine sent out a weak psychic pulse. Like an extension of his senses, he tugged and weaved the phenomenon to perceive what he couldn’t see. When he found a small lady seated down in a meditative position surrounded by a cadre of rats, he relaxed.

  He had arrived at the rendezvous point.

  Karni must have noticed his presence too as his vicinity began to stir. Rats hiding in the shadowy crevices of the Canticle emerged. He gave the ones closest to him a friendly wave before approaching.

  The Gharian lady had stood up when he came into view. Their meeting location was a small subterranean chamber within the Canticle located on the outer fringes of the Commerce District. This portion of the sewers rarely saw visitors. The waterways here were old and rotten, suffering from a slow and gradual degradation by neglect and the passage of time. Any maps of its paths were likely outdated. Monster activity and erosion caused by water could create new passages or close off old ones from the original build.

  By all means, it was the perfect hideout for a group of terrorists within Isarelle. They had only known about it thanks to the documents stolen from their intrusion of the Academy Consortium.

  “Kleine, I have bad news.”

  That was hardly a pleasant way to greet someone, but Kleine didn’t complain. He had grown used to Karni’s serious and curt personality by this point.

  “They got Melody.”

  He paused. His eyes flickered for a brief instant. His expression was neutral and unreadable. He remained like that, stone-faced, letting the statement settle in his mind.

  “I’m sorry. I found her too late. She got dragged into the Canticle during her fight.”

  “Against Emil?”

  “Yes. She’s still alive, but in the princess and prince’s custody. Lionhearts are close. I don’t think it’s possible to retrieve her without a fight.”

  “I see,” he said.

  He closed his eyes, allowing the initial onslaught of emotions to pass.

  “Where’s Nagi?” he finally asked after a minute of silence.

  “In position with few surviving Thanatos inmates.”

  “Perfect. Let’s go then.” He moved to turn around, only to find resistance pulling against his sleeve.

  “…Are you sure? What about Melody?”

  It was faint under the dim glow of the Azurite lights, but Karni had tears streaking down the side of her face. A rare sight. The Gharian was never one to show emotions besides annoyance, anger, and hatred. Their partnership as Vigil was purely for business. She yearned for her homeland’s freedom while they desired Ardair’s destruction. Her resolve didn’t pale in comparison to theirs. After all, she was even willing to overlook her hatred against Ardairans to work together.

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  To think you, of all people, would cry for her.

  “It’s fine. She’s still alive. A reunion is always possible,” he reassured her. Normally, he would have teased her for softening up, but Kleine was in no mood for frivolity. “Resolve yourself, Karni. As we agreed many moons ago, our long partnership ends after today. But our goals remained aligned.”

  He faced the Gharian for what might be the last time.

  “Focus. Steel yourself. Allow no distractions to steer you away from your vision.”

  She nodded, her eyes once again vicious and sharp.

  “I pray for your success,” she muttered with her hands clasped together.

  “As do I.”

  They shared a solemn silence. Kleine closed his eyes. The maelstrom of emotions brewing inside his chest stirred again. He bit down on his lips, desperate to keep the cages on his heart firm. His hands shook. For the first time in ages, he struggled to maintain his composure.

  Thank you, Melody.

  He allowed himself a single tear. She wasn’t dead, so there was no need for a lengthy farewell. But for now, she was gone. He was alone. And she left him with one more reason to see this vengeance till the bitter end.

  I’ll find you soon, my friend.

  Hortensia

  Isarelle’s nightmare finally ended once the Belle Exalted led by the Ice Maiden had joined ranks with the Lionhearts led by Princess Aoife and Prince Rory. The joint effort was enough to sweep through the remnants of the Thanatos inmates wrecking havoc in the ruins of the Black Shoal and Administrative District.

  But the situation could hardly be called a victory.

  Half of the city had been destroyed. The death toll was still being tallied three days after the end of the attack. Missing people reports crowded the desk of numerous Steiger admins in mountainous stacks. The heavy rain that began during Vigil’s assault had continued on for several days. Roads leading to the city were mired in mud. And with all the bombing done to the Canticle, localized flooding ravaged the rest of the ruined city. It was nearly impossible to deliver food and aid to the certain neighborhoods, further worsening the situation.

  To call it a disaster would be an understatement.

  News of Isarelle’s devastation had arrived on Hortensia’s desk within half a day after Thanatos’s collapse. She immediately dropped everything that she had been doing and summoned Rohan. The two of them reached the city in record time, only to find that the situation had passed. That was fine. Their timely arrival brought much needed leadership in a time of great upheaval.

  Graf, the head of the Steiger branch office in Rosales, had perished during the calamity.

  Princess Aoife and Prince Rory were on the brink of collapse.

  Hortensia and Rohan stepped in to fulfill their roles expertly. Thanks to them, Isarelle managed to regain some semblance of life once the torrential rain finally stopped.

  “Good grief.”

  The source of the breezy voice let out a heavy sigh. Whether it was genuine lament or just another frivolous act, Hortensia couldn’t tell. It was always hard for her to get a read on the next person in line for the imperial throne.

  Crown Prince Aidan rested in his furnished and ornately adorned chair with a forlorn look. He set down the documents that he had been reading on the table. His fingers lightly tapped the surface as he fell silent in contemplation.

  Hortensia remained kneeled on her knees. Waiting. Rohan was beside her in a similar posture of reverence. She betrayed no sign of impatience. At this point, she was well-accustomed to the little nasty quirks of the Crown Prince. He liked to test his subject’s loyalty and limits. Push and pull. Tug and twist. Prod at what makes them tick. Probe at what makes them uncomfortable. This was his unique way of understanding who his subjects really were. Hortensia found it infuriating, but she tolerated it. Because frankly, he needed to. Figure out who was truly on his side and who was plotting in the dark. Fast. Ardair was never in a more delicate position.

  “…Should I just order all of the Noble’s Quarter to be executed? Neglecting their noblesse oblige during a time of calamity is surely enough grounds for treason? I could also pin the collapse of Thanatos on their incompetence as well. Negligence that led to the destruction of a royal symbol—there’s precedence for capital punishment, I’m sure. What do you think, Hortensia?”

  “I understand your ire, Your Highness. But it would be unwise,” she said. In truth, her thoughts were quite close to the Crown Prince’s. She just had about enough with the noble faction and incessant distractions they posed. Getting a royal decree to sever some of their fat, indolent heads sounded absolutely delightful.

  “There’s no guarantee that Steiger and the Lionhearts alone can quickly stabilize the situation if a civil war erupts,” Rohan added as a voice of reason, “It would also just play into Vigil’s hands.”

  “If only my foolish little brother didn’t lose the heart of the Ice Maiden. Things would be so much easier if House Belle was on our side,” Aidan vented. He suddenly stood up. The frivolous, lethargic air around him vanished as his gaze sharpened. The pressure of authority radiated from his presence.

  “Father has two months left at most,” he said with a solemn tone, “I want the Vigil threat taken care of before then. Preferably, with some of their members alive. Given how much they’ve sullied our kingdom, it’s only fair that I turn their deaths into a spectacle.”

  “It can be done,” Hortensia said.

  “Really?” Aidan asked, quiet with narrowed his eyes.

  Hortensia felt a chill down her spine.

  “How?!” the Crown Prince suddenly yelled, thunderous, “Tell me! I need more than just words! I need a plan! Action! Strategy! Give me something more than just lip service, Hortensia! Or would you play me for a fool as well?!”

  She fought the urge to wince.

  “…We have one of Vigil’s members, Melody Lain, currently in custody. We’ve enlisted the help of Aria the Songstress to interrogate her. The information she provided should be genuine under Aria’s Gift.”

  “And? What did she say? What brilliance did you uncover?”

  “Vigil’s remaining members had plans to split off. Kleine and Nagi were planning to move in the general direction of Azure City and Nordica. Karni would veer off towards Gharia by herself. It seems they each have their own objectives left to fulfill.”

  The Crown Prince smiled for the first time during this meeting.

  “Use everything in your disposal. Strongarm the regional nobles if you have to. You have my decree. Oh, and get the Council of Mana involved in this as well.” Aidan’s eyes gleamed with malice. “They still owe us a favor for my dear little sister’s capture.”