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Tanya von DegurechaffEmilia (Re:Zero)Reinhard van AstreaFelt (Re:Zero)Roswaal L MathersNatsuki SubaruCrusch KarstenRem (Re:Zero)Petelgeuse Romanée-ContiRegulus CorneasBeing X (Youjo Senki)

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CrossoverOpen for suggestionsOther Additional Tags to Be AddedIllustrationsMild GorePost-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSDPoliticsMagicCross-Posted on FanFiction.NetAuthor Is Sleep DeprivedOne Day I will probably rewrite this but who knowsCanon-Typical ViolenceMysteryMemory Loss

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English

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Part 1 of Isekai Adventures of a Salaryman Next Work →

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Published:2021-04-07Updated:2022-08-24Words:132,758Chapters:67/?Comments:1,654Kudos:1,699Bookmarks:279Hits:99,065

Tanya starts from Zero

A_Morte_Perpetua_Machina_Libera_Nos

Chapter 5: Idea instilled

Notes:

I am curious... Are you here because of Re:Zero or because of Youjo Senki? (Probably both, but which metaphorical side of the equation is "bigger" for you?)

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

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Shadow magic or Yin magic as it was also called was an interesting thing. It could be used to slow down opponents, blind them, disorient them or even outright weaken them. A useful set of tools that fit her usual tactics of confusion and evasion pretty well.

Everything that the wind magician told her sounded interesting, although Tanya could not try anything for herself. Yin affinities were apparently so rare that the man knew not a single person that could teach her the necessary spells. And books about the topic were also exceedingly rare. She hoped to find anything about the topic in the Astrea library, but wasn't too optimistic.

Maybe she could invent the spells herself? She had done so in the past. But these spells were different. They did not rely on logic and mathematics. Apparently you even had to say the name of your magic out loud if you wanted to use it which struck her as a massive tactical disadvantage. Your enemy would instantly know what you wanted to do. Magic in this world was stupid.

Her temporary teacher had some control over air so it was only logical to assume that he, or at least others in his profession, could fly. When she asked him about that he claimed that only the very best of the best with exceptionally large mana pools had this ability. A good advantage for her to have. If she was one of the few people in this world who could do that then she was with high probability the best in this field. She had trained against hundreds of the best in her aerial mages ever and won. It was unlikely that the magicians here had any comparable experience.

After she paid the magician for his time and sent him away she went on a search for Reinhard. And like a dog that came when you called he for it he seemed to appear out of thin air as soon as she needed him. The redhead would make for a good right hand if he could keep that up.

"Reinhard, I was wondering if you could perhaps show me how to use a sword? I have extensive knowledge on how to use a bayonet, but my sword skills are clearly lacking."

If he was confused by what a "bayonet" was then he didn't show it.

"It would be a pleasure."

One gruelling hour later and Tanya could only snarl in frustration. She had known that she was no master with the blade, but she hadn't thought herself to be so bad. Even with her enhancement formulas had she not been able to land a single hit on Reinhard. He didn't even seem like he was putting much effort into it.

Every single one of her lightning-fast swings and blows had been blocked or deflected in a casual, almost bored fashion. Even in close range had her knight been able to doge and sidestep all of her manoeuvres. She had not felt so weak in years.

"I am sorry Reinhard. It seems like I am actually terrible. I could not even land a single hit! Our training will have to continue for longer than I expected."

"You are not ´terrible´ Milady. In fact I would go as far as to say that you were great."

"How? In a real fight you could have probably taken me out in seconds."

"Well, yes, but with all due respect, do you even know what a swordsaint is?"

"No. I thought it was a title bestowed on those who wield the dragon sword that I read about."

"That is mostly correct Milady, but that is not the full story. To be a swordsaint means to also possess the one of a kind ability of the Divine Protection of the swordsaint."

Divine Protection? Was this another false gift from the wannabe god?

"Since I received this protection as a child I have in fact never been hit or defeated in a duel."

What? How overpowered was that? He had never lost? She silently thanked her luck that he was on her side.

"So the skill you just displayed is not the norm, but rather limited to you alone?"

"Yes. Although I would not call it skill. There are others who are far better knights than myself and would beat me easily if I had not my Divine Protection."

"But fact is that you have it. So are you the best fighter in Lugnica or not?"

"... Yes, I probably am."

He seemed quite uncomfortable with that answer so she decided not to pry.

"Do you think I have a chance against some of the stronger opponents you fought?"

He thought about that for a few seconds before he answered:

"Against most of them you would have a good chance to win with your speed and strength. But some of them could match yours without difficulty and they have more experience."

"How likely is it that I will have to fight them in the future?"

"Unfortunately it is very possible seeing as some of them are in opposing camps to ours."

"Then it is good that I have a few more tricks up my sleeve. Do you think you could help me improve my sword skills though?"

"I have the Divine Protection of teaching. I will advance you to your maximum potential if you so desire."

Whatever that was, she did not question it.

"Then let us continue our training tomorrow. I still have many books to read."

"Of course Milady."

Just after she had changed out of her sweaty training clothes into her new regular clothes (that the seamstresses had made remarkably fast) Reinhard knocked at her door. He had of course no need to change his clothing after their sparring match, because not even a speck of dust had landed on him. How did he do that by the way?

"What is it Reinhard?"

"A messenger arrived from the kings palace. He said it was an urgent letter so I delivered it directly to you my Ladyship."

"Thank you Reinhard."

Tanya took the letter and read it with slightly narrowed eyes. She still had to adjust to the unfamiliar glyphs on the paper.

"It announces that the royal selection will be held in five days."

It seemed as if she had been right with the one week hypothesis. Only four days to prepare. An idea formed in her head.

"Tell me my knight... Where do I find the poorer districts of this city?"

"Do you mean the slums Milady?"

He sounded mildly shocked.

"Yes. I believe I will have business there tomorrow."

Tanya smiled and Reinhard shivered unnoticeably.

Notes:

EDIT: Just hit 777 views! Let´s go!!! I never thought I get there.

Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read my silly, little story <3

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Tanya von DegurechaffEmilia (Re:Zero)Reinhard van AstreaFelt (Re:Zero)Roswaal L MathersNatsuki SubaruCrusch KarstenRem (Re:Zero)Petelgeuse Romanée-ContiRegulus CorneasBeing X (Youjo Senki)

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Part 1 of Isekai Adventures of a Salaryman Next Work →

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Published:2021-04-07Updated:2022-08-24Words:132,758Chapters:67/?Comments:1,654Kudos:1,699Bookmarks:279Hits:99,065

Tanya starts from Zero

A_Morte_Perpetua_Machina_Libera_Nos

Chapter 6: Recruitment order

Notes:

Uploads could come in a bit later for next week due to school. Apologies in advance.

EDIT: 69 comments pog

EDIT 2: Not anymore

EDIT 3: 1000 Hits!!! Thank you all so much!

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

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

She researched these "Divine Protections" before dinner and found out that they were basically another separate magic system; only more specific and not attainable by those born without one. At first the name tripped her off, but she quickly understood that these came most likely not from Being X, because they did not require the bearer to pray or worship anything in return. That bastard would never be so generous.

Dinner was delicious as expected although good food no longer had the awe-inspiring effect on her it previously caused. After wiping her mouth while thinking of her plans for the near future she decided to ask Reinhard a few questions.

"As an expert in swordsmanship would you be able to select a fitting blade for me? While I am on a mission tomorrow would be a good time so that I have at least three days to get comfortable with the blade."

"Of course I can Milady. But... allow me the question; do you honestly expect a fight to break out at the royal selection?"

Oh, he was catching on quite nicely.

"Not Necessarily. But it seems very likely. If not at the royal selection then shortly thereafter."

Her knight seemed distraught by the idea so she decided to cheer him up.

"Don´t worry Reinhard. I will not let it escalate into a civil war or anything close to that."

´Yet´ was left unsaid by her. She totally missed the expression of horror that flashed through his eyes.

"Ah, and before I forget, do you have a problem with me using your appearance for tomorrow? I would like not to be seen or recognized by possible agents of the other candidates."

"I am afraid I don't understand Milady. Can you change your form at will?"

"No, but I can create illusions."

She produced an optical formula that layered itself over the table and painted it at first blood red and then changed into a holographic depiction of Lugnica´s topography. It was extremely simple and required barely any attention to execute, but to Reinhard it looked stunning.

"I cannot say that I like the idea of anyone impersonating me, but if it assures my Lady´s safety then I have no qualms about it."

"Wonderful. And lastly; as a knight of this city do you have any knowledge about why the people there are so poor that the area is only called ´the slums´? Did a war happen recently or a famine perhaps? Any information could be invaluable."

"The witch cult is the reason for many, I believe. They attack countless smaller villages and settlements causing many people into flee to the capital for safety. Due to the loss of their possessions they often don't have enough money to build themselves a new life here. A terribly tragic affair."

"Yes, very unfortunate."

They had already experienced loss and hardship. That meant that these people were hardened by life and probably really desperate... very desirable aspects in fresh recruits. Breaking them in would be fun. Only the thought was enough to bring a small smile to her face. She hadn't really trained anybody in years!

To make sure her information was correct she left the Astrea estate in the early morning and made her way over to the slums. They indeed looked terrible compared to the clean and lively streets of the city centre, but she had seen far worse. Arene for example. At least after she had been finished with it.

There she asked some loitering thugs and even homeless people why they had come to this part of the city and patiently listened to their life stories. Some needed a bit more convincing in form of one or two small bottles of cheap booze that she had bought in bulk for exactly this reason. To not arouse any suspicion later she changed her illusionary disguise every time. From children to adults Tanya used every face that she could remember from her walk through the city earlier.

When she had heard enough she went back to a dilapidated shack where she had stored the materials needed for the next step of her plan. To gather a crowd she had bought a few baskets of fruits and bread. Using a voice manipulation formula and a sound amplification formula in tandem she went around the streets and screamed:

"Free food at the abandoned brewery! An announcement is being made! Free food at the abandoned brewery! Bread for all who want it!"

She made her way around a few blocks and repeated her message over and over until she was sure even the most drunken of lowlifes had heard her call. Then she made haste to the described place and took on Reinhard´s appearance. He was a well respected figure in Lugnica so she hoped his face would bring the people to trust her more easily.

Soon a sizable crowd gathered around her makeshift podium made from a few barrels and a plank. Many of the humans and demi-humans present looked malnourished and all had the same beaten down expression on their faces. It looked as if all hope had been sucked out of them.

Normally ordinary mercenaries would be better for the tasks she envisioned, but needed loyalty above all else. Mercs were professional veterans, but they could also be bought and they would rat out her secrets without problem to the highest bidder. They also were naturally well known and could be easily identified which was not what she wanted.

Poor, homeless, futureless peasants on the contrary were far more malleable and could be perfectly trained to fulfil exactly the jobs she gave them. Nobody would look even twice at them when they walked through the streets and for nobles they would be entirely beneath their notice; practically invisible in the buzzing chaos of the city.

Now it was time to catch some new recruits.

"Good Citizens! You all have been abandoned by society. Your hopes of a better life in the capital have been crushed and your fellow humans and demi-humans have left you here to rot away in shame and misery. The nobles, they speak of honour and bravery, but where is honour and bravery in letting innocents suffer like this is ask? Where are they with their lofty promises and overflowing money bags?"

Some huffed in agreement others spit on the ground in disgust.

"They all never gave you a chance. They never believed in you and they never trusted you. To them you are less than dirt! It is not fair that you could never show what you are truly worth. All your hidden talents and obvious strengths. They never took interest in you."

Approving murmurs spread through the crowd.

"But not me! What would you say if I had an offer for all of you? Of an honest job with good pay and incredible benefits? I believe in you, because I know that you are not the same as these arrogant fools behind their walls of stone and wealth. I will give you a chance to show them all how amazing you can be! That you will not be forgotten, because of your race or your heritage or the place where you live."

A few nodded ecstatically while other cheered loudly.

"Every man or woman above the age of fifteen in my employment will receive ten silver coins per month. You will be able to quit at any time and I will not punish you for it. In case you are injured I will pay for your full treatment by some of Lugnica´s best healers. Should you lose your life in an accident then your families will receive compensation in form of one hundred silver coins. All the equipment and training will be paid for by me and you will also be able to live in rent-free houses that put these here to shame."

A look of amazement appeared on many faces.

"All of that and more can be yours with no caveats attached if you accept my offer. What do I want for that? Your loyalty. Your secrecy. Your trust. I want you to follow my command and to not question my orders. You are going to protect what is rightfully mine and slay my enemies that want to ruin our country. You are going to unearth terrible secrets and expose scandalous plots."

Now came the real catch. If she told them about the dangers then many would only want it more to prove themselves. And it weeded out all the cowards among the crowd as a nice bonus.

"It is not going to be easy! You will face brutal training that will polish your skills to the maximum potential. I will personally mould you into Lugnica´s most fearsome warriors and most clever spies. This will come with pain and exhaustion. You will cry and bleed and collapse in fatigue, but it will be worth it in end, I promise you! This job is not for the weak or the foolish. Only the best of the best will prevail."

She saw it in some of their faces that they were hooked, drunk on hope and desperation. Perfect time to seize her prey.

"Now I give you a choice. Will you take this one opportunity that some of you have been waiting their whole life for... or will you stay here and continue you life in the slums? All who want to come with me step forward now!"

Three dozen people came immediately up to her. It was time for the inspection.

"Thank you for participating. Now, do any of you know how to fight with a weapon?"

Half of them raised their hand. Very good.

"Have any of you experience with magic?"

Only one girl hesitantly held up her hand.

Another volley of questions followed.

"Do you have closely related family?"

"Do you have any long lasting injuries or terminal diseases?"

"Can you remain cool at the sight of blood?"

And lastly: "Are you really willing to undergo the most exhausting training you have ever experienced? Because in the next few weeks you are going to wish that you had never been born. It will be worth it, but it will also feel horrible. No weak or fragile people can withstand my education."

Indirectly calling everybody who dropped out a coward was a good method to scare them into obedience.

All except two boys (who wouldn't have made the cut either way) nodded their heads.

"If you have any remaining belongings then gather them now and inform your friends of your decision. Meet me in exactly one hour here and I will show you your new accommodations. Whoever arrives too late will be left behind."

Tanya was not a sentimental person. Quite the opposite in fact. But in this moment she felt that she simply had to honour her past and with that her former comrades and friends. Even if it was mostly an inside joke the idea was too funny to pass up. So she let a bone-chilling smile creep onto her face and spoke in her sweetest voice:

"I welcome you to the pits of hell my 204th battalion."

Notes:

"dazai_osamu27" your wish has been granted.

Who do you all think Tanya should make an alliance with?

Crusch? Emilia? Anastasia? Priscilla? Haha Who am I kidding. I hate Priscilla.

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Tanya von DegurechaffEmilia (Re:Zero)Reinhard van AstreaFelt (Re:Zero)Roswaal L MathersNatsuki SubaruCrusch KarstenRem (Re:Zero)Petelgeuse Romanée-ContiRegulus CorneasBeing X (Youjo Senki)

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Part 1 of Isekai Adventures of a Salaryman Next Work →

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Published:2021-04-07Updated:2022-08-24Words:132,758Chapters:67/?Comments:1,654Kudos:1,699Bookmarks:279Hits:99,065

Tanya starts from Zero

A_Morte_Perpetua_Machina_Libera_Nos

Chapter 7: Returning trouble

Notes:

"Zeivira" your wish has been granted.

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

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

One hour later she had organized three carriages to transport her new recruits. It would be pretty suspicious if they all marched in a big group through the streets. Maybe even somebody would think of it as a possible attack and try to stop them!

All of the volunteers had been punctual, but to make sure she counted heads again.

"30... 31... 32... That should be all of them. Wait... 33? That is one person more than last time."

She called out loud: "The new person may come here please."

Her perfectly calm illusionary visage betrayed none of the surprise she felt when the newcomer revealed herself to be a familiar face. It was the thief-girl from the alleyway that had stolen the insignia.

"Hello there young Miss. Would you please tell me why you are here? I did not see you among the volunteers at the announcement."

The blonde raised her chin defiantly and exclaimed: "I just wanted to. There is nothing wrong with picking up a job that pays well."

"While that is true would you mind telling me how old you are?"

It would be problematic if she accidentally employed a child in these lands. Someone could sue her for mistreatment or something along those lines. (Not that anyone in the empire had ever cared that she had not even reached double digits when she joined the military.)

"Old enough." she pouted.

"That is not an answer."

"Fifteen."

"That is good. Below that age I would not have accepted you."

She turned to the watching crowd.

"What are you all waiting for? Hop onto the carriages and let´s get out of here!"

While everyone scrambled for a seat she held her hand up in front of the blonde thief.

"You are going to sit with me on the front seat."

"But..."

"No objections. I want to talk to you. Don´t worry. I won´t bite." smiled the false Reinhard.

When Tanya was about to climb onto the driver seat of the carriage she ran into a small problem. Due to her illusion overlaying her like a costume she was actually a lot smaller than the "Reinhard-facade". That meant that she would practically clip through her illusion if she moved too much. To circumvent the problem she cheated and used her flight spell when she was sure nobody was looking to get up the cart.

She gave the other two drivers a sign and the trip back to the Astrea estate began.

"So what´s your name?"

She couldn't always call her ´thief-girl´ in her head after all.

"Felt."

No last name? Probably a sensitive topic.

"So Felt... did the others tell you about the soul-crushing training you are in for if you accept the job?"

"Yep."

"You think you can handle it?"

"Yeah. Besides... it´s not like I have anything better to do."

Felt looked down at her hand with an expression of grief clearly displayed on her face.

"Do you have any immediate family or close friends that will miss your absence?"

Her expression darkened and her hands clasped each other so tightly that the knuckles turned white.

"No." was her only response.

She knew that look in someone´s eyes. It spoke of personal loss and deep sorrow. Tanya had seen it on hundreds of young soldiers and civilians faces.

"Did it happen recently?" she asked softly.

The girl besides her could only nod. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes, but through sheer force of will she kept them at bay. Quite impressive in Tanya´s opinion. That girl knew how to handle herself.

It must have happened fairly recently; after the incident with the insignia probably. The Felt from a few days ago hadn't had that same dead expression in her eyes and had seemed relatively lively. So she took a wild guess.

"Was it after you lost that insignia?"

Alarm flashed up on her face and she turned her head so fast that her hair swirled around her.

"How did you know?" she yelled accusingly.

"I didn't. I guessed."

"I don't remember you being there." The blond thief still sounded suspicious.

"You were paralyzed when I came so you probably cannot remember my face."

Silence followed for a few minutes.

"I won´t pry, but you can tell me if you want. Maybe this way we will be able to bring the person who did it to justice."

In truth Tanya had no interest in a personal revenge quest, but it would help her understand the girl better and maybe form some sort of emotional bond between them. Who knew how teenage girls functioned? She definitely didn't.

"It... it was our client. She wanted the insignia and when... when I didn't have it she..."

Felt´s eyes had become moist again.

"she killed old man Rom. She was so fast I couldn't stop her and I barely escaped thanks to my Divine Protection. I was so weak... And now I have nothing. I don't know what to do..."

The last part was barely audible.

Emotional support was not one of Tanya´s strengths so she had absolutely no clue how to react. Coming too close was a bad idea, because that would reveal her illusion so things like headpats or hugs were out of the question. (Not that she would have done that anyway.) But what consoling words could help in this situation? Maybe something personal?

"I lost many of my valued comrades on the battlefield. One moment they would stand beside me laughing and cheering and in the next they would lie dead on the ground. Life can be a heartless and cruel thing; I know that very well. Only a few days ago I said goodbye to all of my closest friends and left them in the knowledge that I would never see them again. We will never be able to laugh and drink together and we will never be able to say each other things we maybe should have said years ago."

Visha´s beautiful face smiled in Tanya´s memory and she felt a tinge of sadness tuck on her heartstrings.

"But do you want to know how I handle all that pain? Still smile in this brutal, uncaring world? I don't forget them. Their lives, their memories have meaning, because there are those who care! We are the ones that will not let them die, because we can still remember them. Through our care they become a part of us that stays with us ´till the end of our lives. All humans must die, but that does not mean that we will surrender to the inevitable. We fight! Like you. You have already started to build a new life for yourself. You show your friend that you will continue to struggle and fight for your place in the world, because that´s what humans do. He will always be with you, right by your side if you hold onto his memory and live. Look forward to all the wonderful ways you can show him that you are a person worthy of his respect. That even without him to physically support you, you are not weak. So that you can honour him by being the best ´you´ you can be."

Well that escalated quickly. She hadn't meant for her speech to devolve into sentimental platitudes, but the words had simply sounded right to her ears. For a short moment she had actually believed what she had said. How strange.

Felt looked at her with an unreadable expression before turning to the road again, obviously deep in thought. Tanya meanwhile was glad that the conversation was over. At least for now. Shortly thereafter their little caravan arrived at the gates of Reinhard´s estate. Phase 3 of her plan could begin.

She jumped of the carriage and motioned for an already present servant to take over the reins. Tanya then went around a corner and sprinted off to the newly prepared servant quarters while making a small detour to remain hidden. While running she let her illusion fade and concentrated instead on a communication spell that she linked to a spare earpiece which she had given to her knight.

"Do you copy Reinhard?"

"If by ´copy´ you mean understand Milady then I can hear you perfectly. Truly an impressive feat of magic you accomplished there, but that is to be expected from my Mistress."

She ignored the compliment, because she never really knew if Reinhard meant all the nice things he said or if it was just flattery.

"Can you come to the servant quarters please? The plan we spoke of comes to an end. You won´t even have to say much if everything goes as envisioned."

"Right away Milady."

Tanya only hoped that he wouldn't mess up and raise suspicion. It wouldn't be good for her subordinates trust if they discovered that she had only impersonated Reinhard.

When the purposefully delayed recruits arrived at their destination they still looked mostly in awe at the apparent wealth of they were surrounded with. Not a single one of them had ever been allowed to get near something so expensive.

To draw their attention Reinhard (the real one this time) cleared his throat loudly.

"Ahem."

The crowd´s eyes shifted to their presumed employer.

"This is the Astrea estate owned by my family. I am Reinhard van Astrea, your host. It is a pleasure to have you all here."

His politeness! Sometimes it was irritating. But now was her turn.

"And I am Tanya von Degurechaff. I will overlook your training and will prepare you for your first task in three days. Please address me as Drill sergeant Degurechaff or simply Sergeant Degurechaff. We all will spend a lot of time together." she smiled sweetly. Her gaze travelled over to Felt who looked at her with abject horror written on her face. It seemed like she still remembered her.

"As for the rules. You will be given a room. Take care of it. I will personally inspect them every week and I want to see them in exactly the condition you received them in. That means: clean, orderly and most importantly intact! If you damage anything out of sheer stupidity than the repair costs are going to be subtracted from your wage. Is that clear?"

A few murmured confirmations reached her ear. Not good enough.

"I said, IS THAT CLEAR? I want to hear a loud and resounding ´Yes Sergeant Degurechaff´!"

"YES SERGEANT DEGURECHAFF!" was the answer.

This was going to be fun.

Notes:

Just a fun question: Who in the Re:Zero-verse would you ship with Tanya?

(I don´t think I will write anything like that. Just curious.)

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Tanya von DegurechaffEmilia (Re:Zero)Reinhard van AstreaFelt (Re:Zero)Roswaal L MathersNatsuki SubaruCrusch KarstenRem (Re:Zero)Petelgeuse Romanée-ContiRegulus CorneasBeing X (Youjo Senki)

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Published:2021-04-07Updated:2022-08-24Words:132,758Chapters:67/?Comments:1,654Kudos:1,699Bookmarks:279Hits:99,065

Tanya starts from Zero

A_Morte_Perpetua_Machina_Libera_Nos

Chapter 8: Giving and taking

Notes:

"QuodSolumUnus" your wish has been granted.

Chapter is shorter due to school :(

Btw if I dont respond within an hour to a comment then that probably means that I am either in school or asleep.

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

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

The rest of the rules were simple to follow in her opinion. Obey her commands without question. Do no steal. Do not talk about the specifics of what they did here. Be punctual. And above all else show respect for each other. They were all equal in worth. They all had suffered and they all would need to see themselves as a team to truly be effective. Tanya would have to beat that into them at the earliest possible opportunity.

Then she assigned everyone to their rooms and gave them half an hour to settle in. Because there was an odd number of people she gave Felt a room for her alone which was probably for the best. The girl needed space after her fresh trauma.

"Now comes the first test. I am going to trust you with incredibly valuable information that would surely sell well to the right kinds of people. Will you be able to shut your mouths and keep a secret I wonder?"

She grabbed her chin in mock thought and hummed loudly.

"The royal selection that could potentially determine the next queen of Lugnica is coming up in three days."

Through her many times giving speeches like this she had learned when to leave pauses for the crowd to murmur their surprise to each other. It was kind of funny how predictable most people were.

"We are going to be there. Reinhard and I will be present inside the hall while you will be outside searching for threats. Don´t worry. Most likely nothing is going to happen, but it never hurts to be cautious. Even though you will not be in my direct line of sight I still have my ways to keep an eye on y´all so don't you dare to slack off during a mission."

She could see it on their faces that they didn´t believe her. They would be in for a nasty surprise if they ignored her warning.

"The next two days are going to prepare you for this assignment. So no strength training, because I need you in peak condition when we do this." It was regrettable, but she needed this to be fast not thorough.

One of the first things she wanted to test and develop was marksmanship. This world had not discovered firearms yet, so the next best things were crossbows or blowpipes. She had discovered quite a few of them in the Astrea armoury. (Of course these filthy-rich nobles had one!) Reinhard took over this part of the training for her because Tanya had as much skill with such a weapon as her recruits in this exercise.

Most of her little meat-shields were actually not abysmal with the crossbow which came to her as a small surprise. But maybe that was only a by-product of Reinhard´s Divine Protection of teaching, who knew? At least a few of them had real talent and could decently assist from range.

When the sun began to settle and the crowd had shot their fingers bloody from loading and reloading the heavy weapons she decided it was enough and sent them away. Basic stealth and a few knife techniques would come tomorrow which meant that the soon-to-be soldiers needed to be well rested. Tanya was also quite hungry and looked forward to her criminally soft bed. The very first night she had barely found any sleep, because it was so unusual for her to sleep on something that wasn't stone hard or smelled like mud.

Reinhard interrupted her thoughts of warmth and comfort by producing a large package from seemingly nowhere. It was a long, thin object wrapped tightly in white linen. Temporarily she had completely forgotten what she had tasked him with after yesterday's dinner.

"My Ladyship, I regret it deeply that I was not able to make a perfect sword for you myself due to the time limit you imposed on me, but I believe to have found a sufficient alternative. The best blacksmith in the capital made this blade two years ago and it has gone unused until now."

Reinhard unwrapped the sword from the cloth and Tanya´s eyebrow rose in wonder.

It was a pitch-black cutlass that seemed to suck the surrounding light in on itself. The steel was so black in fact that it looked like piece of the night sky had been pressed into the form of a sword. Any form of colour could only be found on the handguard which glimmered in a dark golden tone.

"I assumed that due to your fondness for close quarters combat a slightly shorter and curved blade would be more effective. The steel has been magically enhanced by a shadow magician from Kararagi which should strengthen your own magic in this field should you one day learn it. Nonetheless is it able to channel large mana quantities of any element which you will undoubtedly find a use for. It is one handed because I had a feeling that you like to keep one hand free to surprise your enemy or handle a second shorter weapons. I hope it is to your liking Milady."

It was not only a beautiful, but also an incredibly thoughtful gift. She indeed had very few uses for a long, double handed weapon, because her fighting style prioritized quick movements and unpredictable attacks. On top of that the weapon enabled her magic which elevated its usefulness considerably. This was the perfect sword and she couldn't have asked for a better one.

"I am most grateful Reinhard. To say that you have merely exceeded my expectations would be an understatement. You have done me a great service that makes me once again proud to call you my knight."

His face visibly lit up from the small smile that grazed his lips.

"Thank you for your praise Milady, but I have done just my duty."

"You can always be honest with me Reinhard. There is no need for false modesty. If I tell you that you did good then you should accept that."

"Of course, if you wish Milady."

"I mean it. To recognize your strengths is an important part of self-improvement. Every successful employee knows how they can excel in their field. That´s just the nature of self-regulated human resource management."

He stared at her wide eyed, entirely unable to comprehend her eldritch wisdom of business economics. Such matters were obviously not a strong suit of his, now that Tanya thought about it.

Interlude 1

Somewhere in the space between spaces where all possible realities collided into one a ripple spread through the void. An entity that was called "god" by many lesser races shivered in apparent discomfort and howled with a thousand voices an unthinkable cry of fury. What had happened? What could have upset a being of such cosmic proportions? The answer was obvious: The Atheist.

The one human soul stubborn enough to spit into the face of a supernatural creature that held its whole existence in its metaphysical hands. Now this soul was known as Tanya von Degurechaff, the White Silver and Devil of the Rhine. Had she committed another blasphemous act to sully the name of the entity that she spitefully called "Being X"? No. What enraged this "Being X" so had nothing to do with her presence in his domain, but her absence.

Their lost lamb had somehow managed to slip out of his grasp! She had defied them in a way they hadn´t even thought possible. How was she able to slip away? "Being X" did not know and that infuriated them further. Wherever she was, whatever dark corner of the multiverse she had used to mask her presence with, it did not matter. For they would find her! Fast! And then she would truly learn how hopeless her struggle against them was!

With great haste the unconceivable entity spread its attention through its many worlds in a frantic search for Tanya. At this day only one soul nearly destroyed the balance of the entire multiverse.

Notes:

Who´s perspective of the events do you want the most? (Not necessarily now, but later in the story.)

Wilhelm? Crusch? Emilia? Reinhard?

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Published:2021-04-07Updated:2022-08-24Words:132,758Chapters:67/?Comments:1,654Kudos:1,699Bookmarks:279Hits:99,065

Tanya starts from Zero

A_Morte_Perpetua_Machina_Libera_Nos

Chapter 9: Intricate plans

Notes:

I am still unsure about the direction of the story. Please vote down below.

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

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

The next morning began with Tanya challenging the three strongest members of her battalion to a duel. She was unarmed and the three who attacked her simultaneously had all knifes. Needless to say, she won without a scratch. This humiliating defeat served as good motivation for the rest of the bunch to train their blade techniques for the rest of the day.

In between the sparring sessions against her or Reinhard they would further train their skills with a crossbow. One day was not much, but Tanya could already notice the slightest improvements. Up next she showed them how to most effectively sneak up on people and how to slit their throats without causing unnecessary sound.

Some seemed not very comfortable with the prospect of ending a life in such a way which she mentally vowed to rectify as soon as possible. The rest of their stealth training would have to wait for a while. Like camouflage or how to conceal their footprints.

It was already evening when she deemed the exercises finished for the day. Now it was time for them to learn the arguably most important skill of any soldier: Communication.

"To know how to defend yourself is critical, but fighting is not what you are going to do the day after tomorrow. Instead you will be patrolling the surrounding streets and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. How do you tell me if anything strange happens when I am inside the royal palace? Well that´s a good question I definitely heard you all ask right now."

She created a semi-transparent projection of the building in question with an illusion formula.

"This is layout of the palace from what I have gathered so far. Their security is clearly lacking, because nobody even noticed me when I flew nearly straight into the throne room. Do you see these windows here?"

She gestured to some stained glass windows near the ceiling of the great hall.

"They are in a position that allows easy surveillance without the risk of being seen. Eight of you will be watching the whole ceremony from either side of the room. These lucky eight will be Kurt, Hemila, Dorgo, Sebastian, Heva, Secca, Heinrich and Lutmil. You all possess the best skills with the crossbow from what I have seen. Only on my order will you interfere. Am I clear?"

"YES SERGEANT DEGURECHAFF!"

Their exceptional marksmanship had not been the only reason why she chose them for the job. Heva and Secca were two demi-human sisters who both had incredible hearing abilities thanks to their big fluffy ears. These two would notice almost everything that was being said inside the throne room.

"But not only will you fill everything with holes that I tell you to attack, no... You will also have a far more important role to play. Look at this tower over here."

Her illusionary map zoomed out and showed the nearby blocks surrounding the palace. A few streets away from it a comparatively small tower stuck out from the cityscape.

"The owner of this delightful little estate is allegedly too old to climb the stairs of his precious tower anymore so we will have it all for us. Two of you, Anselm and Kasim, will stand guard at its top from where you have a direct line of sight to the four people on the west side of the palace roof who are now called Alpha Squad."

While she described this six bright, red dots appeared in the hologram to show their positions.

"Then with small mirrors that I will provide you are going to blink different messages across the distance. Like so..."

Tanya pulled out a hand-sized mirror and reflected the sunlight at a few faces who yelped in shock at being blinded so suddenly.

"Should this not work for whatever reason then you are going to use flags in different colours that I will explain soon. Anselm you will have the task to signal to Alpha Squad while Kasim watches the ground below the tower and the rooftops around you. Together you are the Beta Squad."

Some murmurs erupted in the crowd.

"Good to see you all have questions, but everything will come in time. Now be patient!"

At the end her voice gained a freezing quality that could have cut glass. Silence reigned once again.

"So after Beta Squad transmits a message via the mirrors or the flags to Alpha Squad what do they do? You will put one of these cards into the left corner of the second window on the west side. Don´t worry I will see it."

She produced different coloured pieces of paper from another pocket.

"Green signifies that everything is peaceful and quiet outside. Yellow means that something suspicious is going on, but I don't have to actively look out for it. Red indicates that danger is imminent and I should stay alert."

A hand rose out from the crowd. To no one´s surprise it was Felt´s.

"Yes?"

"How will Beta Squad know if there is something to report?"

"Excellent question. Like I said Kasim is going to watch the ground and the rooftops in his vicinity. That is where the rest of you come in. Felt and Gana are light and fast enough to traverse above the street level. They will observe the city folk from on top of the houses in this area."

A circle appeared inside the projection and marked the region around the castle.

"Stay on the move and avoid being seen. At least Felt has already good experience in this field. The others will patrol as part of the crowd down below. Blend in and just look normal. People will treat you like you are nothing. They will ignore you. But exactly that is your greatest strength! Use this invisibility to your advantage and nobody will ever notice you! You don't need fancy magic to disappear, because you already do."

That got a few of them to look thoughtful all of a sudden. They finally realized the potential that came from their social class.

"Above all else, stay in two-man teams! Don´t lose sight of your partner, for it could spell your doom. A separated agent is easy prey for exactly the kind of people we are looking for. Do you understand?"

"YES SERGEANT DEGURECHAFF!"

"Wonderful. When you see a lot of people with weapons or long hoods that obscure their faces you go to the tower and signal Kasim. If you hear ominous noises or see strange magic being used you go to the tower and signal Kasim. In case your partner suddenly disappears and you can´t find him after you searched for him you go to the tower and signal Kasim. Should you overhear anyone talking about an attack or other nefarious plans, you do what?"

"WE GO TO THE TOWER AND SIGNAL KASIM!"

"Exactly. I trust you enough that you can assess the danger level for yourself without me needing to hold your hand. The units on the ground are all called Gamma Squad. Now the final piece. My trump card. My ace in the hole. Teli, Gerol, Winfred, Reimus, Paul, Kelo, Tarinna and Ussel. Your special potential has been noted by me so you are going to be part of the Delta Squad. You will receive the special, incredible, unfathomable honour to spend your time for the duration of the mission... in the sewers."

Her grin was too frightening for anyone to complain about the shitty job.

"It may sound bad, but trust me it is important. Today, while you all were having a nice relaxing training session, I embarked on a journey into the bowels of this city. And let me tell you, it was not pretty. But what I found out was of tremendous worth."

Tanya simply loved to keep her audience on tenterhooks when briefing them for the first time. It was a touch unprofessional, but she rarely got to have fun in her job.

"Some stupid architect decided it was a good idea for the sewers to run directly beneath the royal palace. All that prevents someone from sneaking their way in that way are a few metal gates that I destroyed easily. I have drawn you a map that will lead you exactly beneath where I calculated the throne room to be. Should anything happen there that I and Reinhard need to escape from then I am going to blow a hole through the floor and together we make an escape. Has everybody understood the general gist of things before I go into more detail?"

"YES SERGEANT DEGURECHAFF!"

The briefing continued for a few hours before everybody knew exactly what to do. Some people would wonder if such intricate safety measures were really necessary, but Tanya knew better. It was almost guaranteed that an attack would happen when all leading figures of the country were present in one room. And she would be damned if she did not prepare.

All she hoped for was that the distraction caused by the rookies would last long enough for her and Reinhard to escape.

(I was bored in class today so I wrote a poem. It´s not necessarily canon to this story.)

Bonus: Daughter of Ash and Steel

A third chance, a third life,

in unfamiliar lands,

a world of misfortune and strife,

in our heroine´s hands.

The silver goddess arose,

from mud and blood and dust,

and she was who people chose,

to lead them stongly and just.

No enemy could stand against her,

and no army could hope to prevail,

the corrupt would shrivel and wither,

and villains got culled without fail.

No mercy was given to those,

that did not submit to her rule,

unherard went their pleas and their woes,

they called her bloodthirtsy and cruel.

But for her faithful believers,

all dreams of change were fulfilled,

she freed them from the deceivers,

and secured the peace she had built.

To all that followed her loyal,

through bloodshed and steady reform,

her soul was undoubtedly royal,

when she took Lugnica´s hearts by storm.

All hail the Argent Queen,

who´s reign was greater then was ever seen.

Notes:

Final poll:

A = Subaru appears in the story as a major character.

B = Subaru does not appear, because Tanya replaces him completly

EDIT: C = Subaru does appear as a character, but is just a regular dude with the same personality. He was not "isekai´ed" but instead was born in Lugnica. He knows Emilia for a long time.

EDIT 2: 10B and 20A at the moment.

EDIT 3: If not at least ten people vote for B then I am going to assume that A is the chosen answer. I am sorry to all those who wanted no Subaru, but this way will be best for Emilia´s character development. And no. He is not going to be the Pride If version. (Not now at least. Maybe later)

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Published:2021-04-07Updated:2022-08-24Words:132,758Chapters:67/?Comments:1,654Kudos:1,699Bookmarks:279Hits:99,065

Tanya starts from Zero

A_Morte_Perpetua_Machina_Libera_Nos

Chapter 10: It begins

Notes:

Option "A" has won the poll from last chapter. Don´t be sad if that is not what you wanted. I hope that I can make this really interesting and it helps immensely with Emilia´s character development.

EDIT: I am going to sleep now and this fic sits at 1969 views. I will be very curious if by tomorrow morning the count has reached 2000. As always thanks for reading!

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

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

The last day before the royal selection was uneventful. Training continued as normal for half the day and then they spoke about the mission again and played through multiple disaster scenarios. All squads knew their positions or patrol routes for the next day intricately before Tanya sent them to bed.

As the last part of her preparations she picked up each of the eight members of Alpha Squad and flew them onto the roof of the royal palace while they were hidden by the darkness of the night. A feat that would be nearly impossible in broad daylight, because Tanya was far slower and more visible with something as heavy as a person strapped to her back.

All of them were blindfolded to prevent panic attacks from the experience of soaring through the sky for the first time. When they were at their proper positions and had established who was on night duty she went back home to get a few more hours of sleep in. She knew from experience that it paid well to be well rested.

Four hours later and it was time. The day had come. Her first true test in this crazy new world. Tanya wanted nothing less than worry about becoming queen of a medieval country, but now she to anyways. Her burning desire to live was leaving her with no choice in this regard. She had to win the royal selection and stomp out her competition before they could do the same thing to her.

The maids had already prepared her outfit for the day. Her normal combat uniform would not do so she had designed her new attire after her old parade uniform. Reinhard had wanted a dress for her at first, but she vehemently refused. She would not let herself be degraded by a monster of tulle and silk!

Knee-high, black leather boots that gleamed from excessive polish and green, reinforced trousers seemed not very ladylike in Reinhard´s opinion, but she didn't care. The multiple visible and hidden pockets allowed her to stow away all the necessities of daily life. A combat knife, painkillers, spare bullets, a compass and a lighter.

Up next was her silver belt that shone brightly in the morning sun. Her holster with the emergency pistol was strapped to her right side and her new cutlass found its home on her left. She reflexively checked all the pockets of her jacket and examined her shirt underneath to verify if she had buttoned it up correctly.

Lastly came her cape that would conceal her weapons in public and add a dramatic flair to her entrance. It had no tactical use, but for some reason she was fond of it already. Her old hat had been slightly modified to display the dragon´s symbol instead of the imperial one. It had also finally been fixed so that it would no longer slide down over her eyes when she moved too much. A change she was very much thankful for. Such were the wonders of a half-way functioning economy that had enough resources to spare for a single hat. In comparison the empire had been a service wasteland thanks to the war-torn hellhole it had become.

Freshly donned in her new gala attire she made her way to the dining room to greet Reinhard. Her knight was already waiting in his normal royal knight uniform. What had she even expected? At least it was nice how diligently he was waiting for her. He already was an invaluable subordinate.

As soon as they left the main building Tanya disguised herself with the illusion of a big, old man she had seen on the street the day before. They then proceeded to board a fine, but relatively unassuming looking carriage and left the estate through a back exit away from the main roads.

Thanks to this decision they made it through the morning traffic fairly quickly and arrived at the royal palace roughly two hours early. Not only would this over-punctuality seen as a sign of respect by the sage council, but it also would prevent the other candidates from surprising them.

Only after making sure that they were alone in the corridor leading to the throne room did Tanya drop her illusionary facade. The reason was that she needed to identify herself and to show her weapons to the guard at the door. Even if it was incomplete security it was better than none at all in Tanya´s opinion.

The limitations of this system were soon made obvious when the guard could not even identify her pistol as a weapon and accepted her excuse that the cutlass at her side "was just for show and was a symbol of friendship between her and her knight". Tanya did not like to resort to emotional manipulation with her girlish voice and big, blue eyes, but if it worked who was she to ignore the easy chance to smuggle lethal weapons into the meeting?

If she had designed the security then she would have forced every guest to list all of their accessories and their purpose beforehand. This way nobody could abuse the system like she just did. But alas, most people were trusting idiots.

Inside the empty throne room she decided test her communication with Alpha Squad. To do this she just created an illusionary picture herself outside the window where she presumed her men were hiding.

Projections without direct line of sight were usually incredibly difficult and their application got only progressively harder the further away the illusion was being casted. But Tanya could handle it. She had not been called the eleventh goddess without reason after all.

"Alpha Squad do you copy? If yes then display green in the discussed place."

She looked up at the second window on the west side and lo and behold the left corner turned green.

"Well done Alpha Squad. Now remember stay calm and watch the position of the sun carefully. You don't want to cast your shadows from outside on the glass."

The tiny speck of colour changed to red to show that her message had been received.

"The hunt is on my lovely, little trainees. Stay vigilant. Silver One out."

She cut the connection to her projection and began to hide herself in a corner of the room that allowed her to see most of the room and the podium on the front at once. Her optic camouflage was so good that even Reinhard had trouble finding her when he came back from greeting his colleagues as ordered. He had to look as normal as possible in the eyes of his fellow knights to not spoil the surprise after all.

"I am here Reinhard."

"Ah, simply incredible Milady. Your skills of stealth and tactics have surely led to many of your victories on the battlefield I presume?"

"Yes they have. But that is not what I wanted to discuss with you. Do you still remember your instructions my knight?"

"Of course Milady. I will not even hint at the possibility that I know you or that I am involved in the royal selection until you show yourself to the public."

"Very good. Now please go back to your knightly duties, whatever they may be."

"At once Milady."

He bowed and left the empty throne room again.

Tanya was bored out of her mind when half an hour later the first guest started to trickle in. She observed them closely and made pictures of their faces with her computation orb. All of them were nobles or at least very rich which came to no surprise. They stayed at the right side of the room. The royal guards on the other hand occupied the left side.

Finally, an hour later and everybody seemed to have arrived. With the exception of the royal candidates of course. Another reason why Tanya had wanted to be early and hide herself was because she wanted to assess the strengths and weaknesses of her rivals first and use this analysis to present herself in a favourable light to the public. If she appeared last then she held information sovereignty and could accurately explain why all other candidates were inferior to her.

After what felt like an eternity of tense waiting the massive doors swung open to present the four most important persons (excluding Tanya) of the whole event. With this act, the royal selection for the throne of Lugnica had officially begun.

Notes:

Do you want the royal selection to go over "peacfully" or do you think something bad should happen?

A = Peace (violence with words does not count :) )

B = confrontation (with swords)

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Tanya von DegurechaffEmilia (Re:Zero)Reinhard van AstreaFelt (Re:Zero)Roswaal L MathersNatsuki SubaruCrusch KarstenRem (Re:Zero)Petelgeuse Romanée-ContiRegulus CorneasBeing X (Youjo Senki)

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Published:2021-04-07Updated:2022-08-24Words:132,758Chapters:67/?Comments:1,654Kudos:1,699Bookmarks:279Hits:99,065

Tanya starts from Zero

A_Morte_Perpetua_Machina_Libera_Nos

Chapter 11: Observing introductions

Notes:

Option "A" from last chapter´s poll has won again! Well my question was also really stupid so I should have expected that outcome.

Enjoy a lot of different requested POV´s in the next few chapters after this one.

Also over 2000 Hits!!!!!! Wow! I am stunned. When I started writing 11 days ago I would have never imagined that we would get there so soon. Much love <3

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

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

One of them was wearing a stylized military dress and carried herself with the dignity of a commanding officer. This was probably Crusch Karsten who was known for her military prowess and many victories on the field. Not that she could hold a candle to Tanya´s career of course.

At the side and as far from the other candidates as possible stood the silver-haired girl who Tanya had already met in the alleyway. Her distant behaviour was odd, but she seemed very timid in shy in general so maybe she had a sociophobia? If so then she would make for a terrible ruler.

The last two girls were harder to identify. One of them had to be Priscilla and the other was Anastasia. Just who was who was pretty difficult to say. If Tanya had to guess then the girl in the red dress was Priscilla purely from how pompous and expensive it looked.

She made sure to commit all their faces and body proportions to memory in order to accurately create illusions of them later. Impersonating her competitors could come in handy.

After a small commotion involving the ladies respective knights the council of wise men finally entered and took their seats on the podium.

"Now that all five dragon maidens are present the royal selection can commence."

"Excuse me, but I believe somebody is missing? I can only count four here." exclaimed Anastasia.

"The fifth candidate has asked not to be revealed just yet. Do not worry, she is apparently watching."

That caused some murmurs in the crowd and many were turning around as if they would suddenly spot the mysterious woman who hid herself in plain view.

Getting the attention of the spectators back, one elder (that Tanya identified as Lord Miklotov from her reports) spoke again:

"Do you all know why you are here?"

"Yes, Lord Miklotov." said Crusch and Tanya mentally patted herself on the back for guessing correctly.

"To participate in a drinking party that will strengthen our bonds and deepen our understanding of each other."

"No, that is not correct."

Of course not! Was Crush blind? There were no tables in sight that could be used for such an occasion. Also, why would the nobles be there if that was the case? Would they all just stand aside and watch them drink?

The elders continued to prattle on and on about different customs until they recited the exact text of the prophecy that had started this whole ridiculous royal selection business in the first place. Tanya had to suppress an internal rant about the uselessness of prophecies; especially if politics were in involved.

"From the five capable of becoming the nation´s new leader, choose one to enter into a covenant with the dragon." he said.

Wait. Why hadn't Reinhard told her about this? That was crucial information! She did not want to be pressured into another relationship with a pseudo-deity. One was already enough, thank you very much.

The process through which the future queen would be chosen was explained shortly thereafter. Apparently in two years time the people of Lugnica would vote on who they wanted to ascend the throne. Until then each camp had to impress the populace with victories or reforms that they managed to achieve.

It was a flawed, but principally good system. At least it was democratic and required the candidates to actually do something for the commoners instead of purely appeasing the nobles. Two years were also a good time to collect experience as the head of a command structure.

Unimportant chatter with little actual information slowed down the ceremony again and Tanya began to grow stiff from standing motionless for so long. It was like at a parade in the military academy... Ah, the memories.

Anastasia, true to her impression as a highly intelligent woman brought up the indeed pressing argument that their time was limited and they should get this over with. To do this she proposed that everybody gave a speech on why they believed to be worthy of the position. A reasonable idea that quickly found approval from everybody involved.

Crusch´s goal of bringing independence from the dragon to Lugnica seemed admirable if not a bit idealistic. Tanya agreed that humans had to work for themselves lest they become weak and useless, but to sever the connection to a being that could literally prevent famines and wide-spread plagues seemed stupid.

Sometimes compromises had to be made for the greater good or else thousands would die unnecessary deaths. And dead workers were the worst kind of worker. They provided no goods or services and were unable to pay taxes. Where would all the money come from if many more citizens were either dead or conscripted to the army?

It had been a painful lesson when she had to beat it into the ignorant politicians in the empire that even though the war had been won, concessions had to be made to the defeated countries to keep the peace. This dragon was providing Lugnica with enough power to make it the mightiest country on the continent and demanded basically nothing in return. That was a deal that could not be as easily squandered as Crusch wanted. Her plans were illogical.

Anastasia Hoshin was up next and she defied Tanya´s every expectation by being so blunt in nearly physically hurt. "I am really greedy" was not a good enough motivation to admit out loud and most of the nobles in the crowd seemed to agree.

While she admired the girl´s focused mindset and pragmatic outlook on life it was short sighted. Anastasia even admitted that she didn't know if Lugnica would be enough to satisfy her greed. Would she be willing to wage a war for global domination? Tanya had experienced and memorized the horrors that came from a total, all-encompassing war and she would not sit back and watch this maniac create another one.

Such an outcome had to be avoided at all costs, even if that meant that she had to personally eliminate the girl. A damn shame, because otherwise she could very much see the appeal of her candidacy.

Anastasia´s skills as a merchant and businesswoman were undeniable and she properly understood the intricacies of a flourishing economy. Under her rule Lugnica would prosper. For a short while. Before she drowned the country in war debts.

Following her concerning declaration came Priscilla Barrielle´s turn. Her speech was not so much a logical explanation of her goals as queen and more so a half bored, half arrogant rant about how she was the only option and would undoubtedly win against whatever the other candidates did. How such an egotistical human being could survive through anything other than pure wealth was beyond her.

It made Tanya indescribably angry to see how this girl got everything handed to her despite her awful personality while she had struggle and fight for every scrap of luxury. Why had she been forced to constantly make use of all her wits and risk her health every day just to survive when Priscilla got gifted such a nice life for nothing in return? It was not fair!

Then her knight stepped in and explained that her claims were not simple boasting, but instead the truth. Apparently Priscilla had been born with abnormally high luck that made anything happen she wished for. As examples he named the numerous provinces under her rule that had all prospered from it.

Tanya detested those that achieved their standing in society through luck or family connections. Those individuals were unfit to rule or manage anything, because they lacked determination, experience and cleverness. What would happen if Priscilla´s luck ran out? The country would undoubtedly fall into ruin, because this woman had no idea how solve a problem through anything other than luck! No, Priscilla was not a good option for the throne.

The last one to speak was the silver-haired girl who introduced herself as Emilia. Just Emilia. No family name was either a sign of tremendous secrecy or of her low birth. Her vision of a united and egalitarian Lugnica where the same rights applied to everybody regardless of blood, race or gender sounded very appealing, but was sadly cut short by numerous interruptions from the crowd.

Many nobles seemed upset with her presence or wanted to outright deny her the right to speak, because she was a "filthy half-devil", whatever that meant. Priscilla reacted especially unprofessional by describing her birth as a crime. Why would they do that?

Then somebody likened her to a "witch" and Tanya understood. She remembered heaving read about a "Witch of Envy" who allegedly destroyed half the world some four hundred years ago. Initially she had ignored the story as an obvious fairy tale, but many historical events could be traced back to this incident which lent it credence. The appearance of this mythical being had been described as a silver-haired half-elf with purple eyes which matched Emilia's description perfectly. Well, Tanya was unsure about the half-elf part, but she had also no clue what differentiated an elf from a human.

Nonetheless was this discrimination stupid. If this ludicrous prophecy was even worth half a Mark then Emilia was as worthy of the throne as the other candidates. The dragon had chosen them specifically because he saw potential in them and Emilia obviously had done something to earn his approval.

Just because she looked like someone from ages ago did not mean that she was that person! Honestly, how could people be this stupid? This innocent looking girl had so far displayed the most humility and generosity out of all the candidates. From what Tanya had seen she was the only one of the four that would not lead the country to ruin in a few years.

Even this commotion was settled when Emilia´s sponsor Margrave Roswaal stepped in and the conversation shifted from "Get this witch out of here!" to "Where is the fifth candidate?".

First impressions were always the most important in a job interview and this was nothing less. Now was her time to shine.

Tanya took a deep breath and deactivated her illusion.

Notes:

Urgent Community question: Is Wilhelm present at the royal selecton or not?

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