A few minutes after the defeat of the White Whale.
The situation as a whole had quieted down. The alliance had won the battle, but the number of casualties wasn't small. Many had lost their lives in this battle.
Not everyone gets a happy ending. And for these tragic souls, none would be there to remember them. The only proof of their existence was just a statistic or a guess.
Yet the alliance would do their best to mourn them for their sacrifice. So, while they were busy preparing to leave, they were slowly preparing to mourn those lost.
It was the least they could do.
As for the one who had allowed the entire event to come to pass, he was on the other side of the stump of the Flugel Tree. This entire ordeal had taken its toll on him.
Xeno: "Sigh, Rem, are you sure you're fine doing this?" Leaning against the stump, he let out a tired sigh, raising a brow at his maiden's actions.
She was right beside him, resting her head on his chest and pulling herself into his embrace.
Rem: "Yes, Rem has a feeling Xeno-kun really needs this right now. And Rem is simply providing him what he desires." The worst part? She really meant every word.
Well she wasn't wrong, a new consequence of his Envy ability had shown up, one he wasn't expecting.
Turns out since his bone wings were partially connected to his nervous system. When he dispelled them. It felt like something had chopped his wings off.
Now, his felt a phantom sensation like something was supposed to be there but no longer it, from the looks of thing he was going to be dealing with this for a while.
Yeah, he really wanted to feel comfortable right now.
Xeno: "Yawnnnnnn, are you sure that's the ONLY reason why you're doing this? Cause..." Skepticism was dripping in his voice as he looked to the other side.
There was his recently acquired earth dragon nesting on his other side, nuzzling him affectionately.
Xeno: "I feel like I'm trapped in the middle of something here."
He caught the look in their eyes. Metaphorically, sparks were lighting between the two.
Rem: "Xeno-kun must be imagining things." She stated smoothly.
The earth dragon let out a little huff, fully agreeing with her.
Xeno: "..."
'Whatever, I'm too tired for this shit.' He concluded that whatever they were doing didn't concern him in the slightest. So why bother?
He might as well enjoy it while it lasts.
...
"So that is where you went off."
The three of them were interrupted by the voice of Crusch approaching them. Xeno eyed her but made no attempt to move. That couldn't be said for Rem, who immediately straightened up.
Rem: "Greetings, Crusch-sama." She curtsied, showing proper etiquette.
Crusch: "This is what you've been up to since the battle, huh? You seem to be enjoying yourself quite a lot." There was clear amusement in her eyes.
Xeno: "I was until you showed up, and from the look of things, you have something you want to talk about, don't you?"
Crusch: "You've become far more perceptive than last time." She was pleasantly surprised by his improvement in reading people.
"But you are correct. There is something I want to discuss with you, if that's okay with you?"
Xeno: "...Alright, you two, give us some privacy. I'll catch up with you soon."
Rem: "Right away, Xeno-kun." She bowed before leaving, somewhat disappointed that their time didn't last long.
The earth dragon got up and followed suit, leaving both Xeno and Crusch under the stump of the Flugel Tree.
Xeno dusted himself off and stood in front of Crusch, wondering what she wanted to discuss.
Crusch: "I'd like to start off by thanking you, Xenophanes. It's because of you that we managed to win today's battle." Dropping her amusement, she got straight to the point.
She had a lot she wanted to get off her chest.
...
Xeno: "..."
Crusch: "You made me realize how ill-prepared I truly was. I would have marched my troops into a slaughter, but... because of your help, all these people have the opportunity to live another day. For that... I thank you."
Crusch offered a surprisingly sweet smile, one rarely seen on anyone outside of Felix and Wilhelm. Placing a hand over her heart, she gave him a genuine bow of respect.
Crusch: "In front of my troops, I must always be a strong leader. But here, under this tree... I am simply Crusch. And to you, Xeno, I owe my life. I will not forget this debt."
She couldn't help but remember what Xeno had said to her before the battle.
...
After everyone had fully learned the horrors of the White Whale and the battle plan was set, Crusch had quietly approached him to ask a very important question.
What would he have done if he had failed to make an alliance with her? It was another test to determine his character. Beyond that, some part of her was mortified by what would have happened if he hadn't given her all this information.
His answer had been remarkably simple. He would have still helped her. He wasn't a politician; he didn't think in terms of benefits. The only thing he knew was that her camp was in danger, and he wanted to save it from a tragic fate.
To him, all this politician stuff and the alliance were just... a formality. He played her game just to convince her, so she wouldn't feel like he was simply handing her charity because she was weak. He wanted her to feel like an equal.
...
Xeno: "You don't have to bow, Crusch. I only did what I needed to."
'I wouldn't back down on my promise to you, Crusch.'
Crusch: "…Then. If you don't mind, I would like to know something." Now that the conversation was over, she moved on to the topic she really wanted to know about.
Xeno: "Fire away?" He looked puzzled by her sudden question.
Crusch: "I've noticed it for a while now, your expression... your gaze at me, you smile, feel proud of my actions, and act comfortable around me. The gaze you cast towards me doesn't look like that of a close companion, but... that of a man towards a woman."
Xeno: "..."
His eyes vanished as an ache rang out in his chest. He had been careless. He thought he could hide his feelings, but he had still been caught.
Xeno: "I... I can't answer that."
Crusch: "...Why is that? I'm just very curious." She clarified that she wasn't disgusted, just confused.
Xeno: "I want to. I really do... But I can't. You wouldn't understand." His expression pleaded with her to stop.
Crusch: "..."
She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it really felt like Xeno had feelings for her. But why? It didn't make sense to her.
Crusch: "Then make me understand, Xeno. Why is it that you gaze at me that way?" She said softly.
Xeno hesitated. He didn't know what to say. How would he even explain this?
Xeno: "Sigh... I'm sorry, Crusch. You just remind me of someone I love deeply."
Crusch: "I remind you of your lover?" She was surprised by this information. Her Divine Protection rang out, telling her he wasn't telling her the full truth, but the premise was truthful.
Xeno: "...Yeah." He said with a depressed sigh.
Crusch: "I was under the impression that you and–"
Xeno: "Rem were a couple? Yeah, we are. I haven't made things official yet. As for her... She's gone."
Crusch: "In that case, I'm sorry for your loss." She offered her sympathy.
Xeno: "Thanks... And, um, sorry if I made you uncomfortable." He rubbed the back of his head.
Crusch: "Not at all, Xenophanes. Though, if you don't mind me asking... What was she like, th—"
Xeno: "No! Just... No. Crusch, I get it, you're interested, but just no."
She could it, this was a very heavy topic for him. One that only brought him painful memories back to him.
Crusch: "...Very well, then."
She let it go, it wasn't her place to reopen a wound if he wasn't comfortable speaking about it.
...
A dense silence stretched on between them. Xeno looking uncomfortable while Crusch figured out some way to move from this topic.
Fortunely for them, that way appeared on it's own.
"So this is where you were, Xeno-dono." Wilhelm approached the two, noticing both the slience between them.
Wilhelm: "Am I interrupting something here?"
Xeno: "Nope, matter of fact, perfect timing. What's up?" He faced him with a casual greeting.
Crusch: 'It seems he has also learned to control his emotions.' She observed intrigued at how fast he changed his attitude.
Wilhelm: "In that case, allow me to say a few words."
Before Xeno knew it, Wilhelm bowed his head towards the white-haired boy. He was confused but didn't comment just yet.
Wilhelm: "Thank you, Xeno-dono. Thanks to you, this old man has finally accomplished a goal that seemed like a distant dream. I finally killed the beast that took my wife. I released fourteen years of rage at last. Xeno-dono, you have my eternal gratitude."
First Crusch and now Wilhelm. Usually, he wouldn't have people feel that level of gratitude towards him, but...
Xeno: "Like I said before, that doesn't look good on you, sir. But Crusch, Wilhelm, are you willing to accept a request of mine?"
He planned on using their gratitude for the next step.
This caught both of their attention. They locked eyes with him. They could feel it; this was serious.
Crusch: "What kind of request?"
Xeno: "I'm not in the mood for a long explanation, so I'll explain it in ten words or less. Witch. Cult. Sloth. Attack. Roswaal territory."
Despite the unique way he put it, they instantly deciphered the meaning.
The Witch Cult, led by the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, would attack the Mathers domain.
Xeno: "I already dealt with the evacuation of the local village. I need help dealing with them. There's around 200 of them, maybe more. So, how about it?"
They thought about it for a moment. Wilhelm's blade was ready to serve to repay the favour, but he still turned to his master to see what she would do.
She didn't think long about it and nodded.
Crusch: "It seems you had an ulterior motive for proposing the alliance, despite what you told me earlier. But to think it would be this..." She let out a small chuckle.
"You have my word, Xeno. We'll repay the favour for what you've done for us."
...
Currently, Rem and Xeno were gathered together. After his talk with Crusch, she decided to lend Felix, Wilhelm, and any members of the alliance who weren't severely injured to Xeno as a sign of goodwill and respect.
In the meantime, she would take the injured fighters and the entire carcass of the White Whale to the capital. Though, in the middle of that, an interesting development occurred.
It turned out that the Doom Cross had managed to survive the entire Flugel Tree dropping on it, receiving little damage to its overall structure.
Xeno had used 600 points of Envy to make it, but he hadn't expected it to survive when he bound the White Whale.
Now he had to deal with it. He didn't want to just dispel it. That felt like too much of a waste considering the amount he'd poured into it, so he did something better.
He gifted it to Crusch.
Now, the Doom Cross, having a rudimentary intelligence to follow basic orders, was put under Crusch's command. Wrapping its colossal body around the White Whale's body to carry it.
Before Crusch's departure, there was something one of the injured wanted to do first. That being Carlos Jaspmen. He had really pushed himself to the bone to help.
Utterly wrecking his body while distracting one of the clones, he would have been hospitalised... again, if it weren't for Felix being on standby.
The knight, despite his injuries, made his way towards Xenophanes, stubbornly ignoring Felix telling him to stop.
Standing in front of Xeno, the tall knight eyed him silently, then looked at the maid by his side, noting the distrust in her features surrounding him.
Xeno: "Carlos, what do you—"
He didn't get to finish, as Carlos went down on one knee, as typical knights do.
Carlos: "Brat, no... Xenophanes, I want to apologise for misjudging you."
Xeno: "Huh?"
Carlos: "I know my apologies mean little to you or your companion, but this is something I must correct. For I have betrayed the very ideals I claimed to stand for." He looked down in shame.
"I saw it with my own eyes. You demonstrated each qualification I consider necessary for a knight, and beyond that, you gave me a second chance despite my previous actions. For that, I am grateful."
He forced his gaze to meet Xeno's empty eyes, silently accepting whatever response he might give.
Xeno: "Sigh, at least you didn't go on a full speech. Look, Carlos. I appreciate it, I really do. Frankly, I think you're not a complete jackass either, and I almost, kinda, barely have a microscopic, negligible small amount of respect for you now."
Carlos: "You do!?" His eyes widened at the claim. He respected him?
Xeno: "Unfortunately, I do. You actually did what you claimed to be... A Knight. Not only did you do a good job helping, but I heard about your deeds, how you ventured into the fog doing search and rescue. I saw multiple thank you for saving their lives and everything. If you're really sorry, then do me a favour and keep true to your ideals like you did today."
"And if I ever catch you doing this shit again, I swear I will find you and kick your ass all over again. You hear me?" He held his hand out.
Carlos stared at Xenophanes's out stretched hand. Hesitation clear in his posture but seeing the trusting gaze of the man who had given him a second chance dispite his wrong doings. He decided to take it.
Carlos: "...Hahaha, I'll hold you to that promise, Xenophanes."
Xeno: "Ugh, that's way too stiff. Call me Xeno like everyone else." He said with a smile.
Carlos: "As you wish... Xeno." He also returned a smile.
The two finally made up their differences, smiling. Rem was also happy watching the exchange. While she didn't remotely like him, if her hero could learn to forgive him, she would try as well.
...
Their moment was interrupted by Felix, who smacked Carlos on the back of the head, telling him to stop being stubborn and go rest already.
Embarrassed, Carlos made his way back to the rest of the injured while Xeno laughed at his expense from behind.
Nearly half of the alliance went with Crusch with Doom Cross following behind them floating in the air.
The others stayed behind and headed for Roswaal's Domain. As Xeno and Rem stood beside each other, a hand ruffled Xeno's hair from behind.
Turning around, he saw Ricardo smirking at them as Mimi stood beside him.
Ricardo: "You got all the good parts, y'know. I didn't get much done besides distracting that clone, but don't you worry. My lady asked for a favour, after all. I'll show you what I've got in the real battle coming up."
He proclaimed this while Xeno removed his hand, annoyed until he heard the last part. He was genuinely surprised.
Xeno: "You already caught on, Ricardo?"
Ricardo: "Don't underestimate a merchant's information network, white hair."
Xeno: 'Damn, I guess Anastasia still has plenty of surprises for me.'
"So, what's the plan, then?"
Ricardo: "The other half of my lady's forces are about to arrive. We'll discuss everything then." He crossed his arms, looking into the distance.
Xeno: "Other half?" He followed the wolf man's gaze.
He could see it: a group of people approaching them, presumably the other half of Anastasia's men, catching up with them.
There was one that caught his eye, making his mood drop: a certain purple-haired knight with an obnoxious smile upon arriving at their destination.
Xeno: 'Julius.' He thought in disdain.
Upon reaching his destination, the purple-haired knight dismounted from his earth dragon. He was met with various expressions from the people before him. When his gaze met Xeno's, he could feel the annoyance in it.
Moving on to his companion, Rem, she remained completely neutral. Finally, his gaze fell on Felix, who merely greeted him with a smile.
"Just now joining us, Julius? Thank you for gracing us with your presence."
Julius: "Please, you're going to ruin my reputation. I am not the man called 'Julius'. Let's see, perhaps I shall go by Juli. Even if temporarily, a man with the status of a knight must never lower himself to the rank of a mercenary—"
Xeno: 'Go home, then.'
Julius: "The man you see here isn't Julius, the knight, but simply a wanderer named Juli."
Soon, his gaze returned to Xeno. The white-haired man had only one thing to say.
"Oh... It's you."
Julius's eye twitched upon hearing the sheer amount of disappointment in Xeno's voice, while Ricardo and Felix snickered.
Julius: "You haven't changed at all since the last time we met."
Xeno: "Neither has your punchable face."
The two stared at each other for a while before Xeno broke eye contact and sat on the ground, with Rem standing behind him. As much as Xeno disliked Julius, now wasn't the time to argue.
He looked at the group and began to explain the situation.
Xeno: "We might have successfully taken out the White Whale, but our battle isn't over. I recently made a deal with Ainavol and learned major things about the Witch Cult's movements. I connected the dots and learned the Cult was using the White Whale to hide their tracks. And that's true even now."
"They used the White Whale to block off the Lifaus Highway to hide their real target: Roswaal's Domain. They're going to launch an attack there."
He looked around to make sure everyone had digested the information before continuing.
"So, the plan is really simple: the Witch Cult is hiding in the forest. We just have to ambush them before they strike and crush them. And don't worry about the villagers; I've already taken care of that. The evacuation should be happening as we speak. I also went ahead and warned Emilia and the others about the situation and about us."
"But there is one massive hurdle we need to take care of first before this operation really becomes easy. That being the Sin Archbishop of Sloth leading them. He's... really a massive pain. From what I've learned, that bastard can possess people."
Ricardo: "This Sloth Archbishop has such an ability?" His usual smile dropped.
Julius: "If I may, I once saw an old research account on a similar subject in a book. It is a type of magic that has been lost, but the technique only works under certain conditions. Only members of the Witch Cult, and only a limited number of them, are thought to be capable of it."
Xeno understood what that meant. If only a limited number of people could do it, then unless they took out all of his spare bodies, putting Petelgeuse down would be a difficult task. Still, he had one more question to ask.
Xeno: "If we eliminate all his spare bodies, what will happen to Sloth?"
Julius: "Then his soul would have nowhere to go. And that would be the end of him. It would be beneficial if we eliminated all his spare bodies in the forest first. Then we should finish off Sloth directly."
The group cheered, as they were all in agreement with Julius's idea. Xeno didn't, though. While he did agree with him, there was just one problem.
Xeno: "Sorry, guys, but there's one more thing I need to add." Here's the moment of truth. He knows Rem will absolutely freak out, but it needs to be said.
"I don't want to rain on everyone's parade, but I unfortunately meet all the requirements, Sloth... Sloth can posse—"
[Warning!]
[A CONTINUITY ERROR DETECTED!]
[Entity_Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti_ possessed Entity_Xenophanes_ in a former loop despite Code Line 『Contracts』 prohibiting such action.]
[Error! Failure to repair Code Line 『Contracts』 Immediate action is advised.]
[Error! Failure to repair Code Line 『Contracts』 Immediate action is advised.]
[Error! Failure to repair Code Line 『Contracts』Immediate action is advised.]
...
Well, I knew something was off in that loop. Thank goodness I created something to check any continuity errors after that.
Looks like I didn't copy the original timeline (Envy) one-to-one, resulting in this error. Let's hope this is the last error I made. Or else I'll be an embarrassment as an ominous, all-seeing eldritch being.
Sorry for the interruptions, folks. We'll be returning shortly.
Xeno: "Huh?" He looked around in confusion. Completely forgetting what he was about to say.
Rem: "Is something the matter, Xeno-kun?"
Xeno: "I... No, everything is fine." He felt like something was wrong but didn't dwell on it.
"Come on, people. You know what to do. Let's move out."
...
At the Manor, a different scene was playing.
As the light of day found its way towards the half-elf, she woke up all freshened up, having had a decent night's sleep. She drowsily woke up, half expecting to hear a certain someone at her door.
Only for there to be silence.
Emilia: "It's already been a week since then."
One week had gone by since she and the other Royal Candidates had gone to the capital for the Royal Selection. Five days afterwards, Emilia returned to the Manor and acted as a representative for her faction.
With Roswaal gone, she expected the pressure on her to be massive, yet it wasn't as heavy as she imagined. It was by no means light.There were several times when she was overwhelmed and had to sacrifice some of her sleep.
But whenever that happened, someone would be there to lessen her burden. Meili, in Arlam, made sure the Mabeasts remained in check. Ram and Beatrice would help her if she couldn't fully handle something on her own, while Puck acted as her emotional support, like always.
She appreciated all their help, but it left her puzzled. Why were they doing all of this? Why were the rest suddenly lending her a helping hand?
All three women had the same answer.
"Because Xeno begged me."
When she learned about this, she was left wide-eyed.
Xeno had begged them to help her?
She didn't know when he done it. But, for a moment, she could almost imagine it: him pestering everyone until they gave in. It sounded like something he would do.
A small smile found its way onto her face. Even when he wasn't around, he still continued to worry about her, going out of his way to secretly make sure she wouldn't feel alone.
Emilia: "I really need to thank him when he comes back."
Her smile lingered for a bit before she glanced at the silent door.
"Xeno..."
In the back of her mind, she recalled how she had left him back at the capital. She thought of the cheery, sarcastic boy who remained that way even with his spine injury. And before leaving, he had endlessly worried about her wellbeing, reminding her to take care of herself, going as far as to tell her to do basic things like brushing her teeth.
It was embarrassing but entirely heartwarming. Each day, she would think about what he was up to, hoping he was healing safely and would return to her safely.
The Manor felt strangely quiet without him around, and she found herself missing his silly jokes and presence more than she'd expected.
Puck: "Lia you okay? You been staring that door pretty hard lately." He came out of his gemstone with a teasing look on his face.
Emilia: "Puccck!!!" She pouted at him.
Puck: "Hahaha okay, okay I'll stop. But Lia are you're ready to try again?" His smile dropped going straight to business.
Emilia: "Of course i am. We have to evacuate everyone safely." She spoke with determination.
Ever since yesterday, Xeno's letter had reached the Mansion with some seriously troubling news.
The Witch Cult was planning to attack Roswaal's territory. The moment she learned about this, Emilia spared no effort in convincing the villagers to prepare for an evacuation.
Only to be met with failure, as no one believed her, no matter how hard she tried.
Puck: "You can't abandon that village, can you, Lia? Well, Ram went there again this morning. Maybe we should wait to hear from her."
With a nod of her head, Emilia got out of bed and got ready to dress and start off the day. Puck simply began to leave the room, heading to talk to Beatrice.
A few minutes went by, and Emilia was seen walking down the stairs to the main entrance of the Mansion in her normal attire, where she saw Ram coming towards her.
Ram: "Good morning, Emilia-sama."
Emilia: "Good morning to you as well, Ram."
Ram: "You came at the perfect time, Emilia-sama, I have an important matter to convey."
Emilia: "What is it?"
Ram: "A representative of the Ainavol Alliance is here. They have brought several carriages with them to carry the villagers to safety."
Emilia: "They're already here?"
Ram: "Yes. They wish to meet you."
Emilia: "Meet me...? Alright, let's go, Ram."
With a nod, Emilia followed Ram toward the entrance.
For a moment, her thoughts drifted back to the white-haired butler who had sent that letter.
Honestly, Xeno... You really do think of everything, don't you?
A small smile appeared on her face.
She still had so much to do. The villagers needed to be evacuated, the Witch Cult had to be stopped, and the safety of everyone in the territory rested on their shoulders.
But at least she wasn't facing it alone.
"Let's go," Emilia said, her expression turning resolute. "We have to get everyone to safety."