A Kaiser in Modern Mid-Childa
- Thread starter Epsilon
- Start date
Yay, I finally got this one out. I wanted to finish it by the earlier Sunday but sickness hit me on that day so I had to wait until now to release this bit.
**********
æPower level has dropped back to 1.5 million pointsàÆ
If a stranger were to look at Yuuno Scrya right now, they would assume that all of his concentration was being used to maintain the barrier while the trial went on below. However, only a portion of his mind was staying focused on the barrier while the rest of his mental capacity was aimed at analyzing the data feedback.
æHer power spikes only when she goes on the attack. SheÆs got good control over her body processes to maximize energy usage and efficiency.Æ He paused for a moment. æOr perhaps itÆs her device thatÆs doing that for her?Æ
It was just another question to add to the list. Honestly, there were way too many mysteries that surrounded this woman. Until he got a few things cleared up and a proper blood test to confirm her genetic identity, it was going to be difficult to answer the one question that burned on his mindà that probably burned on everyoneÆs mind.
Was this woman the genuine Sankt Kaiser? Is she truly Olivie Segbrecht?
The immediate answer that would pop up in anyoneÆs mind is a definite no. She was reported to have died during the end of the Unification Wars almost a century ago. So the most likely explanation, based on the fact that sheÆs dead, was that sheÆs one of the earlier clones born out of Project F. Given that the experiment had spanned for decades, it was the only explanation that made sense to allow her to grow up to this age naturally, master her abilities and her device, an actual authentic and unusual one from the time of Belka. But there was a problem with that theory.
When the Unification War ended, the ChurchÆs predecessor took possession of OlivieÆs personal items that survived the last climactic battle that claimed the HegemonÆs home and most of his world. They had intended to look after the trinkets for safe keeping but somehow, those trinkets ended up playing a key part in forming the Church.
The essays that dictated how she perceived life and acceptable behaviour had served as their scriptures. An old garment with a sample of her blood served as a revered holy artifact until it was stolen in 0065. If one wanted to get a genetic sample of the last Kaiser, getting that shroud would be the only way to do it aside from looking through the SaintÆs Cradle itself (which would be a long and tedious task). When the Cradle had been destroyed in September of 0075 that meant that no more clones of the KaiserÆs bloodline can be created as Vivio was safe in the care of the Bureau and the Church.
So the clone theory had a few holes. He accepted that and filed that away for further study while considering a new theory, based on the fact that she somehow survived the end of the War.
The last known witness to her whereabouts was Ingvalt if the memoirs were correct. He had tried to stop her from sacrificing herself to end the CradleÆs rampage across worlds. Apparently, someone else had managed to put an end to things while something happened to Olivie that allowed her to live in this time, only a few years older than her last recorded appearance.
æPerhaps she had fought a battle and ended up in some sort of temporal suspension as a side effect of the magic used by her enemies?Æ It seemed a very plausible explanation although he would have thought that she would have been stuck on Shutra and lost forever in her frozen state.
ôHi, Yuuno-kun!ö
ôHi, Nanoha,ö replied the Librarian automatically before going back to his theorizing and shielding tasks. æDid someone move her frozen body to Vaizen where she eventually became free, found that orphan boy and became his guar-Æ
Time out for a second. Stop with the theorizing and direct your sight towards your love interest/childhood friend whoÆs pressing her face against the observation window.
YuunoÆs subconscious finally got him out of his deep academic state of mind and back to reality. ôNanoha, what are you doing here?ö
ôHeard about this combat test going on from Subaru and Touma-kun and we all came here together to observe!ö She hummed in delight as she felt the light vibrations on her skin from the glass. ôThey must be giving it maximum effort in there and having a lot of fun!ö
æHayate, when was she allowed in? And are you sure this is something she should know about immediately? SheÆs going to want answers that we canÆt give right now!Æ
æI know that,Æ was the tired telepathic answer that came from the Lieutenant Colonel. æBut considering whoÆs really in there and how gossip can spread like wildfire on the base, I figure itÆs best to get her in the loop now.Æ
æI guess you have a pointàÆ He could only imagine what kind of insanity could have come up all due to misunderstandings on NanohaÆs part.
Speaking of Nanoha, she turned around to face Hayate. ôSo where is this person whoÆs fighting Signum? And can I get next fight afterwards?ö
ôYouÆre gonna get your butt kicked. Nothing personal though,ö said Touma.
ôTouma, donÆt say stuff like that!ö Subaru laughed nervously as all other eyes turned towards him for a moment.
NanohaÆs smile still remined on her face. ôWell, I wonÆt lose easily! I have a few tricks up my sleeve too. Now, can I get a turn in later?ö
ôO-oi! Just what are you thinking, you dummy?!ö exclaimed Vita.
ôAh, I see. You saw that fighter first so you want dibs. Am I right, Vita-chan?ö
The Knight of the Iron Hammer just twitched at the other womanÆs behaviour. ôGood grief, youÆre such a kid! Stop getting the wrong idea!ö
ôNyahahaàö The vibrations on the glass stopped as the combatants down below broke apart after their latest clash. It also allowed for Nanoha to get a good look at who was facing Signum while there was a lull in the fighting.
The Knight herself was on the left side, the shoulder sections of her outer KnightÆs clothing rather tattered. She was breathing a bit harder than usual, most likely due to just how strong her opponent was.
And on the rightà was a blue clad woman in an armour set and blue garments. The blue fabric was singed, probably a result of this warrior blocking SignumÆs flames earlier. She took her time in catching her breath as well while her mismatched eyes kept focused on the enemy ahead.
Those mismatched eyes that were very familiar to Nanoha by now and she felt herself go pale. ôThatÆsà!ö
ôBefore you jump to any conclusions Nanoha-san, please make sure you understand this key fact,ö said Carim calmly. ôThat is not your daughter down there. Otto had contacted me earlier, confirming that she has picked up your child and is on her way here.ö
ôThen whatà?ö
Hayate struggled for a quick explanation of the womanÆs identity. ôIf anything, I guess we can call her VivioÆs biological mom?ö
Nanoha just stared. ôà àö
ôIt is technically true,ö said Yuuno to break the awkward silence. ôHonestly, with the feedback of combat data IÆve been getting, it feels like the theory of her being the original Olivie Segbrecht is gaining a bit more weight. Speed, reaction time, attack pattern strategyà all that could only be developed through many years of training.ö
While that sank into the heads of the others, Touma voiced a different question. ôWait a secà now I have a sister too?ö
ôIf youÆre the son of Her Majesty, then I guess she would count as your sister.ö Carim paused for a moment. ôOr would she be like an Aunt?ö
ôHuh?ö
ôItÆsà complicated. But weÆll explain everything to you and your mother once Vivio gets here,ö promised the Saint Church Director. Hopefully by the time they were ready for that conversation, she could figure out just where those three stood in the Belkan Royal Family Hierarchy and explain things accordingly.
**********
æPower level has dropped back to 1.5 million pointsàÆ
If a stranger were to look at Yuuno Scrya right now, they would assume that all of his concentration was being used to maintain the barrier while the trial went on below. However, only a portion of his mind was staying focused on the barrier while the rest of his mental capacity was aimed at analyzing the data feedback.
æHer power spikes only when she goes on the attack. SheÆs got good control over her body processes to maximize energy usage and efficiency.Æ He paused for a moment. æOr perhaps itÆs her device thatÆs doing that for her?Æ
It was just another question to add to the list. Honestly, there were way too many mysteries that surrounded this woman. Until he got a few things cleared up and a proper blood test to confirm her genetic identity, it was going to be difficult to answer the one question that burned on his mindà that probably burned on everyoneÆs mind.
Was this woman the genuine Sankt Kaiser? Is she truly Olivie Segbrecht?
The immediate answer that would pop up in anyoneÆs mind is a definite no. She was reported to have died during the end of the Unification Wars almost a century ago. So the most likely explanation, based on the fact that sheÆs dead, was that sheÆs one of the earlier clones born out of Project F. Given that the experiment had spanned for decades, it was the only explanation that made sense to allow her to grow up to this age naturally, master her abilities and her device, an actual authentic and unusual one from the time of Belka. But there was a problem with that theory.
When the Unification War ended, the ChurchÆs predecessor took possession of OlivieÆs personal items that survived the last climactic battle that claimed the HegemonÆs home and most of his world. They had intended to look after the trinkets for safe keeping but somehow, those trinkets ended up playing a key part in forming the Church.
The essays that dictated how she perceived life and acceptable behaviour had served as their scriptures. An old garment with a sample of her blood served as a revered holy artifact until it was stolen in 0065. If one wanted to get a genetic sample of the last Kaiser, getting that shroud would be the only way to do it aside from looking through the SaintÆs Cradle itself (which would be a long and tedious task). When the Cradle had been destroyed in September of 0075 that meant that no more clones of the KaiserÆs bloodline can be created as Vivio was safe in the care of the Bureau and the Church.
So the clone theory had a few holes. He accepted that and filed that away for further study while considering a new theory, based on the fact that she somehow survived the end of the War.
The last known witness to her whereabouts was Ingvalt if the memoirs were correct. He had tried to stop her from sacrificing herself to end the CradleÆs rampage across worlds. Apparently, someone else had managed to put an end to things while something happened to Olivie that allowed her to live in this time, only a few years older than her last recorded appearance.
æPerhaps she had fought a battle and ended up in some sort of temporal suspension as a side effect of the magic used by her enemies?Æ It seemed a very plausible explanation although he would have thought that she would have been stuck on Shutra and lost forever in her frozen state.
ôHi, Yuuno-kun!ö
ôHi, Nanoha,ö replied the Librarian automatically before going back to his theorizing and shielding tasks. æDid someone move her frozen body to Vaizen where she eventually became free, found that orphan boy and became his guar-Æ
Time out for a second. Stop with the theorizing and direct your sight towards your love interest/childhood friend whoÆs pressing her face against the observation window.
YuunoÆs subconscious finally got him out of his deep academic state of mind and back to reality. ôNanoha, what are you doing here?ö
ôHeard about this combat test going on from Subaru and Touma-kun and we all came here together to observe!ö She hummed in delight as she felt the light vibrations on her skin from the glass. ôThey must be giving it maximum effort in there and having a lot of fun!ö
æHayate, when was she allowed in? And are you sure this is something she should know about immediately? SheÆs going to want answers that we canÆt give right now!Æ
æI know that,Æ was the tired telepathic answer that came from the Lieutenant Colonel. æBut considering whoÆs really in there and how gossip can spread like wildfire on the base, I figure itÆs best to get her in the loop now.Æ
æI guess you have a pointàÆ He could only imagine what kind of insanity could have come up all due to misunderstandings on NanohaÆs part.
Speaking of Nanoha, she turned around to face Hayate. ôSo where is this person whoÆs fighting Signum? And can I get next fight afterwards?ö
ôYouÆre gonna get your butt kicked. Nothing personal though,ö said Touma.
ôTouma, donÆt say stuff like that!ö Subaru laughed nervously as all other eyes turned towards him for a moment.
NanohaÆs smile still remined on her face. ôWell, I wonÆt lose easily! I have a few tricks up my sleeve too. Now, can I get a turn in later?ö
ôO-oi! Just what are you thinking, you dummy?!ö exclaimed Vita.
ôAh, I see. You saw that fighter first so you want dibs. Am I right, Vita-chan?ö
The Knight of the Iron Hammer just twitched at the other womanÆs behaviour. ôGood grief, youÆre such a kid! Stop getting the wrong idea!ö
ôNyahahaàö The vibrations on the glass stopped as the combatants down below broke apart after their latest clash. It also allowed for Nanoha to get a good look at who was facing Signum while there was a lull in the fighting.
The Knight herself was on the left side, the shoulder sections of her outer KnightÆs clothing rather tattered. She was breathing a bit harder than usual, most likely due to just how strong her opponent was.
And on the rightà was a blue clad woman in an armour set and blue garments. The blue fabric was singed, probably a result of this warrior blocking SignumÆs flames earlier. She took her time in catching her breath as well while her mismatched eyes kept focused on the enemy ahead.
Those mismatched eyes that were very familiar to Nanoha by now and she felt herself go pale. ôThatÆsà!ö
ôBefore you jump to any conclusions Nanoha-san, please make sure you understand this key fact,ö said Carim calmly. ôThat is not your daughter down there. Otto had contacted me earlier, confirming that she has picked up your child and is on her way here.ö
ôThen whatà?ö
Hayate struggled for a quick explanation of the womanÆs identity. ôIf anything, I guess we can call her VivioÆs biological mom?ö
Nanoha just stared. ôà àö
ôIt is technically true,ö said Yuuno to break the awkward silence. ôHonestly, with the feedback of combat data IÆve been getting, it feels like the theory of her being the original Olivie Segbrecht is gaining a bit more weight. Speed, reaction time, attack pattern strategyà all that could only be developed through many years of training.ö
While that sank into the heads of the others, Touma voiced a different question. ôWait a secà now I have a sister too?ö
ôIf youÆre the son of Her Majesty, then I guess she would count as your sister.ö Carim paused for a moment. ôOr would she be like an Aunt?ö
ôHuh?ö
ôItÆsà complicated. But weÆll explain everything to you and your mother once Vivio gets here,ö promised the Saint Church Director. Hopefully by the time they were ready for that conversation, she could figure out just where those three stood in the Belkan Royal Family Hierarchy and explain things accordingly.
IIRC, in order to create a clone at the same age as the original, Project F involved copying the original's memories and knowledge over to the clone. Failure to do this resulted in clones that were, at best, low-functioning autistics. The only case where this wasn't so was when they allowed the clone to age normally, starting at infancy and progressing the same as any normal human (e.g. Vivio).
Obviously, if Olivie's body were (naturally) lost to the ravages of time, then there'd be no way to copy her engrams over to an F-type clone, so that theory's pretty much shot to hell.
Obviously, if Olivie's body were (naturally) lost to the ravages of time, then there'd be no way to copy her engrams over to an F-type clone, so that theory's pretty much shot to hell.
ôSubaru, you already knew the identity Touma-kunÆs mother, correct? Why didnÆt you tell me?ö asked Nanoha.
ôItÆs not like I can work it into a regular conversation,ö mumbled Subaru in defense before switching her tone to a fake uppity one. ôHi, Nanoha-san! HowÆs it going? By the way, did you know that this boyÆs mother looks exactly like a grown up version of Vivio?ö
ôYou could have said something!ö
Upon seeing Nanoha try to figure out if she should be angry or disappointed, Subaru decided it was time to switch the subject to something else since this one was making her feel a bit uncomfortable. ôAhà so how is Signum-san doing anyway? I meanà if Olivie-sanÆs the real deal, thenàö
ôSheÆs been certainly demonstrating her capabilities as a warrior. Analysis, prediction, reaction are all top notch. But what I find a bit strange is that even with all those precise high pressure attack strings, she hasnÆt been able to properly break SignumÆs guard and force an opening.ö Yuuno paused for a moment. ôAnd then there were some odd instances with SignumÆs movements at times.ö
ôWhat do you mean?ö asked Hayate.
ôIÆm not entirely certain butà here.ö The blonde man summoned a monitor and brought up some earlier footage of the duel in which showed Olivie scattering high and low attacks to confuse SignumÆs guard stance. ôMaybe someone with a keen eye for magical combat can help pinpoint where IÆm getting at.ö
All eyes briefly turned to Nanoha who managed to snap out of her earlier funk. ôSure, I guess I can help.ö A few moments passed as she digested the footage of OlivieÆs next set of attacks. ôMy wordà that woman must have a lot of muscle power in order to maintain that momentum after doing a quad feint!ö
ôStay focused please.ö
ôSorry, Carimàö Nanoha turned back to the video replay and spotted what Yuuno had meant. In the middle of OlivieÆs rushdown, Signum seemed to lose balance but before her opponent could capitalize, the Knight stabbed her sword in the ground and had her device load a cartridge to create a makeshift flame barrier. ôI think I see it. That last defensive movement used by Signumà the execution was shaky. Because it didnÆt have her usual sense of grace and control, I have to conclude that it wasnÆt done consciously.ö
ôSo she pulled that off by pure instinct? How come I donÆt remember seeing that move in her arsenal when we sparred?ö asked Vita.
ôWell, she hasnÆt faced a pure Belkan style opponent with an aggressive combat style like this. Even when she sparred with Sister Schach and other Church Knights, they tended to favour a more defensive style,ö said Carim as she offered up her own explanation. ôAnd while Vita is certainly not lacking in aggression, she tends to focus on power instead of speed and unpredictability.ö
ôMom can do all that easy! SheÆs smart and powerful and fast and stuff!ö exclaimed Touma.
ôAnd because of that powerful combat style awakening her instinctsàö
Hayate picked up on where Carim was leading. ôThat means SignumÆs able to stay in the fight and avoid being overwhelmed?ö
ôItÆs all learned reflexes,ö said Shamal as everyone turned to her. ôMuscle memory to be precise. Repeat an action and practice it enough and your body remembers how to do it without your brain telling it to.ö
ôLike how Mariel-san can disassemble and reassemble the main body of any low grade Device blindfolded?ö asked Nanoha.
The Lady of the Lake nodded. ôThatÆs a good example. Or take my case. I donÆt recall any memories of my life before meeting Hayate but when I was awakened by her and saw her in the wheelchair, the first thoughts that came to my mind were surgical options on how to fix her condition.ö
Subaru was surprised to hear such a thing as it was one of the rare times any one of the four Belkan Knights actually spoke about some of their history. Then a disturbing thought came to her. ôIf Signum-sanÆs body has those types of instincts, then she must have lived a life of endless battle before meeting Hayate-san, correct?ö
ôYou have no idea,ö muttered Vita.
**********
æSo this is the strength of the Kaiserà with all that power coming down on me, somehow IÆm still in one pieceàÆ
Once in a while, when fragments of her old life surfaced, Signum would remember some of the stories that she had heard about the Kaiser. About how they were the essence of Belkan combat arts given flesh, fighters who obtained the delicate balance of grace, speed and power.
As she found out for herself, those stories were certainly true. OlivieÆs focused and powerful movements were controlled tightly to maximize usage of energy. Honestly, there were times when Signum knew that her guard could have been broken but apparently; the fates were smiling upon her today by letting her bodyÆs memory remember some defensive techniques that she had probably developed during one of her past incarnations.
Both combatants took their time to catch their breath and revise their combat strategy. For Signum, she went through what options she had available against an opponent of this calibre while using this precious reprieve to put in some new cartridges.
Bogenform was obviously out. The set up time would be too long and Olivie would undoubtedly be in her face before she managed to get an arrow off.
Schlangeform seemed a bit more feasible but that would mean remaining stationery and relying purely on LaevateinÆs ability to strike with that form. Would it be able to match up with her opponentÆs speed? Or maybeà that woman would be crazy enough to try and strike the device in its extended form with her fists and damage it.
Yesà she would try such a thing. The KaiserÆs reaction time was beyond what the Knight had expected when she tried to counterattack earlier (although to be honest, SignumÆs gut feeling told her that those mismatched eyes played some role in that). And with her strength, she could possibly cause some serious damage since Laevatein would enter OlivieÆs attack range and be open for a powerful blow. If she was going to use that form, she would have to be certain that it can definitely land the blow that would finish the fight in her favour.
In the meantime, she would stick with her old reliable strategy of getting up close, waiting for her chance and striking the enemy as much as she could with Schwertform. It would take a lot of time but that was fine with the Knight of the Sword.
As powerful as that young woman is, she didnÆt seem to have a lot of patience (most likely an attribute of her youth). In her last offensive, she appeared to be taking a few more risks to force an opening in SignumÆs guard. If Signum kept her guard up properly, OlivieÆs lack of success would cause her to take larger risks. And that would give the General of the Raging Fire that small window of opportunity to strike.
Speaking of Olivie, she seemed to be ready again as she planted her feet firmly into the dirt while concentrating on channelling energy into her right hand.
ôMeine Hand leuchtet mit ehrf³rchtiger Kraft...!ö
While she began to chant, a rainbow Belkan triangle formed under her feet and that hand of hers began glowing red.
ôMit dieser brennenden Attacke werde ich dich besiegen!ö
SignumÆs eyes narrowed as the nature of that attack was made clear in her mind. The burning roar from that high risk, high reward technique was her clear intention to grasp victory. Now the question is how exactly would it be executed? Depending on the answer to that, it would affect the timing of her counterattack.
But the fact that she chose to use that type of move even when she had a lot of different options said something about her. That woman wanted to get her answer quickly, one way or the other.
ôIf thatÆs how you wish to finish it, thatÆs fine by me.ö Signum dug her feet into the ground, one hand secured around the handle of her sword and the other hand holding the sheath in a defensive posture. ôAbandon your hesitation. Shatter the doubts that plague youà and show me the answer that you have found, Sankt Kaiser!ö
And Olivie transformed into a blur, only to reappear within striking range before thrusting her palm forward.
ôDie ultimativenà SHINING FINGAAAAAAA!!!ö
ôItÆs not like I can work it into a regular conversation,ö mumbled Subaru in defense before switching her tone to a fake uppity one. ôHi, Nanoha-san! HowÆs it going? By the way, did you know that this boyÆs mother looks exactly like a grown up version of Vivio?ö
ôYou could have said something!ö
Upon seeing Nanoha try to figure out if she should be angry or disappointed, Subaru decided it was time to switch the subject to something else since this one was making her feel a bit uncomfortable. ôAhà so how is Signum-san doing anyway? I meanà if Olivie-sanÆs the real deal, thenàö
ôSheÆs been certainly demonstrating her capabilities as a warrior. Analysis, prediction, reaction are all top notch. But what I find a bit strange is that even with all those precise high pressure attack strings, she hasnÆt been able to properly break SignumÆs guard and force an opening.ö Yuuno paused for a moment. ôAnd then there were some odd instances with SignumÆs movements at times.ö
ôWhat do you mean?ö asked Hayate.
ôIÆm not entirely certain butà here.ö The blonde man summoned a monitor and brought up some earlier footage of the duel in which showed Olivie scattering high and low attacks to confuse SignumÆs guard stance. ôMaybe someone with a keen eye for magical combat can help pinpoint where IÆm getting at.ö
All eyes briefly turned to Nanoha who managed to snap out of her earlier funk. ôSure, I guess I can help.ö A few moments passed as she digested the footage of OlivieÆs next set of attacks. ôMy wordà that woman must have a lot of muscle power in order to maintain that momentum after doing a quad feint!ö
ôStay focused please.ö
ôSorry, Carimàö Nanoha turned back to the video replay and spotted what Yuuno had meant. In the middle of OlivieÆs rushdown, Signum seemed to lose balance but before her opponent could capitalize, the Knight stabbed her sword in the ground and had her device load a cartridge to create a makeshift flame barrier. ôI think I see it. That last defensive movement used by Signumà the execution was shaky. Because it didnÆt have her usual sense of grace and control, I have to conclude that it wasnÆt done consciously.ö
ôSo she pulled that off by pure instinct? How come I donÆt remember seeing that move in her arsenal when we sparred?ö asked Vita.
ôWell, she hasnÆt faced a pure Belkan style opponent with an aggressive combat style like this. Even when she sparred with Sister Schach and other Church Knights, they tended to favour a more defensive style,ö said Carim as she offered up her own explanation. ôAnd while Vita is certainly not lacking in aggression, she tends to focus on power instead of speed and unpredictability.ö
ôMom can do all that easy! SheÆs smart and powerful and fast and stuff!ö exclaimed Touma.
ôAnd because of that powerful combat style awakening her instinctsàö
Hayate picked up on where Carim was leading. ôThat means SignumÆs able to stay in the fight and avoid being overwhelmed?ö
ôItÆs all learned reflexes,ö said Shamal as everyone turned to her. ôMuscle memory to be precise. Repeat an action and practice it enough and your body remembers how to do it without your brain telling it to.ö
ôLike how Mariel-san can disassemble and reassemble the main body of any low grade Device blindfolded?ö asked Nanoha.
The Lady of the Lake nodded. ôThatÆs a good example. Or take my case. I donÆt recall any memories of my life before meeting Hayate but when I was awakened by her and saw her in the wheelchair, the first thoughts that came to my mind were surgical options on how to fix her condition.ö
Subaru was surprised to hear such a thing as it was one of the rare times any one of the four Belkan Knights actually spoke about some of their history. Then a disturbing thought came to her. ôIf Signum-sanÆs body has those types of instincts, then she must have lived a life of endless battle before meeting Hayate-san, correct?ö
ôYou have no idea,ö muttered Vita.
**********
æSo this is the strength of the Kaiserà with all that power coming down on me, somehow IÆm still in one pieceàÆ
Once in a while, when fragments of her old life surfaced, Signum would remember some of the stories that she had heard about the Kaiser. About how they were the essence of Belkan combat arts given flesh, fighters who obtained the delicate balance of grace, speed and power.
As she found out for herself, those stories were certainly true. OlivieÆs focused and powerful movements were controlled tightly to maximize usage of energy. Honestly, there were times when Signum knew that her guard could have been broken but apparently; the fates were smiling upon her today by letting her bodyÆs memory remember some defensive techniques that she had probably developed during one of her past incarnations.
Both combatants took their time to catch their breath and revise their combat strategy. For Signum, she went through what options she had available against an opponent of this calibre while using this precious reprieve to put in some new cartridges.
Bogenform was obviously out. The set up time would be too long and Olivie would undoubtedly be in her face before she managed to get an arrow off.
Schlangeform seemed a bit more feasible but that would mean remaining stationery and relying purely on LaevateinÆs ability to strike with that form. Would it be able to match up with her opponentÆs speed? Or maybeà that woman would be crazy enough to try and strike the device in its extended form with her fists and damage it.
Yesà she would try such a thing. The KaiserÆs reaction time was beyond what the Knight had expected when she tried to counterattack earlier (although to be honest, SignumÆs gut feeling told her that those mismatched eyes played some role in that). And with her strength, she could possibly cause some serious damage since Laevatein would enter OlivieÆs attack range and be open for a powerful blow. If she was going to use that form, she would have to be certain that it can definitely land the blow that would finish the fight in her favour.
In the meantime, she would stick with her old reliable strategy of getting up close, waiting for her chance and striking the enemy as much as she could with Schwertform. It would take a lot of time but that was fine with the Knight of the Sword.
As powerful as that young woman is, she didnÆt seem to have a lot of patience (most likely an attribute of her youth). In her last offensive, she appeared to be taking a few more risks to force an opening in SignumÆs guard. If Signum kept her guard up properly, OlivieÆs lack of success would cause her to take larger risks. And that would give the General of the Raging Fire that small window of opportunity to strike.
Speaking of Olivie, she seemed to be ready again as she planted her feet firmly into the dirt while concentrating on channelling energy into her right hand.
ôMeine Hand leuchtet mit ehrf³rchtiger Kraft...!ö
While she began to chant, a rainbow Belkan triangle formed under her feet and that hand of hers began glowing red.
ôMit dieser brennenden Attacke werde ich dich besiegen!ö
SignumÆs eyes narrowed as the nature of that attack was made clear in her mind. The burning roar from that high risk, high reward technique was her clear intention to grasp victory. Now the question is how exactly would it be executed? Depending on the answer to that, it would affect the timing of her counterattack.
But the fact that she chose to use that type of move even when she had a lot of different options said something about her. That woman wanted to get her answer quickly, one way or the other.
ôIf thatÆs how you wish to finish it, thatÆs fine by me.ö Signum dug her feet into the ground, one hand secured around the handle of her sword and the other hand holding the sheath in a defensive posture. ôAbandon your hesitation. Shatter the doubts that plague youà and show me the answer that you have found, Sankt Kaiser!ö
And Olivie transformed into a blur, only to reappear within striking range before thrusting her palm forward.
ôDie ultimativenà SHINING FINGAAAAAAA!!!ö
It felt like all time stopped for a second the moment Signum saw Olivie phase back into her vision, right within striking distance. Even with the high speed approach of the technique, the earlier posture that the Kaiser had taken indicated that she would go for a direct strike.
In a sense, the Knight felt that she shouldnÆt be too surprised that her opponent would choose that type of finishing move to wager the outcome. The woman seemed to be simple, direct and honest. It was reflected by her choice of finishing technique.
Since Olivie chose her move to bet on to decide the outcome of the fight. Signum would have to respond in kind. And she knew just the move to do it. It was a technique that she had developed when serving a previous master which recently resurfaced in her memory, thanks to the intensity of this battle. Whether or not she would be able to execute the technique properly for maximum damage is another question. There would be a sheer amount of stress on both her body and device to achieve the attackÆs optimal momentum and she would need to sacrifice her deviceÆs sheath in order to bait her opponent.
But it was her only chance for victory.
As OlivieÆs glowing red hand shot forward, Signum drew her sword and moved to have the sheath intercept the blow. Just as expected, the glowing red gauntlet was breaking through the sheathÆs dense material fairly quickly but the attack speed stayed within her earlier estimates.
Now in order to get the best possible starting position for her technique, she would need to cast her initial spell to give her the ideal opening. That meant the gauntlet had to make contact at a specific point on her upper garment. Since the hand trajectory stayed steady, focused and did not deviate from the target, it made planning her next steps easier.
The weight carried in her left hand felt lighter which meant the sheath has been destroyed and the red gauntlet was on its way. With that in mind, she prepared to move in threeà
Twoà
Oneà
ôReaktor Sõuberung.ö
Just as one of OlivieÆs fingertips brushed the fabric, the jacket detonated. All of the KaiserÆs senses from sight to smell were thrown off temporarily as the magic that had been used by Signum ran its course. Uncertain of what exactly happened, Olivie chose to back off and put some distance between her and the explosion of magic that just happened a second ago. ôWhat was that?ö
ôJust a new trick learned by an Old Knight,ö said her opponent from within the explosion before she darted forward to close the gap in distance and go for her counterattack. Already, the sword had consumed one cartridge and was covered in flames.
ô?therbarriere!ö For the first time in the duel, it was OlivieÆs turn to be on the defensive as she cast a defence spell, a variation of Panzerschild which had an additional defensive layer to back up the primary shield.
Something as simple as that would not bother Signum. With the opening slash, the first defensive layer was shattered easily. ôTENRYUàö
æReinforcing second layer!Æ Olivie poured whatever mana she could generate on such a quick notice in an attempt to protect herself but the momentum of the match had turned in favour of her opponent as the sword consumed a second cartridge to increase the intensity of the flames.
ôà RETSUàö
æà à!Æ The second slash cut through the reinforced shield like a hot knife through butter, leaving the Kaiser in a poor position to defend herself. And to make things worse, Signum had just loaded her last cartridge into Laevatein, transforming it into a living inferno before it descended for the final blow.
ôà à ISSEN!!ö
**********
Hayate had a look of surprise on her face. ôWhere did she pull that move from?ö
ôI dunno but that attack nailed her! ThereÆs no way she could get up from that!ö Seeing that woman get smacked down by Signum filled Vita with glee.
ôWe wonÆt know for sure until the flames and the dust settle down so that the cameras can capture the images clearly,ö commented Carim.
ôStill doesnÆt change the fact that sheÆs toast!ö
Touma didnÆt like the way that little girl was talking. ôNo way! MomÆs tougher than that!ö
ôAre you blind or something, kid?ö snapped Vita. ôYou saw the second slash break her guard and the third slash went through! She lost that fight!ö
ôNo, she didnÆt!ö
ôYes, she did!ö
ôShe didnÆt!ö
ôShe did!ö
ôVita-chanÆsà really into arguing with Touma-kun, huh?ö said Nanoha with a little laugh.
ôIÆm not arguing!ö The small Knight crossed her arms. ôIÆm just trying to get the last word in. And the last word is that your mom got beaten!ö
ôShe didnÆt get beaten! She didnÆt even activate her Super Mode!ö complained Touma.
ôS-super mode?ö Olivie had already proven to be ridiculously strong but the idea of her reaching a higher level of power was mind boggling to Subaru. ôWhat super mode?ö
ôCan it beà?ö Yuuno gave it some thought as he searched his memory for whatever information he could recall about the Sankt Kaiser. It only took him a few seconds to come to a conclusion. ôHer bloodlineàö
ôEh?ö
He glanced at the young corporal. ôIf Olivie is truly who she claims to be, then the power of her bloodline will manifest itself.ö
As the dust cleared, they could see the standing figure of Olivie Segbrecht. Her rainbow aura was surrounding her body while the blue garments of her armour had changed colour to red. And there wasnÆt any sign that SignumÆs last attack had done any significant damage.
Even if it looked a bit different from how Vivio had used it on the Cradle, Nanoha could still recognize that power. ôThe defensive fixed skill: SaintÆs Armour.ö
ôNot only that. The computer readings have picked up the activation of a Relic inside the Combat Simulator. Originà seems to be from that young ladyÆs Linker Core.ö On cue, the camera zoomed in on OlivieÆs face, which remained neutral and focused on her opponent.
æSignumàÆ Hayate was clearly worried about how this would all turn out as were the rest of the occupants in the room.
Except for a certain young boy. ôI told you that my mom wouldnÆt lose!ö
ôTouma!ö
In a sense, the Knight felt that she shouldnÆt be too surprised that her opponent would choose that type of finishing move to wager the outcome. The woman seemed to be simple, direct and honest. It was reflected by her choice of finishing technique.
Since Olivie chose her move to bet on to decide the outcome of the fight. Signum would have to respond in kind. And she knew just the move to do it. It was a technique that she had developed when serving a previous master which recently resurfaced in her memory, thanks to the intensity of this battle. Whether or not she would be able to execute the technique properly for maximum damage is another question. There would be a sheer amount of stress on both her body and device to achieve the attackÆs optimal momentum and she would need to sacrifice her deviceÆs sheath in order to bait her opponent.
But it was her only chance for victory.
As OlivieÆs glowing red hand shot forward, Signum drew her sword and moved to have the sheath intercept the blow. Just as expected, the glowing red gauntlet was breaking through the sheathÆs dense material fairly quickly but the attack speed stayed within her earlier estimates.
Now in order to get the best possible starting position for her technique, she would need to cast her initial spell to give her the ideal opening. That meant the gauntlet had to make contact at a specific point on her upper garment. Since the hand trajectory stayed steady, focused and did not deviate from the target, it made planning her next steps easier.
The weight carried in her left hand felt lighter which meant the sheath has been destroyed and the red gauntlet was on its way. With that in mind, she prepared to move in threeà
Twoà
Oneà
ôReaktor Sõuberung.ö
Just as one of OlivieÆs fingertips brushed the fabric, the jacket detonated. All of the KaiserÆs senses from sight to smell were thrown off temporarily as the magic that had been used by Signum ran its course. Uncertain of what exactly happened, Olivie chose to back off and put some distance between her and the explosion of magic that just happened a second ago. ôWhat was that?ö
ôJust a new trick learned by an Old Knight,ö said her opponent from within the explosion before she darted forward to close the gap in distance and go for her counterattack. Already, the sword had consumed one cartridge and was covered in flames.
ô?therbarriere!ö For the first time in the duel, it was OlivieÆs turn to be on the defensive as she cast a defence spell, a variation of Panzerschild which had an additional defensive layer to back up the primary shield.
Something as simple as that would not bother Signum. With the opening slash, the first defensive layer was shattered easily. ôTENRYUàö
æReinforcing second layer!Æ Olivie poured whatever mana she could generate on such a quick notice in an attempt to protect herself but the momentum of the match had turned in favour of her opponent as the sword consumed a second cartridge to increase the intensity of the flames.
ôà RETSUàö
æà à!Æ The second slash cut through the reinforced shield like a hot knife through butter, leaving the Kaiser in a poor position to defend herself. And to make things worse, Signum had just loaded her last cartridge into Laevatein, transforming it into a living inferno before it descended for the final blow.
ôà à ISSEN!!ö
**********
Hayate had a look of surprise on her face. ôWhere did she pull that move from?ö
ôI dunno but that attack nailed her! ThereÆs no way she could get up from that!ö Seeing that woman get smacked down by Signum filled Vita with glee.
ôWe wonÆt know for sure until the flames and the dust settle down so that the cameras can capture the images clearly,ö commented Carim.
ôStill doesnÆt change the fact that sheÆs toast!ö
Touma didnÆt like the way that little girl was talking. ôNo way! MomÆs tougher than that!ö
ôAre you blind or something, kid?ö snapped Vita. ôYou saw the second slash break her guard and the third slash went through! She lost that fight!ö
ôNo, she didnÆt!ö
ôYes, she did!ö
ôShe didnÆt!ö
ôShe did!ö
ôVita-chanÆsà really into arguing with Touma-kun, huh?ö said Nanoha with a little laugh.
ôIÆm not arguing!ö The small Knight crossed her arms. ôIÆm just trying to get the last word in. And the last word is that your mom got beaten!ö
ôShe didnÆt get beaten! She didnÆt even activate her Super Mode!ö complained Touma.
ôS-super mode?ö Olivie had already proven to be ridiculously strong but the idea of her reaching a higher level of power was mind boggling to Subaru. ôWhat super mode?ö
ôCan it beà?ö Yuuno gave it some thought as he searched his memory for whatever information he could recall about the Sankt Kaiser. It only took him a few seconds to come to a conclusion. ôHer bloodlineàö
ôEh?ö
He glanced at the young corporal. ôIf Olivie is truly who she claims to be, then the power of her bloodline will manifest itself.ö
As the dust cleared, they could see the standing figure of Olivie Segbrecht. Her rainbow aura was surrounding her body while the blue garments of her armour had changed colour to red. And there wasnÆt any sign that SignumÆs last attack had done any significant damage.
Even if it looked a bit different from how Vivio had used it on the Cradle, Nanoha could still recognize that power. ôThe defensive fixed skill: SaintÆs Armour.ö
ôNot only that. The computer readings have picked up the activation of a Relic inside the Combat Simulator. Originà seems to be from that young ladyÆs Linker Core.ö On cue, the camera zoomed in on OlivieÆs face, which remained neutral and focused on her opponent.
æSignumàÆ Hayate was clearly worried about how this would all turn out as were the rest of the occupants in the room.
Except for a certain young boy. ôI told you that my mom wouldnÆt lose!ö
ôTouma!ö
'So she did have one more card up her sleeve.' Somehow Signum wasn't surprised although she was a little bothered that her earlier assessment of Olivie turned out different than expected. Even as open and honest as she is, she's still capable of concealing certain aspects of her power from the enemy until it's too late. Then again, that's basic common sense when it came to battle.
No use complaining about it. All she could do was weather the Kaiser's storm with what strength she had left. Right now, her defensive fields were lowered thanks to sacrificing a part of her armour earlier to create the opening. She had no more cartridges on her and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to use them right away until Laevatein had a chance to recover from the stress of their earlier technique.
But the last thing the Knight of the Sword had been expecting was Olivie asking for forgiveness. "My apologies. This result was due to my lack of training."
"... what?"
"I wanted to have a fair battle," explained Olivie. "Unfortunately, when your last attack broke your my shield, the Saint's Armour naturally activated in response to my heightened emotional state."
"I see. That's quite considerate of you to explain yourself but that's not necessary right now." She slowly got into position.
"But-"
"That's enough. I appreciate that you have attempted to carry out this trial fairly. But make no mistake..." Signum pointed her blade at the Kaiser. "Even with your Saint's Armour protecting you, I will show you beyond a reasonable doubt that we are not the ruthless Knights that you believe us to be."
ôThat won't be necessary. As far as I'm concerned, this trial has concluded,ö said Olivie calmly before turning towards the observation window and waving a free hand. ôWeÆre done in here!ö
ôThatÆsà it?ö She was quite stunned by her opponentÆs change in attitude to the point where she didnÆt even notice the chamber doors opening. ôThe rules said the trial would end when someone is incapacitated or surrenders.ö
ôThatÆs true. Hmmmmàö It then came to the young woman. ôSince IÆm not in the habit of beating on someone whoÆs clearly in a weakened state, I surrender.ö
For some reason, that got under SignumÆs nerves. ôDonÆt mock me! Are you even taking me seriously?!ö
ôSo you really prefer to be beaten into a pulp?ö asked the puzzled Kaiser.
ôNo, she doesnÆt!ö shouted a flustered Hayate as she managed to make her way over with everyone else. ôSignum, if sheÆs okay with stopping things here, then let it go!ö
ôButà it just feels like this didnÆt end properly,ö said the Knight of the Sword quietly before turning back to the other woman. ôHow is it that you were able to find what you were looking for?ö
ôDuring your last technique, I sensed your emotions. Love for your Master, anger at my accusations and regret for the lives that were taken to fuel the Book. That is proof enough for me to conclude that the killing machines I saw on that day no longer exist. And you have fulfilled your objective as well which was to prove that you are not the cold Knights who have spilled blood in the name of their Master.ö The Kaiser paused for a moment. ôI wonder if this will be good enough for those restless spirits. If they see that youÆre trying to live your lives by a proper code of chivalry and make up for the crimes of old, perhaps they can rest in peace.ö
ôSignum, if youÆre finished, then can you come back with me to the control room so I can properly check you over for injuries?ö asked Shamal.
ôYes, of course.ö Before she could be led away, she turned back to Olivie. ôIf possible, I would like a rematch so that a proper conclusion can be reached. I have something that I want to try against that SaintÆs Armour of yours.ö
Vita put it together. ôYou canÆt meanà Agito?ö
ôYes. I would like to put my Unisoned form to the limit. That is, if you have no objections.ö
ôYou have a Unison Device too? I havenÆt seen one of those in years. If time permits, I would be happy to fight you again.ö Olivie had to admit that it would be interesting to throw down with a fighter using one of those devices.
ôYou donÆt seem mad at her anymore, Mom. Are you now friends with her?ö asked Touma while Shamal led Signum away with Vita following.
ôI wouldnÆt say weÆre friends now but if anything, I understand her and her comrades a bit better. Maybe in the future, I wouldnÆt mind having those Knights as friends.ö She then shot the boy a bright smile. ôBut right now, youÆre the best friend that I want by my side.ö
He liked hearing that. And more importantly, he liked seeing how that smile she had on her face was directed at him and only for him. Butà
ôIf anything, I guess we can call her VivioÆs biological mom?ö
What if her real child took away that attention he was getting?
A concerned look settled upon the KaiserÆs fair features as she noticed her adopted son looking a little distracted. ôTouma, whatÆs wrong?ö
ôNothingà! Just thinking of stuff.ö
ôYou shouldnÆt hide whatÆs bothering you, young man. Otherwise, Nanoha-chan here would blast you until you started talking about your feelings properly,ö said Hayate in a teasing manner.
This earned a twitch from Olivie. ôExcuse me?ö
ôGehà!ö Why did Hayate-chan have to say that? And in front of the Sankt Kaiser of all people!
The sudden awkward gesture from Nanoha immediately drew OlivieÆs attention towards her. ôFrom the way youÆre reacting, you must be thisà Nanatoka!ö
ôItÆs Nanoha!ö
ôWhatever. The point is you canÆt always force someone to talk about their feelings. Sometimes there are personal things that they canÆt share. Maybe he has one of thoseà manly issues that can only be talked about between men.ö She paused for a moment before noticing a young man in a green suit next to Carim who was furiously taking notes. ôYou thereà you can talk manly issues with my son, canÆt you?ö
ôIà guess?ö Yuuno was getting rather confused at all this.
She smiled in approval. ôGood, then thatÆs settled.ö
Touma decided that he better step in and set things straight. ôMom, itÆs not that sort of stuff thatÆs bugging me!ö
ôThen what is it, sweetie?ö
ôWellà apparently, I have a sister since they said stuff about you being her biological mom.ö
ôà à SAY WHAT?!ö
No use complaining about it. All she could do was weather the Kaiser's storm with what strength she had left. Right now, her defensive fields were lowered thanks to sacrificing a part of her armour earlier to create the opening. She had no more cartridges on her and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to use them right away until Laevatein had a chance to recover from the stress of their earlier technique.
But the last thing the Knight of the Sword had been expecting was Olivie asking for forgiveness. "My apologies. This result was due to my lack of training."
"... what?"
"I wanted to have a fair battle," explained Olivie. "Unfortunately, when your last attack broke your my shield, the Saint's Armour naturally activated in response to my heightened emotional state."
"I see. That's quite considerate of you to explain yourself but that's not necessary right now." She slowly got into position.
"But-"
"That's enough. I appreciate that you have attempted to carry out this trial fairly. But make no mistake..." Signum pointed her blade at the Kaiser. "Even with your Saint's Armour protecting you, I will show you beyond a reasonable doubt that we are not the ruthless Knights that you believe us to be."
ôThat won't be necessary. As far as I'm concerned, this trial has concluded,ö said Olivie calmly before turning towards the observation window and waving a free hand. ôWeÆre done in here!ö
ôThatÆsà it?ö She was quite stunned by her opponentÆs change in attitude to the point where she didnÆt even notice the chamber doors opening. ôThe rules said the trial would end when someone is incapacitated or surrenders.ö
ôThatÆs true. Hmmmmàö It then came to the young woman. ôSince IÆm not in the habit of beating on someone whoÆs clearly in a weakened state, I surrender.ö
For some reason, that got under SignumÆs nerves. ôDonÆt mock me! Are you even taking me seriously?!ö
ôSo you really prefer to be beaten into a pulp?ö asked the puzzled Kaiser.
ôNo, she doesnÆt!ö shouted a flustered Hayate as she managed to make her way over with everyone else. ôSignum, if sheÆs okay with stopping things here, then let it go!ö
ôButà it just feels like this didnÆt end properly,ö said the Knight of the Sword quietly before turning back to the other woman. ôHow is it that you were able to find what you were looking for?ö
ôDuring your last technique, I sensed your emotions. Love for your Master, anger at my accusations and regret for the lives that were taken to fuel the Book. That is proof enough for me to conclude that the killing machines I saw on that day no longer exist. And you have fulfilled your objective as well which was to prove that you are not the cold Knights who have spilled blood in the name of their Master.ö The Kaiser paused for a moment. ôI wonder if this will be good enough for those restless spirits. If they see that youÆre trying to live your lives by a proper code of chivalry and make up for the crimes of old, perhaps they can rest in peace.ö
ôSignum, if youÆre finished, then can you come back with me to the control room so I can properly check you over for injuries?ö asked Shamal.
ôYes, of course.ö Before she could be led away, she turned back to Olivie. ôIf possible, I would like a rematch so that a proper conclusion can be reached. I have something that I want to try against that SaintÆs Armour of yours.ö
Vita put it together. ôYou canÆt meanà Agito?ö
ôYes. I would like to put my Unisoned form to the limit. That is, if you have no objections.ö
ôYou have a Unison Device too? I havenÆt seen one of those in years. If time permits, I would be happy to fight you again.ö Olivie had to admit that it would be interesting to throw down with a fighter using one of those devices.
ôYou donÆt seem mad at her anymore, Mom. Are you now friends with her?ö asked Touma while Shamal led Signum away with Vita following.
ôI wouldnÆt say weÆre friends now but if anything, I understand her and her comrades a bit better. Maybe in the future, I wouldnÆt mind having those Knights as friends.ö She then shot the boy a bright smile. ôBut right now, youÆre the best friend that I want by my side.ö
He liked hearing that. And more importantly, he liked seeing how that smile she had on her face was directed at him and only for him. Butà
ôIf anything, I guess we can call her VivioÆs biological mom?ö
What if her real child took away that attention he was getting?
A concerned look settled upon the KaiserÆs fair features as she noticed her adopted son looking a little distracted. ôTouma, whatÆs wrong?ö
ôNothingà! Just thinking of stuff.ö
ôYou shouldnÆt hide whatÆs bothering you, young man. Otherwise, Nanoha-chan here would blast you until you started talking about your feelings properly,ö said Hayate in a teasing manner.
This earned a twitch from Olivie. ôExcuse me?ö
ôGehà!ö Why did Hayate-chan have to say that? And in front of the Sankt Kaiser of all people!
The sudden awkward gesture from Nanoha immediately drew OlivieÆs attention towards her. ôFrom the way youÆre reacting, you must be thisà Nanatoka!ö
ôItÆs Nanoha!ö
ôWhatever. The point is you canÆt always force someone to talk about their feelings. Sometimes there are personal things that they canÆt share. Maybe he has one of thoseà manly issues that can only be talked about between men.ö She paused for a moment before noticing a young man in a green suit next to Carim who was furiously taking notes. ôYou thereà you can talk manly issues with my son, canÆt you?ö
ôIà guess?ö Yuuno was getting rather confused at all this.
She smiled in approval. ôGood, then thatÆs settled.ö
Touma decided that he better step in and set things straight. ôMom, itÆs not that sort of stuff thatÆs bugging me!ö
ôThen what is it, sweetie?ö
ôWellà apparently, I have a sister since they said stuff about you being her biological mom.ö
ôà à SAY WHAT?!ö
Carim put away her writing momentarily to clear up this new misunderstanding. ôItÆs a bit more complicated than that.ö
ôHow so?ö asked Olivie who was now paying full attention. ôIs she something like a doppelganger?ö
The way the Kaiser said that last word had Carim slightly on edge. Belkan myths often painted doppelgangers in a poor light, seen as harbingers of ill fortune and representatives of the forces of evil. Superstition had a place among the Royal Family once. And she wasnÆt sure if Olivie was among those who placed a high value on those things.
Well, best to go with a truth she could understand. ôNot precisely. The story begins with a blood sample that was obtained by a mad scientist over ten years ago after stealing a shroud that we had guarded in our church.ö
ôA shroudà?ö She wasnÆt sure what the Church Director meant until a thought finally came to mind. æIngvaltÆs old cape?Æ
ôIt was your only personal belonging that had been recovered after the war next to your journals,ö explained the Saint Church director. ôAnd the shroud played a part in his plan to conquer this world.ö
ôSo he wanted to conquer the world with a bloody cloth?ö For some reason, Touma had the image of a man clad in a white lab coat and brandishing the shroud with blood like an all powerful super weapon.
ôErà thatÆs not quite it,ö confessed Hayate. ôThat man was involved in an illegal project that focused on creating copies of people.ö
ôAnd what he wanted was to create a copy of someone from the KaiserÆs bloodline since at the time; there were no known living members of the Royal Family. In this case, he created Vivio whoÆs essentially a genetic copy of Her Majesty here,ö continued Carim.
ôA copy of me?ö The concept seemed rather out of this world to Olivie but then again, she had been thrown nearly a century forward in time so who was she to judge? But there was still something she was missing.
While there was no doubt that the Saint Kings were powerful living warriors, she was certain that this world had more than enough competent mages to stop a renegade Kaiser. So what was the last factor? What other reason would there be a need for a Kaiser to help in world domination?
Then it hit her. ôThe SaintÆs Cradleà?ö
The Saint Church Director nodded. ôThatÆs right. He had managed to locate that Lost Logia and needed a key to activate it.ö
ôThenà instead of properly seeing the CradleÆs destruction to the end, Iàö A sense of horror grew inside the young womanÆs heart.
ôUm, if I may askà what was your last memory about the Cradle?ö asked Yuuno with his curiosity now at its peak.
ôThe Cradle didnÆt include a proper self-destruct mechanism since it was a warship that predated Belka. The only thing we could do was to steer it towards a natural phenomenon in space where it could stay lost forever. Something like a black hole,ö said Olivie as she remembered what she had planned on that day before her sudden trip through time. ôMy father had managed to program a random course that couldnÆt be overridden until the ship got to its destination but he succumbed to his injuries that he got from the insurgency of the Radicals. I had planned to reach the Cradle and ensure that the ship would stay lost but thingsà went rather differently. And because I wasnÆt strong enough, someone else suffered as the CradleÆs Key.ö
ôYou are not to blame, Your Majesty. At the time, we didnÆt realize the childÆs true identity until after the Cradle began its ascension. It is we who bears the responsibility of making up for our negligence,ö said Carim.
ôWhat is she like? This Vivio girl?ö asked the Kaiser.
ôSheÆs a good girl although it takes her a while to eat all of her vegetables at dinner time,ö replied Nanoha. Yes, Vivio may have managed to accept green peppers as part of her diet but sheÆs still a bit picky about eating other vegetables like broccoli and brussel sprouts.
ôIs she cared for? Is she happy and safe?ö
Yuuno nodded. ôYes she is. Nanoha-san here is the girlÆs adopted mother.ö
The sudden revelation caused most of OlivieÆs attention to focus right on the Ace of Aces. ôYou?ö
ôYes. Do you have a problem with me continuing to care for Vivio?ö She had to admit that the moment when she learned the true identity of that woman, the thought of her child leaving her to live with her true biological parent passed through her mind. And it scared her a bit.
ôNo. Because I wasnÆt there for herà because I couldnÆt save her from the fate of being the CradleÆs Key, I donÆt have the right to make those kinds of choices,ö replied Olivie quietly.
ôEven though itÆs beyond dispute that you share the same blood as her?ö pressed Carim.
ôIf she doesnÆt want anything to do with me, I can accept that. But before I can step out quietly, I want to make sure she will be properly looked after. WhoÆs in charge of her security?ö
It was a bit surprising to see her change from a self-hatred emotional state to a commanding presence. Then again, this is the Kaiser herself. And plus the fact that sheÆs now a parent meant she had to continue projecting that sense of confidence properly in front of her son.
ôUh, I donÆt think we have a full security detail in place but if I were to guess, it would be Nanoha-san who looks after that,ö said Subaru.
ôSo youÆre saying that Ms. Nanoka here is capable of protecting the child?ö
ôItÆs Nanoha, Your Majesty,ö corrected Carim. ôAnd she is one of the strongest mages on this world.ö
ôIs that so?ö After some thought, Olivie glanced at the Ace of Aces. ôIÆm going to put that to the test. Start warming up.ö
ôà à Eh?ö
ôHow so?ö asked Olivie who was now paying full attention. ôIs she something like a doppelganger?ö
The way the Kaiser said that last word had Carim slightly on edge. Belkan myths often painted doppelgangers in a poor light, seen as harbingers of ill fortune and representatives of the forces of evil. Superstition had a place among the Royal Family once. And she wasnÆt sure if Olivie was among those who placed a high value on those things.
Well, best to go with a truth she could understand. ôNot precisely. The story begins with a blood sample that was obtained by a mad scientist over ten years ago after stealing a shroud that we had guarded in our church.ö
ôA shroudà?ö She wasnÆt sure what the Church Director meant until a thought finally came to mind. æIngvaltÆs old cape?Æ
ôIt was your only personal belonging that had been recovered after the war next to your journals,ö explained the Saint Church director. ôAnd the shroud played a part in his plan to conquer this world.ö
ôSo he wanted to conquer the world with a bloody cloth?ö For some reason, Touma had the image of a man clad in a white lab coat and brandishing the shroud with blood like an all powerful super weapon.
ôErà thatÆs not quite it,ö confessed Hayate. ôThat man was involved in an illegal project that focused on creating copies of people.ö
ôAnd what he wanted was to create a copy of someone from the KaiserÆs bloodline since at the time; there were no known living members of the Royal Family. In this case, he created Vivio whoÆs essentially a genetic copy of Her Majesty here,ö continued Carim.
ôA copy of me?ö The concept seemed rather out of this world to Olivie but then again, she had been thrown nearly a century forward in time so who was she to judge? But there was still something she was missing.
While there was no doubt that the Saint Kings were powerful living warriors, she was certain that this world had more than enough competent mages to stop a renegade Kaiser. So what was the last factor? What other reason would there be a need for a Kaiser to help in world domination?
Then it hit her. ôThe SaintÆs Cradleà?ö
The Saint Church Director nodded. ôThatÆs right. He had managed to locate that Lost Logia and needed a key to activate it.ö
ôThenà instead of properly seeing the CradleÆs destruction to the end, Iàö A sense of horror grew inside the young womanÆs heart.
ôUm, if I may askà what was your last memory about the Cradle?ö asked Yuuno with his curiosity now at its peak.
ôThe Cradle didnÆt include a proper self-destruct mechanism since it was a warship that predated Belka. The only thing we could do was to steer it towards a natural phenomenon in space where it could stay lost forever. Something like a black hole,ö said Olivie as she remembered what she had planned on that day before her sudden trip through time. ôMy father had managed to program a random course that couldnÆt be overridden until the ship got to its destination but he succumbed to his injuries that he got from the insurgency of the Radicals. I had planned to reach the Cradle and ensure that the ship would stay lost but thingsà went rather differently. And because I wasnÆt strong enough, someone else suffered as the CradleÆs Key.ö
ôYou are not to blame, Your Majesty. At the time, we didnÆt realize the childÆs true identity until after the Cradle began its ascension. It is we who bears the responsibility of making up for our negligence,ö said Carim.
ôWhat is she like? This Vivio girl?ö asked the Kaiser.
ôSheÆs a good girl although it takes her a while to eat all of her vegetables at dinner time,ö replied Nanoha. Yes, Vivio may have managed to accept green peppers as part of her diet but sheÆs still a bit picky about eating other vegetables like broccoli and brussel sprouts.
ôIs she cared for? Is she happy and safe?ö
Yuuno nodded. ôYes she is. Nanoha-san here is the girlÆs adopted mother.ö
The sudden revelation caused most of OlivieÆs attention to focus right on the Ace of Aces. ôYou?ö
ôYes. Do you have a problem with me continuing to care for Vivio?ö She had to admit that the moment when she learned the true identity of that woman, the thought of her child leaving her to live with her true biological parent passed through her mind. And it scared her a bit.
ôNo. Because I wasnÆt there for herà because I couldnÆt save her from the fate of being the CradleÆs Key, I donÆt have the right to make those kinds of choices,ö replied Olivie quietly.
ôEven though itÆs beyond dispute that you share the same blood as her?ö pressed Carim.
ôIf she doesnÆt want anything to do with me, I can accept that. But before I can step out quietly, I want to make sure she will be properly looked after. WhoÆs in charge of her security?ö
It was a bit surprising to see her change from a self-hatred emotional state to a commanding presence. Then again, this is the Kaiser herself. And plus the fact that sheÆs now a parent meant she had to continue projecting that sense of confidence properly in front of her son.
ôUh, I donÆt think we have a full security detail in place but if I were to guess, it would be Nanoha-san who looks after that,ö said Subaru.
ôSo youÆre saying that Ms. Nanoka here is capable of protecting the child?ö
ôItÆs Nanoha, Your Majesty,ö corrected Carim. ôAnd she is one of the strongest mages on this world.ö
ôIs that so?ö After some thought, Olivie glanced at the Ace of Aces. ôIÆm going to put that to the test. Start warming up.ö
ôà à Eh?ö
Vivio has probably seen these sights dozens and dozens of times every time she took the public transit system to travel between school and her mamaÆs workplace. The sights of the landmarks that gave the regions of Mid-Childa their unique charm along with the two moons in the sky never ceased to amaze her.
ôNow approaching Central Zone One Station.ö
The announcement from the trainÆs speakers caught OttoÆs attention. ôOur stop is coming soon, Your Majesty.ö
ôI know. And stop calling me that!ö
Once the two made it to their stop, their next destination was to the TSAB Mid-Childan Main Office to meet up with Nanoha, which was only a brief walk from the train station. The time was about right for her to finish up with her classes for the day. But when they reached the designated meeting spot, Nanoha wasnÆt there. ôPerhaps her classes are taking a bit longer than expected?ö
ôCan you use telepathy to get to her?ö
Otto mildly noted that the young ladyÆs vocabulary has been improving. As expected from a student going through the magic curriculum at St. Hilde Academy. ôShe may be in the middle of something. LetÆs speak with the receptionist to see if they can track her down.ö
ôOkay!ö
A few moments later, they were at the front desk while the receptionist checked for the current location of Ms. Takamachi. ôLetÆs seeà Captain Takamachi is currently at Combat Training Simulator B.ö
ôDid she change her classroom location?ö asked Otto.
ôActually, no. From what I remember, her class finished a bit earlier than usual. I saw some of her students pass by here on their way to the showers about twenty to thirty minutes ago.ö
ôSo, she probably is helping evaluate someoneÆs combat performance and simply forgot the time?ö That made sense since as far as the Number knew, the Captain had a bit of a bad habit getting so involved in her work that she loses track of time.
ôMost likely. I canÆt say for sure.ö
ôThank you for your help!ö chirped Vivio before she followed her escort to the Combat Training Simulator.
**********
æHmmmà sheÆs pretty good.Æ It was the only thought Olivie had while moving around the arena to stay one step ahead of the barrage of projectiles fired from her opponent. She wondered if all practitioners of this Mid-Childan magic style were capable of this type of flexibility.
She also noted how those gold floatingà thingies seemed to add to the number of shots that were released by that Nanoha (yes, she got that silly name right!). With those around, it meant that her offensive and defensive abilities were enhanced. Getting in wasnÆt going to be easy.
And speaking of getting in, her earlier theory of her opponent not being very proficient in close quarters combat was somewhat disproven. That woman used a combination of shielding spells and binds whenever Olivie closed the gap so that she could maintain the distance that she wanted in order to make the most out of her shooting spells. It didnÆt take long for the Kaiser to realize that controlling combat space was the idea behind NanohaÆs style.
She had spaced herself carefully in order to be in an ideal position to respond to or punish any entry angle or attack used by Olivie. By shutting down the KaiserÆs offensive options and thinking several steps ahead, she can control the flow of the fight. Her knowledge of OlivieÆs style (probably picked up from her observing the earlier battle with Signum) also played a factor in her zoning strategy.
Of course, the effectiveness of such a strategy depended on how well Nanoha could predict OlivieÆs moves. The thought of using some other attacks to bait her opponent crossed the CaptainÆs mind but in the end, she decided to stick with her cautious approach. After all, she didnÆt know the full extent of OlivieÆs moves and as she was apparently a seasoned warrior who has full mastery over her style, Nanoha knew that this would be far different compared to fighting Vivio in her Kaiser form on the Cradle.
A telepathic call from the Kaiser interrupted her train of thought. ôA quick question, Ms. Nanohaàö
æS-she got my name right!Æ A part of her wanted to cry tears of joy that an opponent actually managed to get her name right fairly quickly instead of over several battles like with Vita-chan. ôEr, yesà Olivie-san?ö
ôWould you terribly mind if I put an end to this?ö The sudden question was accompanied by a sudden spike in power from the KaiserÆs side along with her rainbow aura coming out in full force.
æSo sheÆs done playing around?Æ Obviously, Nanoha had recognized that Olivie took her time in order to study and understand her opponentÆs style before beginning her counterattack. She still had a few aces to play but whether her opponent would allow her to use them is another story. So her best shotà was to hit her before she got a chance to pull off whatever sheÆs doing. Without wasting a moment, she had Raising Heart load up whatever remaining cartridges that were left in her magazine while the Blaster Bits flew back to her to reinforce the shot. ôBlaster Threeà!ö
ôDie du die Ewigkeit durchstreifst, in unserer Seele schlummernde Kraft, Kraft aus der Grenzenlosigkeit, komm und richte!ö The rainbow aura that surrounded her body slowly shrunk before a fairly lengthy strand made out of her magical energy formed around her right gauntlet which held on to one end. ôPrismatische Strõnge...ö
ôDIIIVINNNE BUSTAAAHHH!!!ö The powered up magical shot left the tip of Raising Heart just as Olivie pulled back the strand and swung it forward while the rainbow magical aura extended in both length and width so that it would clash with NanohaÆs attack.
ôSeelenspiegelung!!ö
**********
ôKehà!ö Sweat rolled down YuunoÆs face as he kept up his energy to maintain the simulatorÆs shielding but the last shockwave of those two spells hitting each other taxed his shields quite a fair bit.
ôShe canÆt beà?ö Hayate couldnÆt believe her eyes at the sight as the rainbow strands bent backwards so it could catch the magical energy fired by her friend. ôSheÆs catching the Divine Buster?!ö
ôNoà sheÆs reflecting it!ö Subaru saw Nanoha hustle to get out of the way after seeing her own Divine Buster coming back at her.
ôAh, thereÆs everybody!ö They all turned towards the source of the young girlÆs voice which came from the entrance into the control room from the outside. While her butler escort greeted Carim with a proper bow, the small girl came up to Hayate, who had not been expecting Vivio here. ôWhereÆs mama?ö
Touma was the first to answer, while noting how much that little girl looked like his own mother. ôTo put it simplyà my momÆs totally kicking your momÆs butt.ö
ôTOUMA!!ö
**********
While Nanoha barely got out of the way of that last attack, she noted that the technique Olivie used was similar to what Vivio did on the Cradle. During their battle, her daughter often created magical projections and orbs out of her own aura before firing them at her. Olivie here was on a whole new level.
The KaiserÆs aura manipulation ability allowed her to summon forth that strand that acted as a powerful reflective shield to send Divine Buster right back at her. Who knew what else she could do with it?
ôCome forth, my elementals! Kugelblitz and Umpfl³ger!ö
æShe can summon too?!Æ While that thought ran through her head, two magical elementals formed right behind the Kaiser. One had a red face appearing inside white magical energy while a brown looking apparition that appeared to be made out of roots and surrounded with green energy made up the other form. With a single gesture, the two of them charged at Nanoha mercilessly.
ôAxel Shooter!!ö She countered with a barrage of magical shots but her opponent moved, using the rainbow strand as a whip to bat the shots away, sending several of them back at the Blaster Bits and forcing them to dissipate into thin air. As the two elementals approached, Raising Heart went into action, automatically activating a Round Shield.
They slammed hard into it, pushing her a great distance towards one end of the arena before coming to a halt and fading away from the field. From what Nanoha could tell, they only had a limited amount of magical energy and once that ran out, they vanished into nothing.
But that didnÆt seem to bother Olivie at all. ôFl³gellõhmung.ö
Red binds shot out from the ground, wrapping themselves around the white clad woman before she was forced to land. Once her feet touched the ground, the pink energy wings around her shoes vanished, a sign that her flying spell had been forcefully deactivated. While Nanoha tried to think of a counter, she saw Olivie ahead, using both hands to raise her rainbow strand which had straightened out and extended itself in length like a sword.
She could think of counters later. Right now, she just had to survive this attack. ôMultiple Defenser!ö
As the multiple shields took their place, the Kaiser swung down with all her might. ôExplodierande Diamantfaust!!ö
ôNow approaching Central Zone One Station.ö
The announcement from the trainÆs speakers caught OttoÆs attention. ôOur stop is coming soon, Your Majesty.ö
ôI know. And stop calling me that!ö
Once the two made it to their stop, their next destination was to the TSAB Mid-Childan Main Office to meet up with Nanoha, which was only a brief walk from the train station. The time was about right for her to finish up with her classes for the day. But when they reached the designated meeting spot, Nanoha wasnÆt there. ôPerhaps her classes are taking a bit longer than expected?ö
ôCan you use telepathy to get to her?ö
Otto mildly noted that the young ladyÆs vocabulary has been improving. As expected from a student going through the magic curriculum at St. Hilde Academy. ôShe may be in the middle of something. LetÆs speak with the receptionist to see if they can track her down.ö
ôOkay!ö
A few moments later, they were at the front desk while the receptionist checked for the current location of Ms. Takamachi. ôLetÆs seeà Captain Takamachi is currently at Combat Training Simulator B.ö
ôDid she change her classroom location?ö asked Otto.
ôActually, no. From what I remember, her class finished a bit earlier than usual. I saw some of her students pass by here on their way to the showers about twenty to thirty minutes ago.ö
ôSo, she probably is helping evaluate someoneÆs combat performance and simply forgot the time?ö That made sense since as far as the Number knew, the Captain had a bit of a bad habit getting so involved in her work that she loses track of time.
ôMost likely. I canÆt say for sure.ö
ôThank you for your help!ö chirped Vivio before she followed her escort to the Combat Training Simulator.
**********
æHmmmà sheÆs pretty good.Æ It was the only thought Olivie had while moving around the arena to stay one step ahead of the barrage of projectiles fired from her opponent. She wondered if all practitioners of this Mid-Childan magic style were capable of this type of flexibility.
She also noted how those gold floatingà thingies seemed to add to the number of shots that were released by that Nanoha (yes, she got that silly name right!). With those around, it meant that her offensive and defensive abilities were enhanced. Getting in wasnÆt going to be easy.
And speaking of getting in, her earlier theory of her opponent not being very proficient in close quarters combat was somewhat disproven. That woman used a combination of shielding spells and binds whenever Olivie closed the gap so that she could maintain the distance that she wanted in order to make the most out of her shooting spells. It didnÆt take long for the Kaiser to realize that controlling combat space was the idea behind NanohaÆs style.
She had spaced herself carefully in order to be in an ideal position to respond to or punish any entry angle or attack used by Olivie. By shutting down the KaiserÆs offensive options and thinking several steps ahead, she can control the flow of the fight. Her knowledge of OlivieÆs style (probably picked up from her observing the earlier battle with Signum) also played a factor in her zoning strategy.
Of course, the effectiveness of such a strategy depended on how well Nanoha could predict OlivieÆs moves. The thought of using some other attacks to bait her opponent crossed the CaptainÆs mind but in the end, she decided to stick with her cautious approach. After all, she didnÆt know the full extent of OlivieÆs moves and as she was apparently a seasoned warrior who has full mastery over her style, Nanoha knew that this would be far different compared to fighting Vivio in her Kaiser form on the Cradle.
A telepathic call from the Kaiser interrupted her train of thought. ôA quick question, Ms. Nanohaàö
æS-she got my name right!Æ A part of her wanted to cry tears of joy that an opponent actually managed to get her name right fairly quickly instead of over several battles like with Vita-chan. ôEr, yesà Olivie-san?ö
ôWould you terribly mind if I put an end to this?ö The sudden question was accompanied by a sudden spike in power from the KaiserÆs side along with her rainbow aura coming out in full force.
æSo sheÆs done playing around?Æ Obviously, Nanoha had recognized that Olivie took her time in order to study and understand her opponentÆs style before beginning her counterattack. She still had a few aces to play but whether her opponent would allow her to use them is another story. So her best shotà was to hit her before she got a chance to pull off whatever sheÆs doing. Without wasting a moment, she had Raising Heart load up whatever remaining cartridges that were left in her magazine while the Blaster Bits flew back to her to reinforce the shot. ôBlaster Threeà!ö
ôDie du die Ewigkeit durchstreifst, in unserer Seele schlummernde Kraft, Kraft aus der Grenzenlosigkeit, komm und richte!ö The rainbow aura that surrounded her body slowly shrunk before a fairly lengthy strand made out of her magical energy formed around her right gauntlet which held on to one end. ôPrismatische Strõnge...ö
ôDIIIVINNNE BUSTAAAHHH!!!ö The powered up magical shot left the tip of Raising Heart just as Olivie pulled back the strand and swung it forward while the rainbow magical aura extended in both length and width so that it would clash with NanohaÆs attack.
ôSeelenspiegelung!!ö
**********
ôKehà!ö Sweat rolled down YuunoÆs face as he kept up his energy to maintain the simulatorÆs shielding but the last shockwave of those two spells hitting each other taxed his shields quite a fair bit.
ôShe canÆt beà?ö Hayate couldnÆt believe her eyes at the sight as the rainbow strands bent backwards so it could catch the magical energy fired by her friend. ôSheÆs catching the Divine Buster?!ö
ôNoà sheÆs reflecting it!ö Subaru saw Nanoha hustle to get out of the way after seeing her own Divine Buster coming back at her.
ôAh, thereÆs everybody!ö They all turned towards the source of the young girlÆs voice which came from the entrance into the control room from the outside. While her butler escort greeted Carim with a proper bow, the small girl came up to Hayate, who had not been expecting Vivio here. ôWhereÆs mama?ö
Touma was the first to answer, while noting how much that little girl looked like his own mother. ôTo put it simplyà my momÆs totally kicking your momÆs butt.ö
ôTOUMA!!ö
**********
While Nanoha barely got out of the way of that last attack, she noted that the technique Olivie used was similar to what Vivio did on the Cradle. During their battle, her daughter often created magical projections and orbs out of her own aura before firing them at her. Olivie here was on a whole new level.
The KaiserÆs aura manipulation ability allowed her to summon forth that strand that acted as a powerful reflective shield to send Divine Buster right back at her. Who knew what else she could do with it?
ôCome forth, my elementals! Kugelblitz and Umpfl³ger!ö
æShe can summon too?!Æ While that thought ran through her head, two magical elementals formed right behind the Kaiser. One had a red face appearing inside white magical energy while a brown looking apparition that appeared to be made out of roots and surrounded with green energy made up the other form. With a single gesture, the two of them charged at Nanoha mercilessly.
ôAxel Shooter!!ö She countered with a barrage of magical shots but her opponent moved, using the rainbow strand as a whip to bat the shots away, sending several of them back at the Blaster Bits and forcing them to dissipate into thin air. As the two elementals approached, Raising Heart went into action, automatically activating a Round Shield.
They slammed hard into it, pushing her a great distance towards one end of the arena before coming to a halt and fading away from the field. From what Nanoha could tell, they only had a limited amount of magical energy and once that ran out, they vanished into nothing.
But that didnÆt seem to bother Olivie at all. ôFl³gellõhmung.ö
Red binds shot out from the ground, wrapping themselves around the white clad woman before she was forced to land. Once her feet touched the ground, the pink energy wings around her shoes vanished, a sign that her flying spell had been forcefully deactivated. While Nanoha tried to think of a counter, she saw Olivie ahead, using both hands to raise her rainbow strand which had straightened out and extended itself in length like a sword.
She could think of counters later. Right now, she just had to survive this attack. ôMultiple Defenser!ö
As the multiple shields took their place, the Kaiser swung down with all her might. ôExplodierande Diamantfaust!!ö
The control room shook lightly from the shockwave that resulted from the impact of the last spell used by the Kaiser hitting against NanohaÆs shields.
ôMr. Scrya, are you alright?ö asked Carim. Considering that they indeed felt a little something thanks to the fight in the simulator, it meant that his barriers had weakened a bit. Then again, he had been maintaining them for two straight brawls between powered mages.
ôY-yeahà just gotta maintain my concentration,ö muttered the Librarian. He had hoped that none of his barriers were compromised during the last exchange of blows although he wasnÆt totally sure since his mind had been rather drained running the numbers to keep the barriers up and running.
ôWaità where did Mom Junior go?ö
ôMom Junior?ö Subaru thought about that for a moment before she figured out what he meant. æAh, Touma meant Vivioà wait a minute!Æ
A quick scan of the room did indeed prove that the girl was no longer among them which got Hayate sweating. ôVivio?! Where did you go?!ö
ôI believe Her Majesty went into the battlefield. As you can see, the chamber door seal had been damaged, most likely as a result from Mr. ScryaÆs inability to maintain the barrier during the last clash,ö noted Otto. ôItÆs likely that she slipped through to reach her mother.ö
ôLetÆs just go get her back before she gets hurt in the crossfire! Get in touch with the combatants and get them to pause their match!ö
**********
æIÆmà still conscious?Æ Nanoha had been expecting that last attack from the Kaiser to knock her out since it didnÆt have any problem smashing through the Multiple Defenser but perhaps her opponent pulled her blow at the last moment. For what reason, she couldnÆt tell but since she had a chance now, she might as well do a quick situation assessment.
Low on magical energy? Check.
Bind spell still in effect? Nope. At least she could fly again but with the above fact in place, that could be an issue.
Barrier jacket damage? Fairly extensive with her eyes spotting several rips and tears on the magical cloth.
ôRaisingà Heart?ö
ôI can still fight, my Master.ö
ThatÆs good. The question was whether her body would be prepared to head back into battle. Although she had come a long way in her recovery from the JS Incident, she wasnÆt able to go at maximum power as frequently as she used to. Perhaps she should take some time off to rest her wings but that will have to wait. The more immediate concern was the approaching Olivie who took her time while walking towards her.
ôNanoha, can you hear me?! Nanoha!ö She could hear HayateÆs voice in her mind and she sounded really panicked.
ôWhat is it?ö
ôYou have to stop your match right now! VivioÆs gotten into the combat simulator!ö
HayateÆs warning came a little bit late as NanohaÆs ears picked up the sound of tiny footsteps approaching rapidly. ôDONÆT BULLY MY MAMA!!!ö
ôVivio?!ö Nanoha realized with horror that her child had somehow gotten into the arena and placed herself in danger. ôNo, get out of here!ö
But the little girl didnÆt listen. As soon as she reached the red clad armoured woman, she started kicking at the legs since that was as high as she could reach with her own. ôTake this! And this!ö
For a few moments, the only sound that was in the arena came from a foot making contact with magical armour repeatedly. OlivieÆs expression remained unchanged so that meant nobody could tell what she was thinking. Not Carimà not Hayateà not even her son.
Finally, after a few seconds of staring at the little girl kick her, Olivie finally spoke. ôYouÆre doing it wrong.ö
That caused Vivio to stop. ôà à eh?ö
ôGet into your stance and have your dominant leg behind your other leg.ö Olivie moved so that she would be able to help Vivio fix her stance. ôThe dominant leg's toe should be pointed to its side while your secondary leg is in front, its toe pointed straight forward. You want your torso to generally face the direction of your dominant leg. Your hands can be in a guard position or relaxed.ö
ôà àö Who is this ladyà and why did she look so much likeà?
ôAre you listening, young lady?ö
ôUh, yes!ö The smaller girl snapped to attention and moved her right leg back as instructed.
ôIf you want to go for speed, you will use your front foot. If you want a more powerful kick, use your back leg.ö After letting this fact settle in with the child, Olivie continued. ôRaise your kicking-leg's knee so your thigh is parallel to the ground, about hip to waist level. This is called chambering. Breathe in as you do this.ö
æSo I want to raiseà which leg?Æ She was trying to remember what that lady was saying but she was going so fast.
ôKick your leg, snapping it forward quickly. With a front kick you can use the ball of your foot or your instep as a striking surface. As you kick, rapidly release the air in your lungs. Remember, breath in when you contract, breath out when you expand. This also will relax your body, allowing for proper technique, because holding air in means your muscles are too tense, and you are trying to control your kick too much, which weakens the kick, slows it down and tires you out faster.ö
æSo much to rememberà!Æ This was making her head spin.
ôNow give it a shot,ö instructed the older woman while bending down to closely observe the younger girlÆs progress.
Vivio complied, using her back leg as the kicking leg. It shot forward, grazing the older woman in the face.
ôARAAà!ö And there goes Olivie, fainting backwards dramatically while her armour and gauntlets vanished, leaving her in that fancy dress again while everyone stared, rather stunned at how all this turned out.
ôMom, what just happened?!ö
She looked up and smiled at Touma. ôWell, my sonà I do believe that I was just defeated by a seven year old.ö
ôIÆm eight!ö protested Vivio.
ôI stand corrected.ö OlivieÆs playfulness dimmed down a bit as she carefully looked at the child. ôSoà you must be Vivio? Wowà I never knew I looked so adorable when I was a child.ö
It slowly came to the smaller girl. This was the person from the distant past. The person she had been copied from. ôYouÆreà?ö
ôOlivie Segbrecht. ItÆs a pleasure to meet you. I guess since we share the same blood that would make usàö She paused for a moment. ôà sisters? Or biological mother and daughter? Oh, I donÆt know!ö
That was the last thing on VivioÆs mind at the moment. ôMy wishà it came true!ö She quickly closed her eyes and clapped her hands loudly. ôI wish I had a big large bag of never ending candy that only I can see so that Nanoha-mama wonÆt take it away from me!ö
ôUm, Vivioà IÆm right here,ö said Nanoha in a flat tone.
ôGehà!ö That response proved beyond a doubt that she really was her adopted motherÆs daughter.
ôMr. Scrya, are you alright?ö asked Carim. Considering that they indeed felt a little something thanks to the fight in the simulator, it meant that his barriers had weakened a bit. Then again, he had been maintaining them for two straight brawls between powered mages.
ôY-yeahà just gotta maintain my concentration,ö muttered the Librarian. He had hoped that none of his barriers were compromised during the last exchange of blows although he wasnÆt totally sure since his mind had been rather drained running the numbers to keep the barriers up and running.
ôWaità where did Mom Junior go?ö
ôMom Junior?ö Subaru thought about that for a moment before she figured out what he meant. æAh, Touma meant Vivioà wait a minute!Æ
A quick scan of the room did indeed prove that the girl was no longer among them which got Hayate sweating. ôVivio?! Where did you go?!ö
ôI believe Her Majesty went into the battlefield. As you can see, the chamber door seal had been damaged, most likely as a result from Mr. ScryaÆs inability to maintain the barrier during the last clash,ö noted Otto. ôItÆs likely that she slipped through to reach her mother.ö
ôLetÆs just go get her back before she gets hurt in the crossfire! Get in touch with the combatants and get them to pause their match!ö
**********
æIÆmà still conscious?Æ Nanoha had been expecting that last attack from the Kaiser to knock her out since it didnÆt have any problem smashing through the Multiple Defenser but perhaps her opponent pulled her blow at the last moment. For what reason, she couldnÆt tell but since she had a chance now, she might as well do a quick situation assessment.
Low on magical energy? Check.
Bind spell still in effect? Nope. At least she could fly again but with the above fact in place, that could be an issue.
Barrier jacket damage? Fairly extensive with her eyes spotting several rips and tears on the magical cloth.
ôRaisingà Heart?ö
ôI can still fight, my Master.ö
ThatÆs good. The question was whether her body would be prepared to head back into battle. Although she had come a long way in her recovery from the JS Incident, she wasnÆt able to go at maximum power as frequently as she used to. Perhaps she should take some time off to rest her wings but that will have to wait. The more immediate concern was the approaching Olivie who took her time while walking towards her.
ôNanoha, can you hear me?! Nanoha!ö She could hear HayateÆs voice in her mind and she sounded really panicked.
ôWhat is it?ö
ôYou have to stop your match right now! VivioÆs gotten into the combat simulator!ö
HayateÆs warning came a little bit late as NanohaÆs ears picked up the sound of tiny footsteps approaching rapidly. ôDONÆT BULLY MY MAMA!!!ö
ôVivio?!ö Nanoha realized with horror that her child had somehow gotten into the arena and placed herself in danger. ôNo, get out of here!ö
But the little girl didnÆt listen. As soon as she reached the red clad armoured woman, she started kicking at the legs since that was as high as she could reach with her own. ôTake this! And this!ö
For a few moments, the only sound that was in the arena came from a foot making contact with magical armour repeatedly. OlivieÆs expression remained unchanged so that meant nobody could tell what she was thinking. Not Carimà not Hayateà not even her son.
Finally, after a few seconds of staring at the little girl kick her, Olivie finally spoke. ôYouÆre doing it wrong.ö
That caused Vivio to stop. ôà à eh?ö
ôGet into your stance and have your dominant leg behind your other leg.ö Olivie moved so that she would be able to help Vivio fix her stance. ôThe dominant leg's toe should be pointed to its side while your secondary leg is in front, its toe pointed straight forward. You want your torso to generally face the direction of your dominant leg. Your hands can be in a guard position or relaxed.ö
ôà àö Who is this ladyà and why did she look so much likeà?
ôAre you listening, young lady?ö
ôUh, yes!ö The smaller girl snapped to attention and moved her right leg back as instructed.
ôIf you want to go for speed, you will use your front foot. If you want a more powerful kick, use your back leg.ö After letting this fact settle in with the child, Olivie continued. ôRaise your kicking-leg's knee so your thigh is parallel to the ground, about hip to waist level. This is called chambering. Breathe in as you do this.ö
æSo I want to raiseà which leg?Æ She was trying to remember what that lady was saying but she was going so fast.
ôKick your leg, snapping it forward quickly. With a front kick you can use the ball of your foot or your instep as a striking surface. As you kick, rapidly release the air in your lungs. Remember, breath in when you contract, breath out when you expand. This also will relax your body, allowing for proper technique, because holding air in means your muscles are too tense, and you are trying to control your kick too much, which weakens the kick, slows it down and tires you out faster.ö
æSo much to rememberà!Æ This was making her head spin.
ôNow give it a shot,ö instructed the older woman while bending down to closely observe the younger girlÆs progress.
Vivio complied, using her back leg as the kicking leg. It shot forward, grazing the older woman in the face.
ôARAAà!ö And there goes Olivie, fainting backwards dramatically while her armour and gauntlets vanished, leaving her in that fancy dress again while everyone stared, rather stunned at how all this turned out.
ôMom, what just happened?!ö
She looked up and smiled at Touma. ôWell, my sonà I do believe that I was just defeated by a seven year old.ö
ôIÆm eight!ö protested Vivio.
ôI stand corrected.ö OlivieÆs playfulness dimmed down a bit as she carefully looked at the child. ôSoà you must be Vivio? Wowà I never knew I looked so adorable when I was a child.ö
It slowly came to the smaller girl. This was the person from the distant past. The person she had been copied from. ôYouÆreà?ö
ôOlivie Segbrecht. ItÆs a pleasure to meet you. I guess since we share the same blood that would make usàö She paused for a moment. ôà sisters? Or biological mother and daughter? Oh, I donÆt know!ö
That was the last thing on VivioÆs mind at the moment. ôMy wishà it came true!ö She quickly closed her eyes and clapped her hands loudly. ôI wish I had a big large bag of never ending candy that only I can see so that Nanoha-mama wonÆt take it away from me!ö
ôUm, Vivioà IÆm right here,ö said Nanoha in a flat tone.
ôGehà!ö That response proved beyond a doubt that she really was her adopted motherÆs daughter.
It had been expected that plans would change for the evening. Instead of Olivie going to give her recollection of events on ToumaÆs home world to the investigators, she would do that the next day. And instead of Vivio and Nanoha going out to a local restaurant for dinner, they instead settled for eating with everybody in the office cafeteria. Thank goodness that the kitchen staff worked late hours to provide something to eat for those who worked night shifts in the head office.
Hayate had been the exception as she went to check on her Knights and take them home for their own evening meal. If she had stayed, they probably would have stayed to keep an eye on things and there was a good chance that having them share a table with the Kaiser while there were still some underlying tensions would have been awkward.
The conversation had been focused on VivioÆs upbringing. It was something that the older Kaiser wanted to hear so that she would be at ease in the event that she would no longer interact with the child in the future although that didnÆt seem likely to happen seeing how the little girl didnÆt want to let go of the other woman. There was so much she wanted to know about her predecessor but the child didnÆt mind doing the talking this time around (although she tried not to talk too much about the Cradle since that made the other woman get all gloomy and sad).
ôAnd then when me and Nanoha-mama became a family, Fate-mama offered to be my guardian and somehow, I just got used to seeing her as my Mama too.ö
ôSo you have two mothers, hm?ö
ôDo you find that strange?ö asked Nanoha while grabbing a slice of bread.
Olivie shook her head. ôNot really. When I went around visiting various communities, I saw a fair share of households where children were raised only by women and they seemed to turn out healthy and fine. But is it alright if she grows up without a male parental figure? She might be missing out on something.ö
ôWhat do you mean by that, Your Majesty?ö
ôMy father, Matthias Segbrecht, instilled many of the values that I live by today, Ms. Carim. If not for him, I would not have been involved with the communities of common people and could have grown up with a closed heart.ö
ôCan you elaborate a bit more on that?ö Yuuno had taken out some things so that he would be able to record everything that she said.
ôMy daily activities on the Cradle were planned out in advance. Mornings were for combat magic and martial arts training. My grandparents and Great Uncles often tested my limits to get a good reading on my progress. Then afternoons were for studying military strategy and being involved in planning out operations to conquer worlds so that the Belkan Empire could be reborn again. Evenings were for getting familiar with different functions of the Cradle and learning how to make the most use out of those mechanical automatons that were on board. If I had continued that routine every day of the year, I probably would have turned out to be a perfect puppet Warrior King for my elders and any other powerful figures in the political landscape.ö
Yuuno nodded in understanding. ôThe Belkan political atmosphere had been described by some historical textbooks as dangerous with members of the court always looking to gain more power and influence by playing games of deception. They were people who would smile at you right up to the point when they plunge a knife into your ribs.ö
ôThatÆs a rather accurate description,ö admitted the young woman.
ôYou didnÆt have a mama to care for you?ö
Olivie merely smiled sadly at Vivio. ôWhen my mother was giving birth to me, some complications arose and it came down to a choice to save her life or mine. So I essentially grew up without a mama. The female servants that tended to me never stepped out of place and never acted as mother figures even though they looked like they wanted to.ö
ôThey probably were kept in place by the wills of those elders of yours,ö noted Nanoha. ôBut they probably couldnÆt keep your father in place. Is that right?ö
ôHe knew how to navigate the political system in order to provide for me. He protected me where he could from anything that could put me in genuine danger, physically or emotionally. He always managed to find time for me when I needed his counsel. Above all, he was my friend who wanted what was best for me. It was thanks to him that I was able to leave the Cradle and stay with Ingvalt on Shutra when he saw how I was crumbling emotionally thanks to living on the ship daily. I honestly canÆt think I would have turned out the way I did if not for him.ö
ôHe must have been something,ö remarked Subaru while digging into her own meal.
ôHis greatest pride was being my papa next to becoming a Kaiser who could serve the people faithfully. It was something I tried to do while on Shutra and now that IÆm on this planet, I would like to continue to carrying out that mission.ö
ôSoà I should ask for a papa?ö asked a confused Vivio.
ôNot necessarily,ö replied the older Kaiser gently. ôIf things are okay with you as they are now, then you donÆt need to change anything. ItÆs your choice after all. Just donÆt dismiss the benefits of having a male role model.ö
ôSo whatÆs he like, Mom? Your dad that is.ö
She paused for a moment to address her sonÆs question. ôHmmmà he was a very large and outspoken man full of life. And IÆm not sure if I would be able to describe him well so IÆll have to try and draw an image that I can share with you all.ö She closed her eyes for a moment and projected the memory of her father into everybodyÆs minds which caused a number of varied reactions.
ôT-thatÆs your papa?ö squeaked out Vivio.
ôCorrection. ThatÆs our papa.ö
ôHeÆs huge!ö exclaimed Subaru. ôKinda crazy looking too!ö
ôHow does Her MajestyÆs father maintain those curls on his hair?ö Otto found that particularly fascinating. ôAnd what is with that purple cape and pink tunic?ö
ôYes, I know itÆs an eyesore. I wish his choice of wardrobe was a bit more normal but what could I do?ö Olivie sighed dramatically. ôMaybe he did it to throw his enemies off balance by dressing in weird colours.ö
Nanoha chuckled once before cleaning up her tray. ôWell, itÆs getting late and we need to be getting home. LetÆs go, Vivio.ö
ôEh? But I wanted to talk with Ollie-chan some more!ö
ôMs. Carim said that we could stay at the Church for now. After I make up for not speaking with that officer today, IÆll be able to enrol for proper language classes and start figuring out how I can best serve the community while Touma can get registered to go to school at that St. Hilde Academy. But if your mother doesnÆt mind, you can come see us after your classes end at the Church.ö
ôWAAII!ö Vivio couldnÆt wait for tomorrow to come. She then turned to the boy sitting by the KaiserÆs side. ôThat means IÆll get to see you lots at school, onii-chan!ö
ôErà yeah, that soundsà nice.ö Touma just shifted uncomfortably by the way she smiled at him. Then again, who could blame him when a child version of his mother was looking up at him in adoration?
**********
And here's a good picture of Olivie's dad...
Hayate had been the exception as she went to check on her Knights and take them home for their own evening meal. If she had stayed, they probably would have stayed to keep an eye on things and there was a good chance that having them share a table with the Kaiser while there were still some underlying tensions would have been awkward.
The conversation had been focused on VivioÆs upbringing. It was something that the older Kaiser wanted to hear so that she would be at ease in the event that she would no longer interact with the child in the future although that didnÆt seem likely to happen seeing how the little girl didnÆt want to let go of the other woman. There was so much she wanted to know about her predecessor but the child didnÆt mind doing the talking this time around (although she tried not to talk too much about the Cradle since that made the other woman get all gloomy and sad).
ôAnd then when me and Nanoha-mama became a family, Fate-mama offered to be my guardian and somehow, I just got used to seeing her as my Mama too.ö
ôSo you have two mothers, hm?ö
ôDo you find that strange?ö asked Nanoha while grabbing a slice of bread.
Olivie shook her head. ôNot really. When I went around visiting various communities, I saw a fair share of households where children were raised only by women and they seemed to turn out healthy and fine. But is it alright if she grows up without a male parental figure? She might be missing out on something.ö
ôWhat do you mean by that, Your Majesty?ö
ôMy father, Matthias Segbrecht, instilled many of the values that I live by today, Ms. Carim. If not for him, I would not have been involved with the communities of common people and could have grown up with a closed heart.ö
ôCan you elaborate a bit more on that?ö Yuuno had taken out some things so that he would be able to record everything that she said.
ôMy daily activities on the Cradle were planned out in advance. Mornings were for combat magic and martial arts training. My grandparents and Great Uncles often tested my limits to get a good reading on my progress. Then afternoons were for studying military strategy and being involved in planning out operations to conquer worlds so that the Belkan Empire could be reborn again. Evenings were for getting familiar with different functions of the Cradle and learning how to make the most use out of those mechanical automatons that were on board. If I had continued that routine every day of the year, I probably would have turned out to be a perfect puppet Warrior King for my elders and any other powerful figures in the political landscape.ö
Yuuno nodded in understanding. ôThe Belkan political atmosphere had been described by some historical textbooks as dangerous with members of the court always looking to gain more power and influence by playing games of deception. They were people who would smile at you right up to the point when they plunge a knife into your ribs.ö
ôThatÆs a rather accurate description,ö admitted the young woman.
ôYou didnÆt have a mama to care for you?ö
Olivie merely smiled sadly at Vivio. ôWhen my mother was giving birth to me, some complications arose and it came down to a choice to save her life or mine. So I essentially grew up without a mama. The female servants that tended to me never stepped out of place and never acted as mother figures even though they looked like they wanted to.ö
ôThey probably were kept in place by the wills of those elders of yours,ö noted Nanoha. ôBut they probably couldnÆt keep your father in place. Is that right?ö
ôHe knew how to navigate the political system in order to provide for me. He protected me where he could from anything that could put me in genuine danger, physically or emotionally. He always managed to find time for me when I needed his counsel. Above all, he was my friend who wanted what was best for me. It was thanks to him that I was able to leave the Cradle and stay with Ingvalt on Shutra when he saw how I was crumbling emotionally thanks to living on the ship daily. I honestly canÆt think I would have turned out the way I did if not for him.ö
ôHe must have been something,ö remarked Subaru while digging into her own meal.
ôHis greatest pride was being my papa next to becoming a Kaiser who could serve the people faithfully. It was something I tried to do while on Shutra and now that IÆm on this planet, I would like to continue to carrying out that mission.ö
ôSoà I should ask for a papa?ö asked a confused Vivio.
ôNot necessarily,ö replied the older Kaiser gently. ôIf things are okay with you as they are now, then you donÆt need to change anything. ItÆs your choice after all. Just donÆt dismiss the benefits of having a male role model.ö
ôSo whatÆs he like, Mom? Your dad that is.ö
She paused for a moment to address her sonÆs question. ôHmmmà he was a very large and outspoken man full of life. And IÆm not sure if I would be able to describe him well so IÆll have to try and draw an image that I can share with you all.ö She closed her eyes for a moment and projected the memory of her father into everybodyÆs minds which caused a number of varied reactions.
ôT-thatÆs your papa?ö squeaked out Vivio.
ôCorrection. ThatÆs our papa.ö
ôHeÆs huge!ö exclaimed Subaru. ôKinda crazy looking too!ö
ôHow does Her MajestyÆs father maintain those curls on his hair?ö Otto found that particularly fascinating. ôAnd what is with that purple cape and pink tunic?ö
ôYes, I know itÆs an eyesore. I wish his choice of wardrobe was a bit more normal but what could I do?ö Olivie sighed dramatically. ôMaybe he did it to throw his enemies off balance by dressing in weird colours.ö
Nanoha chuckled once before cleaning up her tray. ôWell, itÆs getting late and we need to be getting home. LetÆs go, Vivio.ö
ôEh? But I wanted to talk with Ollie-chan some more!ö
ôMs. Carim said that we could stay at the Church for now. After I make up for not speaking with that officer today, IÆll be able to enrol for proper language classes and start figuring out how I can best serve the community while Touma can get registered to go to school at that St. Hilde Academy. But if your mother doesnÆt mind, you can come see us after your classes end at the Church.ö
ôWAAII!ö Vivio couldnÆt wait for tomorrow to come. She then turned to the boy sitting by the KaiserÆs side. ôThat means IÆll get to see you lots at school, onii-chan!ö
ôErà yeah, that soundsà nice.ö Touma just shifted uncomfortably by the way she smiled at him. Then again, who could blame him when a child version of his mother was looking up at him in adoration?
**********
And here's a good picture of Olivie's dad...
ôSheesh, what a day!ö exclaimed Touma as he and his mother entered the temporary quarters that were assigned to them at the Church, an hour after they finished their supper and parted ways at the Bureau office.
She set down the bags that she had been carrying near the couch. ôAnd itÆs only going to get busier from here. You need to get prepared to start a new student life at that St. Hilde Academy once I get that other appointment out of the way with that officer whoÆs reopening your case.ö
ôSchool, huh?ö He took a quick look around their temporary home which had two bedrooms, a main living space, a washroom and a small kitchen. The laundry equipment was tucked away in a corner, consisting of some washing bats and a board. It was a bit of a comfort to Olivie, knowing that the Church still did things in a manner that she was familiar with. ôIÆll probably be seeing Vivio there pretty often.ö
ôFrom what I remember, the school has two separate sections. Based on your age, youÆll be likely to go into the middle school section so you wonÆt be able to spend time with each other aside from lunch times and recesses.ö
ôI just wonder how far behind I am in everything.ö After all, his formal education had taken a dramatic shift ever since his home town was destroyed. ôThat multiple choice exam is going to be scary tomorrow.ö
ôOh, donÆt stress too much about it,ö said Olivie gently while ruffling her sonÆs hair. ôIf you want, I can wait outside your test room while you get evaluated.ö
ôIf youÆre going to come to school as well, you should disguise yourself like that other lady said,ö commented Touma.
ôCarim did say I would have to do that in order not to cause any ruckus,ö muttered the woman to herself. She was well aware that history had recorded her as perishing at the end of the war so if she just went out in public as is, that could cause some unwanted hassle.
For the moment, she would comply with the request of the ChurchÆs director to hide her identity. Disguising herself shouldnÆt be too difficult. As long as her heterochromia was concealed, nobody would be able to pick up on who she really is. ôI guess IÆll go with that alias that Carim had suggested for me earlier. What was it again?ö
**********
ôOnce the paperwork has been cleared in the morning at the BureauÆs end, she will be registered as Elina Higgins. Her background story is that she has been caught in the middle of a political power struggle on her home world and she fled for her own safety a few years ago. She had settled on Vaizen where she took the boy under her care. And now that sheÆs here, she is requesting that a new identity be created for her in order to protect her adopted son from being dragged into her past.ö
ôThank you for all your hard work, Otto. For something put together on short notice that was well done.ö Carim hoped the story would hold up well. It wasnÆt out of the ordinary for new legal identification requests to be sent to the Bureau to give refugees a brand new identity in cases where they were previously well known in their home worlds. ôAlso, I would like it if you kept this information to yourself for the moment.ö
ôYes, I understand. If I may askà is the best course of action to take, Director?ö
ôHonestly, this is a very unusual situation weÆre facing.ö The blonde woman got up from her desk and strolled over to a file cabinet tucked away near the bookshelf. She opened the top section and began scrolling through the files.
Otto nodded in agreement. ôI guess what comes next will depend on whether the claims can be verified.ö
ôIÆm certain that once Mr. Scrya has completed his investigation and gets the genetic results back, those findings will prove that she is who she says she is. And once that is confirmed, then we will have to decide once and for all how to address the matter of the vacant throne.ö
ôDirector?ö
Carim just smiled softly. ôJust thinking to myself. In any case, you may take your leave. ItÆs getting late.ö
Otto was a bit curious what the blonde woman meant earlier but decided to leave it be for now. ôI bid you good night then, Director.ö
As Otto departed from the office, Carim pulled out the lengthy list of contacts and placed them on her desk. The list consisted of the name of every Saint Church Cardinal who was currently in service. Considering how many worlds they were spread across, it would be best to set a meeting date a month in advance so that they can all make their arrangements on their respective worlds before coming to the Grand Cathedral.
The last time that the College of Cardinals had gathered was after the whole JS Incident with the SaintÆs Cradle. The decision that had been made at the time was to leave young Vivio be and observe her carefully. If she chose to take the throne, then she would do so once she has learned all about Belkan customs and traditions and when she is of age.
But right now, they have a candidate who satisfies those conditions. Carim had no doubts that Olivie would make a fine Kaiser but how would the people react? Her concern wasnÆt just focused on the people who lived on the ChurchÆs land but there were also the Cardinals.
Right now, because the throne was vacant, the College of Cardinals was seen as the one with ruling power over the remaining Belkans who lived on Church grounds here on Mid-Childa and elsewhere wherever the Church had a presence. Would they acknowledge the Kaiser and yield to her claim if she chose to ascend? They may prefer to keep the status quo since things are stable at the moment. She understood that perfectly.
But the latest divination she performed with her Rare Skill, Prophetinschriften, indicated otherwise. From the interpretation she was able to get out of her new poem, it hinted at other aspects from BelkaÆs past awakening. Whether it would be a threat to the current peace is uncertain but if the Kaiser took the throne and had the proper political power and influence, it would give the Director some peace of mind.
æThe only hard part is to get the other Cardinals to see this as well. Especially the Dean and the Sub-Dean.Æ Those two were going to be the key. Since they were seen as the ultimate authority on the College of Cardinals, she would need to make her case to them first. Once they were on board, the rest would follow.
She set down the bags that she had been carrying near the couch. ôAnd itÆs only going to get busier from here. You need to get prepared to start a new student life at that St. Hilde Academy once I get that other appointment out of the way with that officer whoÆs reopening your case.ö
ôSchool, huh?ö He took a quick look around their temporary home which had two bedrooms, a main living space, a washroom and a small kitchen. The laundry equipment was tucked away in a corner, consisting of some washing bats and a board. It was a bit of a comfort to Olivie, knowing that the Church still did things in a manner that she was familiar with. ôIÆll probably be seeing Vivio there pretty often.ö
ôFrom what I remember, the school has two separate sections. Based on your age, youÆll be likely to go into the middle school section so you wonÆt be able to spend time with each other aside from lunch times and recesses.ö
ôI just wonder how far behind I am in everything.ö After all, his formal education had taken a dramatic shift ever since his home town was destroyed. ôThat multiple choice exam is going to be scary tomorrow.ö
ôOh, donÆt stress too much about it,ö said Olivie gently while ruffling her sonÆs hair. ôIf you want, I can wait outside your test room while you get evaluated.ö
ôIf youÆre going to come to school as well, you should disguise yourself like that other lady said,ö commented Touma.
ôCarim did say I would have to do that in order not to cause any ruckus,ö muttered the woman to herself. She was well aware that history had recorded her as perishing at the end of the war so if she just went out in public as is, that could cause some unwanted hassle.
For the moment, she would comply with the request of the ChurchÆs director to hide her identity. Disguising herself shouldnÆt be too difficult. As long as her heterochromia was concealed, nobody would be able to pick up on who she really is. ôI guess IÆll go with that alias that Carim had suggested for me earlier. What was it again?ö
**********
ôOnce the paperwork has been cleared in the morning at the BureauÆs end, she will be registered as Elina Higgins. Her background story is that she has been caught in the middle of a political power struggle on her home world and she fled for her own safety a few years ago. She had settled on Vaizen where she took the boy under her care. And now that sheÆs here, she is requesting that a new identity be created for her in order to protect her adopted son from being dragged into her past.ö
ôThank you for all your hard work, Otto. For something put together on short notice that was well done.ö Carim hoped the story would hold up well. It wasnÆt out of the ordinary for new legal identification requests to be sent to the Bureau to give refugees a brand new identity in cases where they were previously well known in their home worlds. ôAlso, I would like it if you kept this information to yourself for the moment.ö
ôYes, I understand. If I may askà is the best course of action to take, Director?ö
ôHonestly, this is a very unusual situation weÆre facing.ö The blonde woman got up from her desk and strolled over to a file cabinet tucked away near the bookshelf. She opened the top section and began scrolling through the files.
Otto nodded in agreement. ôI guess what comes next will depend on whether the claims can be verified.ö
ôIÆm certain that once Mr. Scrya has completed his investigation and gets the genetic results back, those findings will prove that she is who she says she is. And once that is confirmed, then we will have to decide once and for all how to address the matter of the vacant throne.ö
ôDirector?ö
Carim just smiled softly. ôJust thinking to myself. In any case, you may take your leave. ItÆs getting late.ö
Otto was a bit curious what the blonde woman meant earlier but decided to leave it be for now. ôI bid you good night then, Director.ö
As Otto departed from the office, Carim pulled out the lengthy list of contacts and placed them on her desk. The list consisted of the name of every Saint Church Cardinal who was currently in service. Considering how many worlds they were spread across, it would be best to set a meeting date a month in advance so that they can all make their arrangements on their respective worlds before coming to the Grand Cathedral.
The last time that the College of Cardinals had gathered was after the whole JS Incident with the SaintÆs Cradle. The decision that had been made at the time was to leave young Vivio be and observe her carefully. If she chose to take the throne, then she would do so once she has learned all about Belkan customs and traditions and when she is of age.
But right now, they have a candidate who satisfies those conditions. Carim had no doubts that Olivie would make a fine Kaiser but how would the people react? Her concern wasnÆt just focused on the people who lived on the ChurchÆs land but there were also the Cardinals.
Right now, because the throne was vacant, the College of Cardinals was seen as the one with ruling power over the remaining Belkans who lived on Church grounds here on Mid-Childa and elsewhere wherever the Church had a presence. Would they acknowledge the Kaiser and yield to her claim if she chose to ascend? They may prefer to keep the status quo since things are stable at the moment. She understood that perfectly.
But the latest divination she performed with her Rare Skill, Prophetinschriften, indicated otherwise. From the interpretation she was able to get out of her new poem, it hinted at other aspects from BelkaÆs past awakening. Whether it would be a threat to the current peace is uncertain but if the Kaiser took the throne and had the proper political power and influence, it would give the Director some peace of mind.
æThe only hard part is to get the other Cardinals to see this as well. Especially the Dean and the Sub-Dean.Æ Those two were going to be the key. Since they were seen as the ultimate authority on the College of Cardinals, she would need to make her case to them first. Once they were on board, the rest would follow.
As usual, the secret venue was packed with the regular participants of this underground combat event along with the spectators who came to make some side bets on matches. The prize money up for grabs was worth 20,000 credits made from the entry fees paid by the participants and the bonus thrown in by the event organizer.
æLooks like itÆll be another good evening tonight.Æ The bouncerÆs thoughts were interrupted by a knocking from outside the steel door. He moved to slide the miniature latch at the top to see who was outside and only saw a black visor with a pink jagged design on the front, preventing him from seeing the guestÆs eyes. ôYes?ö
ôI understand that an event is scheduled to begin at nine sharp? I would like to participate.ö
He briefly pondered if it was a cop in disguise who wanted to infiltrate the place. After all, this wasnÆt exactly a sanctioned combat event like what was run at the DSAA although there was no law in place that made it illegal to run such a fight club. ôLemme clear this up with my boss first.ö He slid back the latch and made a call to his superior, the one who ran the place.
It didnÆt take long for him to receive a response. The boss had surveillance cameras everywhere on his property. After getting a clear picture of the guest outside, a quick cross check to the most up to date police personnel list (obtained through a plant in the police force) confirmed that she wasnÆt one of them. With that information clearing his doubts, the bouncer opened the steel door to let her in.
She was really something. Already, she was in her barrier jacket which consisted of a light-green mini dress (with long puffy sleeves) covered by a white jacket, long white socks, and black boots. A choker on the neck topped off the appearance and her hands were equipped with customized fingerless gloves.
He shook his head briefly to get his focus back. ôJust pay the entry fee and youÆll be slotted into the brackets. DonÆt be late for your match or youÆll be disqualified.ö
ôThank you.ö
æHuhà silvery green hair colour? Weird chickàÆ It was all he thought as she passed by him.
**********
The fee had been paid and her entry confirmed. Now all she could do is wait for her match. In the meantime, she decided to duck back into the womenÆs washroom and hide herself in a stall. Once she was certain that nobody had trailed her and that there were no surveillance cameras around, she released her combat form in order to conserve energy.
Einhart Stratos had never expected to find an event like this in her neck of the woods. Even a world like Karnarog had another side to it, concealed from the view of the TSAB. But she was grateful for this chance. Not only would she be able to get valuable live combat experience and test her Kaiser Arts, she would be able to take another step closer to her goals.
For as long as she could remember, she had these recurring dreams about Ancient Belka. A dream about regret and weakness and the inability to protect what was held dear. She didnÆt understand it at first and the fact that it caused her distress during her childhood years put a lot of strain on the relationship between her parents. Especially when her mother had difficulty in believing what her father had said earlier about how he and Einhart were descendents from a royal bloodline in the time of Ancient Belka and how their ancestorÆs regret is what is generating those dreams. He experienced them as well but because he didnÆt inherit a great deal of magical power, they didnÆt haunt his sleep too often. In EinhartÆs case, the dreams came every night because of how strongly her ancestorÆs magic manifested itself inside her.
Once she had an idea of what was causing this, the next step would be to find a way to put that regret to rest. That would mean researching and learning more about her heritage. From what she had found out so far, the best way to do that would be to go to the heart of the Saint Church itself on Mid-Childa. Enrolling into the ChurchÆs school wouldnÆt be too hard as they do welcome anyone with the will to learn, regardless of what world they originate from. Her parents wouldnÆt have minded making a move to that world.
However at the moment, it wasnÆt feasible due to how the nature of the work that her parents did had them rooted to this world. In a few years, they probably would be ready to go but she wasnÆt sure she could wait that long. So she struck a deal.
If Einhart could prove that she could manage herself responsibly and raise the money (through legal means, obviously) needed to travel and live there, she could make the move on her own. Already, she had budgeted out what she would need in terms of funding. While St. Hilde provided for living arrangements with dorms that were within walking range of the campus and had some basic necessities in place like a meal plan, she would have to earn enough funds to make her way to Mid-Childa. Civilian flights between worlds werenÆt cheap. And on top of that, she figured she would need training equipment to furnish her room.
So she kept her eyes and ears open for anything while saving up what she could from allowances and gifts and putting herself through heavy training to maintain her Battle Form longer. It didnÆt look like she would have any luck until she overheard someone at an outdoor cafÚ discussing something about a fight club. With persistence and some luck, she managed to find what she was looking for.
ôAttention please: Garoth Aynan and Heidi E.S. Ingvalt are to report to the Cage. Your match is scheduled to begin in five minutes.ö
Upon hearing the intercomÆs announcement, she slowly released a breath before summoning her magic and replacing her visor. ôArmed Form.ö
As she made her way to the Cage, she pondered on what she would find on that world. Perhaps inside the Grand Cathedral, there were more resources that could explain more about her ancestor beyond what was written in history textbooks.
æNoà nowÆs not the time to think about that.Æ She entered the arena and spotted her opponent, someone with shoulder length black hair and a barrier jacket that resembled a tuxedo of sorts.
ôIs this your first time here? Maybe I should do you a favour and go easy, little ladyàö
ôIf you want to do me a favouràö She got into her stance. ôThen shut up and show me what you got!ö
æLooks like itÆll be another good evening tonight.Æ The bouncerÆs thoughts were interrupted by a knocking from outside the steel door. He moved to slide the miniature latch at the top to see who was outside and only saw a black visor with a pink jagged design on the front, preventing him from seeing the guestÆs eyes. ôYes?ö
ôI understand that an event is scheduled to begin at nine sharp? I would like to participate.ö
He briefly pondered if it was a cop in disguise who wanted to infiltrate the place. After all, this wasnÆt exactly a sanctioned combat event like what was run at the DSAA although there was no law in place that made it illegal to run such a fight club. ôLemme clear this up with my boss first.ö He slid back the latch and made a call to his superior, the one who ran the place.
It didnÆt take long for him to receive a response. The boss had surveillance cameras everywhere on his property. After getting a clear picture of the guest outside, a quick cross check to the most up to date police personnel list (obtained through a plant in the police force) confirmed that she wasnÆt one of them. With that information clearing his doubts, the bouncer opened the steel door to let her in.
She was really something. Already, she was in her barrier jacket which consisted of a light-green mini dress (with long puffy sleeves) covered by a white jacket, long white socks, and black boots. A choker on the neck topped off the appearance and her hands were equipped with customized fingerless gloves.
He shook his head briefly to get his focus back. ôJust pay the entry fee and youÆll be slotted into the brackets. DonÆt be late for your match or youÆll be disqualified.ö
ôThank you.ö
æHuhà silvery green hair colour? Weird chickàÆ It was all he thought as she passed by him.
**********
The fee had been paid and her entry confirmed. Now all she could do is wait for her match. In the meantime, she decided to duck back into the womenÆs washroom and hide herself in a stall. Once she was certain that nobody had trailed her and that there were no surveillance cameras around, she released her combat form in order to conserve energy.
Einhart Stratos had never expected to find an event like this in her neck of the woods. Even a world like Karnarog had another side to it, concealed from the view of the TSAB. But she was grateful for this chance. Not only would she be able to get valuable live combat experience and test her Kaiser Arts, she would be able to take another step closer to her goals.
For as long as she could remember, she had these recurring dreams about Ancient Belka. A dream about regret and weakness and the inability to protect what was held dear. She didnÆt understand it at first and the fact that it caused her distress during her childhood years put a lot of strain on the relationship between her parents. Especially when her mother had difficulty in believing what her father had said earlier about how he and Einhart were descendents from a royal bloodline in the time of Ancient Belka and how their ancestorÆs regret is what is generating those dreams. He experienced them as well but because he didnÆt inherit a great deal of magical power, they didnÆt haunt his sleep too often. In EinhartÆs case, the dreams came every night because of how strongly her ancestorÆs magic manifested itself inside her.
Once she had an idea of what was causing this, the next step would be to find a way to put that regret to rest. That would mean researching and learning more about her heritage. From what she had found out so far, the best way to do that would be to go to the heart of the Saint Church itself on Mid-Childa. Enrolling into the ChurchÆs school wouldnÆt be too hard as they do welcome anyone with the will to learn, regardless of what world they originate from. Her parents wouldnÆt have minded making a move to that world.
However at the moment, it wasnÆt feasible due to how the nature of the work that her parents did had them rooted to this world. In a few years, they probably would be ready to go but she wasnÆt sure she could wait that long. So she struck a deal.
If Einhart could prove that she could manage herself responsibly and raise the money (through legal means, obviously) needed to travel and live there, she could make the move on her own. Already, she had budgeted out what she would need in terms of funding. While St. Hilde provided for living arrangements with dorms that were within walking range of the campus and had some basic necessities in place like a meal plan, she would have to earn enough funds to make her way to Mid-Childa. Civilian flights between worlds werenÆt cheap. And on top of that, she figured she would need training equipment to furnish her room.
So she kept her eyes and ears open for anything while saving up what she could from allowances and gifts and putting herself through heavy training to maintain her Battle Form longer. It didnÆt look like she would have any luck until she overheard someone at an outdoor cafÚ discussing something about a fight club. With persistence and some luck, she managed to find what she was looking for.
ôAttention please: Garoth Aynan and Heidi E.S. Ingvalt are to report to the Cage. Your match is scheduled to begin in five minutes.ö
Upon hearing the intercomÆs announcement, she slowly released a breath before summoning her magic and replacing her visor. ôArmed Form.ö
As she made her way to the Cage, she pondered on what she would find on that world. Perhaps inside the Grand Cathedral, there were more resources that could explain more about her ancestor beyond what was written in history textbooks.
æNoà nowÆs not the time to think about that.Æ She entered the arena and spotted her opponent, someone with shoulder length black hair and a barrier jacket that resembled a tuxedo of sorts.
ôIs this your first time here? Maybe I should do you a favour and go easy, little ladyàö
ôIf you want to do me a favouràö She got into her stance. ôThen shut up and show me what you got!ö
When Hayate got into work that morning, the first thing she noticed was the DNA test results sitting on her office desk. She noted that it had only been 24 hours since a sample had been submitted by that woman the day before when she visited the base to give her account of events on Vaizen so that the case for her son could be reopened.
None of the other paperwork seemed as important as she reviewed the DNA results many times on that morning. If there had been any doubts about that woman being an imposter, they were blown away with the fact that her genetic code matched VivioÆs for the most part with the odds of error being less than 0.001 percent.
As she exited her office to go for lunch a few hours later, her mind drifted to the last question that needed answering. She had been aware that it was being looked into by Yuuno.
ôHayate-san!ö And speaking of Yuuno, there he was now just coming down the corridor to meet her.
ôGood day, Yuuno-kun. How are you doing?ö
He stopped when he caught up to her. ôIÆm fine. I was wondering about your family though since with all that happenedàö
ôTheyÆre doing well. Vita-chanÆs still miffed about what happened the day before yesterday while Signum and Shamal are just going about as normal. I canÆt tell what Zafira thinks about all this but itÆs hard for me to imagine him getting bothered by anything that doesnÆt concern my safety. I guess as long as OlivieÆs willing to let things stay settled as they are now, he wonÆt have any issues.ö
Yuuno nodded. ôI see.ö
ôYouÆre looking a little stressed there. You okay?ö asked the young lady out of concern.
ôNoà yes? Maybeàö He rubbed his forehead. ôWell, itÆs related to what you asked me to look into regardingàö
ôAh, right.ö Hayate gave a small smile. ôIn that case, how about we talk about it over lunch?ö
By the time they grabbed their food and an empty table, Yuuno seemed to have gathered his thoughts together. ôSo regarding the question you wanted me to investigateà when I thought about it some more, I determined that the best source of information on cloning would be the architect behind Project Fate so I paid a visit to Jail Scaglietti.ö
ôI would imagine he wasnÆt very co-operative,ö replied the young woman before taking a sip from her noodle soup.
ôWell, I approached him under the guise of wanting to ensure that the records regarding Project Fate were fully complete and thorough. After appealing to his pride as a scientist, he gave me a few answers. Specifically, the names of other members in the scientific community who took a strong interest in the Project. From there, I had Verossa look into those who had enough knowledge about the project to create perfect clones and once we narrowed that list down, the last thing to check was whether those scientists could have had access a blood sample from the Kaiser.ö
ôBut I thought only the Shroud of the Saint King had blood samples.ö
ôItÆs the only KNOWN source of blood samples,ö pointed out the Librarian. ôThere was a possibility of another source so we had to look into that. But we didnÆt find any such samples among those who were on our list. Honestly, this is bringing to mind that phrase used by that Sherlock Holmes character.ö
ôOnce you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable it may seem, must be the truth?ö supplied Hayate.
ôThatÆs it. WeÆve essentially eliminated the possibility of Olivie being a clone. SheÆs the real thingà and thereforeàö He trailed off as his right hand twitched in excitement.
She figured out where he was heading fairly quickly. ôAre you sayingà?ö
ôTime. Travel. EXISTS! The Kaiser is living proof of the concept! Do you understand what this means?ö asked Yuuno in an excited tone.
ôUmà it means that IÆll be having bigger headaches trying to deal with time paradoxes? Or perhaps IÆll be arguing with my future self on the type of woman that you need?ö
He blinked once upon hearing that last part. ôUhà what?ö
Hayate laughed nervously. ôAh, forget about it! Anyways, you were saying?ö
YuunoÆs confused expression vanished quickly as his mind went back to the idea. ôThis opens up a brand new field of science and exploration! With time travel, we can go back to the times of Ancient Belka and Al-Hazard! Get answers to unsolved mysteries such as how a world like Galea became lost. And an extra bonus to all this is how I can go up to Chrono and tell him that he was wrong about time travel being impossible! Butàö
ôButà?ö
ôAt the same time, the world of time travel brings a great amount of danger. If someone travelled back in time, any change in events that occur in the past could have a catastrophic event in the future. The worst part is that if someone did successfully change the past, nobody in the future would be aware of it. A whole new field of law enforcement dedicated to protecting the timeline would have to be created to prevent anyone else from going back in time to manipulate the past for their own gain. They would probably have to be isolated from the ongoing timeline in order to retain their memories and do their jobs properly.ö
ôYouÆre thinking about it too much, Yuuno-kun!ö Honestly, Hayate could easily see why he was so flustered with what he just discovered.
ôWith time travel, historians and archaeologists have a valuable tool to verify events of the past and uncover answers regarding historic mysteries and Lost Logia but at the same time, it is a tool that could affect the present and the future in many uncertain ways.ö He sighed once as he picked his food. ôIs the very thing we yearn for the one thing we should never obtain?ö
ôJust because thereÆs a proof of concept doesnÆt mean weÆll crack open the mechanics of time travel right away.ö
ôAt the very least, we should set up something like a Temporal Investigation department,ö said Yuuno.
ôAre you expecting a huge influx of time travellers now?ö teased the young woman.
He let out a small chuckle before taking a bite out of his meal. ôI guess notàö
**********
ôBe sure to carve these words into your heart, young man! IÆm only going to say this once!ö
ôà Okay?ö Sheesh, this female Student Council President really was passionate about things here. Then again, Touma should have figured that out earlier considering how her braided red hair whirled about furiously with each gesture she made.
ôHard work and raw courage are the keys to success at St. Hilde! They are the ingredients to create miracles in tough times!ö
ôYouÆll have to forgive my older sister. SheÆs really passionate about the idea of hard work and effort being able to achieve anything,ö said the other occupant in the room, a young lady with long pink hair and a little flower clip attached to her white and red headband.
ôItÆs not an idea! ItÆs a truth! With enough hard work and a pure focus, one can reach any goal they set. From making it to the school or job of your dreamsàö She paused for dramatic emphasis. ôà To toppling God herself.ö
Before he could wonder about that last bit, the other girl got his attention. ôIn any case, I reviewed your test results, Touma-kun. I have an idea on which areas weÆll be focusing on in the next few weeks to help you get caught up to the school curriculum.ö
The boy smiled a bit. ôIn that case, I look forward to your tutelage, Kyrie-sempai! Amitie-sempai!ö
ôDonÆt you worry, Touma-kun,ö purred the pink haired girl as she patted him on the head. ôWeÆll take good care of you.ö
None of the other paperwork seemed as important as she reviewed the DNA results many times on that morning. If there had been any doubts about that woman being an imposter, they were blown away with the fact that her genetic code matched VivioÆs for the most part with the odds of error being less than 0.001 percent.
As she exited her office to go for lunch a few hours later, her mind drifted to the last question that needed answering. She had been aware that it was being looked into by Yuuno.
ôHayate-san!ö And speaking of Yuuno, there he was now just coming down the corridor to meet her.
ôGood day, Yuuno-kun. How are you doing?ö
He stopped when he caught up to her. ôIÆm fine. I was wondering about your family though since with all that happenedàö
ôTheyÆre doing well. Vita-chanÆs still miffed about what happened the day before yesterday while Signum and Shamal are just going about as normal. I canÆt tell what Zafira thinks about all this but itÆs hard for me to imagine him getting bothered by anything that doesnÆt concern my safety. I guess as long as OlivieÆs willing to let things stay settled as they are now, he wonÆt have any issues.ö
Yuuno nodded. ôI see.ö
ôYouÆre looking a little stressed there. You okay?ö asked the young lady out of concern.
ôNoà yes? Maybeàö He rubbed his forehead. ôWell, itÆs related to what you asked me to look into regardingàö
ôAh, right.ö Hayate gave a small smile. ôIn that case, how about we talk about it over lunch?ö
By the time they grabbed their food and an empty table, Yuuno seemed to have gathered his thoughts together. ôSo regarding the question you wanted me to investigateà when I thought about it some more, I determined that the best source of information on cloning would be the architect behind Project Fate so I paid a visit to Jail Scaglietti.ö
ôI would imagine he wasnÆt very co-operative,ö replied the young woman before taking a sip from her noodle soup.
ôWell, I approached him under the guise of wanting to ensure that the records regarding Project Fate were fully complete and thorough. After appealing to his pride as a scientist, he gave me a few answers. Specifically, the names of other members in the scientific community who took a strong interest in the Project. From there, I had Verossa look into those who had enough knowledge about the project to create perfect clones and once we narrowed that list down, the last thing to check was whether those scientists could have had access a blood sample from the Kaiser.ö
ôBut I thought only the Shroud of the Saint King had blood samples.ö
ôItÆs the only KNOWN source of blood samples,ö pointed out the Librarian. ôThere was a possibility of another source so we had to look into that. But we didnÆt find any such samples among those who were on our list. Honestly, this is bringing to mind that phrase used by that Sherlock Holmes character.ö
ôOnce you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable it may seem, must be the truth?ö supplied Hayate.
ôThatÆs it. WeÆve essentially eliminated the possibility of Olivie being a clone. SheÆs the real thingà and thereforeàö He trailed off as his right hand twitched in excitement.
She figured out where he was heading fairly quickly. ôAre you sayingà?ö
ôTime. Travel. EXISTS! The Kaiser is living proof of the concept! Do you understand what this means?ö asked Yuuno in an excited tone.
ôUmà it means that IÆll be having bigger headaches trying to deal with time paradoxes? Or perhaps IÆll be arguing with my future self on the type of woman that you need?ö
He blinked once upon hearing that last part. ôUhà what?ö
Hayate laughed nervously. ôAh, forget about it! Anyways, you were saying?ö
YuunoÆs confused expression vanished quickly as his mind went back to the idea. ôThis opens up a brand new field of science and exploration! With time travel, we can go back to the times of Ancient Belka and Al-Hazard! Get answers to unsolved mysteries such as how a world like Galea became lost. And an extra bonus to all this is how I can go up to Chrono and tell him that he was wrong about time travel being impossible! Butàö
ôButà?ö
ôAt the same time, the world of time travel brings a great amount of danger. If someone travelled back in time, any change in events that occur in the past could have a catastrophic event in the future. The worst part is that if someone did successfully change the past, nobody in the future would be aware of it. A whole new field of law enforcement dedicated to protecting the timeline would have to be created to prevent anyone else from going back in time to manipulate the past for their own gain. They would probably have to be isolated from the ongoing timeline in order to retain their memories and do their jobs properly.ö
ôYouÆre thinking about it too much, Yuuno-kun!ö Honestly, Hayate could easily see why he was so flustered with what he just discovered.
ôWith time travel, historians and archaeologists have a valuable tool to verify events of the past and uncover answers regarding historic mysteries and Lost Logia but at the same time, it is a tool that could affect the present and the future in many uncertain ways.ö He sighed once as he picked his food. ôIs the very thing we yearn for the one thing we should never obtain?ö
ôJust because thereÆs a proof of concept doesnÆt mean weÆll crack open the mechanics of time travel right away.ö
ôAt the very least, we should set up something like a Temporal Investigation department,ö said Yuuno.
ôAre you expecting a huge influx of time travellers now?ö teased the young woman.
He let out a small chuckle before taking a bite out of his meal. ôI guess notàö
**********
ôBe sure to carve these words into your heart, young man! IÆm only going to say this once!ö
ôà Okay?ö Sheesh, this female Student Council President really was passionate about things here. Then again, Touma should have figured that out earlier considering how her braided red hair whirled about furiously with each gesture she made.
ôHard work and raw courage are the keys to success at St. Hilde! They are the ingredients to create miracles in tough times!ö
ôYouÆll have to forgive my older sister. SheÆs really passionate about the idea of hard work and effort being able to achieve anything,ö said the other occupant in the room, a young lady with long pink hair and a little flower clip attached to her white and red headband.
ôItÆs not an idea! ItÆs a truth! With enough hard work and a pure focus, one can reach any goal they set. From making it to the school or job of your dreamsàö She paused for dramatic emphasis. ôà To toppling God herself.ö
Before he could wonder about that last bit, the other girl got his attention. ôIn any case, I reviewed your test results, Touma-kun. I have an idea on which areas weÆll be focusing on in the next few weeks to help you get caught up to the school curriculum.ö
The boy smiled a bit. ôIn that case, I look forward to your tutelage, Kyrie-sempai! Amitie-sempai!ö
ôDonÆt you worry, Touma-kun,ö purred the pink haired girl as she patted him on the head. ôWeÆll take good care of you.ö
Muse managed to claw its way back up for a bit. Dunno if this is any good so if I need to clean it up a bit more, let me know.
**********
In a sense, it was good that Hayate had been the one to point out this possibility of a Rare Skill or some other Belkan spell being responsible for creating a strong enough effect to keep Olivie in a frozen state for almost a century. That sounded a bit more plausible. Yuuno was certain that if it had been Chrono who had pointed that out, then it was certain that the Admiral would definitely never let him live it down.
But in any case, his mood had been a bit soured from hearing that. His research goals would have to be adjusted in order to get to the bottom of this case. He needed to think about this for a bit. Perhaps a nice stroll through the city, away from the office, would help jog his thinking cap.
So he would first have to start with checking into how well Knight Armour holds up against a deep freezing effect. Naturally, they should be strong enough to allow Knights to operate in cold weather conditions. Next, he would have to dig deep into his archives and see if there were any Belkan spells or Rare Skills that could satisfy the conditions of keeping someone in suspended animation for a long period of time. He would also need to look into whether there were any natural phenomena that could contribute to creating that effect. But what else should he be considering?
ôExcuse me? Are you Yuuno Scrya?ö
His train of thought stopped when he heard an unfamiliar female voice call out to him. After taking a moment to trace the source, he saw a young woman dressed in a luxurious blue dress. She had blonde hair that had been tied up with blue ribbons on the sides and green eyes. On her right was a young man dressed in an evening tail coat matched with formal striped trousers and a black long tie. Considering their overall appearance, the young lady was obviously someone wealthy since she had a butler as her companion.
æHmà a possible new patron for archaeological research?Æ ItÆs certainly a possibility. His work often generated considerable attention among the public and it wasnÆt the first time he had been approached by interested and rich sponsors. ôYes, thatÆs me. Is there something I can help you with?ö
The young lady did look delighted on getting his identity correct. ôActually, there is. I was wondering if you had a chance to look at the request I submitted to your research department last week.ö
ôSorry but you will have to be a bit more specific. My research department receives several requests on a regular basis,ö replied the Librarian.
ôI had sent in a small journal dating from the Belkan era which belongs to my ancestor, the Thunder Emperor Dahlgr³n.ö
ôThunder Emperorà?ö He couldnÆt remember off the top of his head of a Belkan historical figure with that title.
This caused the young lady to get a little flustered. ôWell, I understand that he isnÆt as well known in the history books like the Kaiser, the Hegemon or the Flame King but I can assure you that he played an important role in the Ancient Belkan political landscape! Once the journalÆs authenticity has been verified, the writings can get translated which will undoubtedly cause the history books to be rewritten andà!ö
ôPlease compose yourself, my Lady,ö said the butler.
ôRightà thank you, Edgar.ö
Yuuno took a moment to understand what she had just said. ôSo let me get this straight, Missàö
ôVictoria Dahlgr³n.ö
ôBasically the artifact you had submitted to us contains writings from your ancestor himself, Miss Victoria. And you wish for us to verify the journalÆs age and decipher the contents?ö
She nodded once. ôYes. The tale of my ancestor had never been told and I intend to change that with the journal and have the history books rewritten. Now have you been able to perform a complete analysis on it?ö
ôItÆs not that simple, madam,ö replied Yuuno. ôVerifying the authenticity and the age of an artifact takes quite a bit of time. Normally, the average turnaround time is two weeks since the sample has to be submitted to the lab for thermoluminescence dating andàö
Both Victoria and Edgar shared a glance when the other man just trailed off. ôWhat is it?ö
æà thatÆs the ticket! Radiocarbon dating tests on her cellular material can verify the passage of time at the molecular level!Æ It shouldnÆt be too hard to get her to lend a few tissue samples for analysis. Then the trick would be to determine if at any point in time, her cellular structure had experienced a stop in biological activity due to the cryopreservation effect. Of course, that field was far from his level of expertise so he would need to dig into his network and gather more research but as this was a step in a positive direction, he felt a lot better than he did earlier.
He needed to get back to the office and start making some callsà!
ôUm, Mr. Scrya? Where are you going?ö
VictoriaÆs concerned tone snapped him back to reality just as he started to move. ôOh, right! What I can do is I can put a higher priority on getting a proper analysis done on the item that you had submitted. ItÆll be my way of saying thanks!ö
ôà youÆre welcome?ö It was all she could say really as the other man had already started running back to his workplace.
**********
In a sense, it was good that Hayate had been the one to point out this possibility of a Rare Skill or some other Belkan spell being responsible for creating a strong enough effect to keep Olivie in a frozen state for almost a century. That sounded a bit more plausible. Yuuno was certain that if it had been Chrono who had pointed that out, then it was certain that the Admiral would definitely never let him live it down.
But in any case, his mood had been a bit soured from hearing that. His research goals would have to be adjusted in order to get to the bottom of this case. He needed to think about this for a bit. Perhaps a nice stroll through the city, away from the office, would help jog his thinking cap.
So he would first have to start with checking into how well Knight Armour holds up against a deep freezing effect. Naturally, they should be strong enough to allow Knights to operate in cold weather conditions. Next, he would have to dig deep into his archives and see if there were any Belkan spells or Rare Skills that could satisfy the conditions of keeping someone in suspended animation for a long period of time. He would also need to look into whether there were any natural phenomena that could contribute to creating that effect. But what else should he be considering?
ôExcuse me? Are you Yuuno Scrya?ö
His train of thought stopped when he heard an unfamiliar female voice call out to him. After taking a moment to trace the source, he saw a young woman dressed in a luxurious blue dress. She had blonde hair that had been tied up with blue ribbons on the sides and green eyes. On her right was a young man dressed in an evening tail coat matched with formal striped trousers and a black long tie. Considering their overall appearance, the young lady was obviously someone wealthy since she had a butler as her companion.
æHmà a possible new patron for archaeological research?Æ ItÆs certainly a possibility. His work often generated considerable attention among the public and it wasnÆt the first time he had been approached by interested and rich sponsors. ôYes, thatÆs me. Is there something I can help you with?ö
The young lady did look delighted on getting his identity correct. ôActually, there is. I was wondering if you had a chance to look at the request I submitted to your research department last week.ö
ôSorry but you will have to be a bit more specific. My research department receives several requests on a regular basis,ö replied the Librarian.
ôI had sent in a small journal dating from the Belkan era which belongs to my ancestor, the Thunder Emperor Dahlgr³n.ö
ôThunder Emperorà?ö He couldnÆt remember off the top of his head of a Belkan historical figure with that title.
This caused the young lady to get a little flustered. ôWell, I understand that he isnÆt as well known in the history books like the Kaiser, the Hegemon or the Flame King but I can assure you that he played an important role in the Ancient Belkan political landscape! Once the journalÆs authenticity has been verified, the writings can get translated which will undoubtedly cause the history books to be rewritten andà!ö
ôPlease compose yourself, my Lady,ö said the butler.
ôRightà thank you, Edgar.ö
Yuuno took a moment to understand what she had just said. ôSo let me get this straight, Missàö
ôVictoria Dahlgr³n.ö
ôBasically the artifact you had submitted to us contains writings from your ancestor himself, Miss Victoria. And you wish for us to verify the journalÆs age and decipher the contents?ö
She nodded once. ôYes. The tale of my ancestor had never been told and I intend to change that with the journal and have the history books rewritten. Now have you been able to perform a complete analysis on it?ö
ôItÆs not that simple, madam,ö replied Yuuno. ôVerifying the authenticity and the age of an artifact takes quite a bit of time. Normally, the average turnaround time is two weeks since the sample has to be submitted to the lab for thermoluminescence dating andàö
Both Victoria and Edgar shared a glance when the other man just trailed off. ôWhat is it?ö
æà thatÆs the ticket! Radiocarbon dating tests on her cellular material can verify the passage of time at the molecular level!Æ It shouldnÆt be too hard to get her to lend a few tissue samples for analysis. Then the trick would be to determine if at any point in time, her cellular structure had experienced a stop in biological activity due to the cryopreservation effect. Of course, that field was far from his level of expertise so he would need to dig into his network and gather more research but as this was a step in a positive direction, he felt a lot better than he did earlier.
He needed to get back to the office and start making some callsà!
ôUm, Mr. Scrya? Where are you going?ö
VictoriaÆs concerned tone snapped him back to reality just as he started to move. ôOh, right! What I can do is I can put a higher priority on getting a proper analysis done on the item that you had submitted. ItÆll be my way of saying thanks!ö
ôà youÆre welcome?ö It was all she could say really as the other man had already started running back to his workplace.