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The Simulacrum - Chapter 119 - Part 2
🕑 Added 2023-07-28 15:32:39 +0000 UTC"So, you created a scene, scared everyone, and threatened five arch-mages of the Assembly into submission. At the same time," Judy nonchalantly noted while resting her head in my lap.
After that previous stunt, I decided to take a break before heading back to the Elysium, and we were in Elly's room at the moment. I was sitting on her bed, Judy was lying on her back with her head on my thigh, and the princess was currently draped over me, hugging me from behind. It was pretty cosy, but I couldn't help but feel that something was off.
"You know, I was expecting that you would be angrier with me," I noted, and my dear assistant shrugged, which was made unexpectedly funny by her posture.
"It would be pointless. You would keep doing these things anyway, because that's how you are, so I decided to stop stressing over them. It's better to just focus on the bigger picture and help you deal with the fallout of your actions later."
"That's…"
My whispers were overwhelmed by the princess giggling directly into my ear, and when I glanced over at her, she hastily told me, "We talked about this a lot last night. And the night before that. All week, really."
"It appears the princess is a good influence on you, Dormouse," I noted and smile at the girl using my lap as a pillow, and in response, she reached up a pinched my cheek, drawing another giggle out of my other girlfriend.
We soaked in the atmosphere for a while longer, until Elly let out a thoughtful hum and waved to get my attention.
"Speaking of the bigger picture, how are things coming along in the Elysium?"
"It's a clown show," I admitted, barely stifling a groan in the process. "The three main factions are still constantly scheming behind my back, after testing about two-thirds of the leadership, only about ten percent of them aren't either Deus zealots or compulsive liars, and I still have to shoot down propositions to have a parade in my honour every. Single. Day."
"Have you considered that they are so insistent because it's a required event?" Judy posited. "It could be required for the Narrative's scenario."
"Then it's all the more reason why I don't want to have one," I responded, and let out a sigh before turning to Elly. "Sorry to disappoint you, princess, but the whole idea of reforming the Celestials into an ally, or at least less of a nuisance, drifts farther and farther with every single day."
"Maybe it was a doomed endeavour from the start." Judy's morose statement was followed up by her sitting up and facing me. "It makes me think though."
"Don't you do that all the time already?" Elly heckled her (or at least I figured that's what she was doing), but my dear Assistant ignored her.
"We still don't know what the main plot of the Angie route is supposed to be, but considering how hard the Narrative tried to shoehorn you into the role of Polemos, it almost certainly has something to do with him. The fact you can't turn them to your side means Polemos most likely wasn't meant to be able to unite the Celestials on his own, and that's why you have problems."
"I… don't think that gels," I responded with my arms crossed. "Whatever original Polemos's goals might've been, I don't think they would line up well with what I'm trying to do. Also, while I wouldn't trust the Celestial Directorate as far as I could throw them, I've made at least some progress."
"Such as?" Elly butted in with sparkling eyes.
"Well, my Praetorian Guard is coming along, and while those guys aren't super important in the grand scheme of things, they seem at least moderately loyal to Polemos by this point."
"Are those the guys you keep beating up?" Judy asked, earning her a frown.
"The ones I'm reluctantly training, yes."
"Same thing," she told me with a barely noticeable yet distinctly impish smile. "You have a talent for bringing these types over to your side."
Before I could ask about what exactly she meant by 'these types', Elly moved around me and sat down on my other side.
"It's such a manly thing!" she declared, beaming at me, and made a couple of shadow-boxing punches. "It's all about communicating with your fists and forging true friendships! Like you did with General Brang!"
"And Rinne-san!" a tiny fox-head emerged from Judy's shadow, and after a quick 'Yip!', she dived back into her pocket-dimension.
"Yes, her too!" Elly entwined our arms before going on. "The Knights also became much better behaved after you trained with them, and there was that big duel with Naoren too!"
"They didn't actually fight back then," Judy pointed out, and the princess puffed up her cheeks in response.
"Don't split hairs! It's the pattern that matters!"
"I have to admit, there is a pattern there," my dear assistant absently noted and followed Elly's lead, grabbing hold of my other arm. "Maybe instead of questioning them, you should demonstrate your combat abilities to the Celestials. It might turn them to your side faster."
"A great idea!" Elly agreed, completely missing the fact that Judy was sarcastic. Or so I hoped.
"Cut it out, Dormouse. I'm not going to go around challenging the directors."
"Then what's your plan?"
Her question sounded genuine, and so I told her, "Well, for now, I'll finish interrogating the rest of the Directorate. Oh, and I also have a dinner arrangement with the top brass of the military guys, so I'll see what shakes loose there. After that… well, I guess we'll either wait for the plot to happen, or I'll put together a scheme. Whichever comes first."
"Just don't cause too much chaos," Judy warned me. "Also, keep an eye out for plot hooks."
"Will do, will do." After reassuring her, I paused. "By the way, what's the time?"
"We're a little past six," the princess answered readily, and it made my brown climb my forehead at once.
"Aw, damn. I lost track of time." I stood up, and my girlfriends reluctantly let go of me. "I have an appointment by seven, so I better go. I'll drop by in the evening after I'm done with everything."
"We'll be waiting!" Elly exclaimed and caught me in a hug, and after Judy rose to her feet as well, she gave me a peck on the lips.
"Stay safe."
"Same goes for you," I responded, and it caused the tiny miko to stick her head out of her shadows again.
"Don't worry Ue-sama! I'll keep Judy-ue safe!"
I doubted they needed much protection in the middle of the Draconic Federation's heart of power, and I was about ninety percent sure she only requested to resume her duties as Judy's bodyguard because she was lonely without Mountain Girl around, but I didn't call her out of it and only nodded in her direction.
After a few more customary kisses, I waved my girlfriends goodbye and Phased away. The first stop was the main base, where I had Fred take my measurements again while I simultaneously discussed some official business with Brang. After that, I dropped by the dock district hideout, where I checked on the Fauns and picked up the supplies Roland prepared for us, before finally returning to my quarters in the Elysium.
"Oh. Welcome back, Leonard-dono," Mountain Girl, reading a book on the couch in her full Celestial disguise greeted me without getting up. "Did everything go well?"
"More or less," I told her and put the bag I was carrying down next to her. "Please put these into the cooler. I need to take a shower."
"Rinne will do."
Despite her answer, she returned to the book in her hands, but I didn't complain. Instead, I headed to the bathroom and washed up, then donned a clean outfit comprised of white cotton trousers, a white shirt, and matching shoes. I wasn't wearing those for long though, as I almost immediately changed into my Polemos disguise.
"I'll be out for a while," I told Rinne as I returned to the living room. "Hold the fort."
"Doesn't Leonard-dono need Rinne to escort Leonard-dono?"
"Nah. This should be a bunch of dry political negotiations disguised as a dinner party. I'll be fine alone."
She let out a grunt of acknowledgement, but she didn't even look up from her book. It must have been really interesting or something. In any case, I turned around and got ready to Phase over to my destination… only to nearly jump out of my skin when the doorbell rang. I glanced at the equally startled Rinne and walked over to the door. With a poke of one of my phantom limbs, it opened up, and to my further surprise, I found Director Savir on the other side.
"Director? What brings you here at this hour?" I asked aloud, and I could hear Mountain Girl jump to her feet and scramble around, no doubt trying to hide her book and the foodstuff I brought over.
"What were you thinking?!" Savir hissed at me and tried to come inside, but I stood my ground and wouldn't let her until the noises died down.
"You have to be more specific than that."
My flat response made her nostrils flare up and her brown descend into a glare.
"You know exactly what I meant," she hissed again and pointed a finger at my nose. "You've made contact with Draconic Federation without consulting with me first, and you not only revealed your connection to us, but you also used Bel of the Abyss as a messenger! Were you out of your mind!?"
"… As expected, news travel fast."
A little too fast, even. I figured something like this would happen sooner or later, but I didn't think she would show up in person, at my doorstep no less, to take me to task over it. The Celestial agents must be embedded pretty deep into the Draconic Federation, I surmised.
I internally debated whether I should invite her in, but I didn't expect to be sidetracked, so I cut it really close to the time I agreed upon with Kane. As such, I levelled a dispassionate gaze at her and said, "I have a prior appointment. If discussing this topic absolutely can't wait, walk with me."
Saying so, I pushed past her, and after the first combination of shock and outrage passed, she hastily followed after me, trying to look dignified despite the fury plainly visible on her face. She still had the sense to look around before she spoke up again, to make sure nobody was in earshot, but it was a pointless concern. I had the whole floor for myself, and not even the Praetorian Guard would linger around here at this hour.
"Do you realize the consequences of your actions?" she asked me in the kind of tone a kindergarten teacher would use on a misbehaving kid, and I didn't have the patience for it.
"Don't beat around the bush."
"You have jeopardized our plans to use your position in the Draconic Federation's hierarchy to our advantage." After spitting that out, she remained silent and closely observed me while we waited for the elevator to arrive, and only continued once we were inside and the doors closed. Turning to face me, we locked eyes and she uttered, "Leonard."
"Yes?"
"Explain yourself."
"I don't think I owe you an explanation, but if you have some more specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them," I jabbed back in a level voice. She continued to stare daggers at me, at least until she settled on her first question.
"Since when were you in contact with Bel of the Abyss?"
"Since about a week ago," I told her. "Once he knows where you are, he's hard to avoid."
"And instead of telling anyone about it, that an Abyssal Lord was in our midst and he could enter Elysium at any given time, you just… you just asked him to put you in contact with the Draconic Federation!?"
"Yes. That's more or less what happened."
"You're truly out of your mind!" she exclaimed and held her head in her hand. "If we learned of this, then Tsephanyah and Mensah are guaranteed to have received a report about it too! You not only destroyed our golden opportunity to steer this Draconic Federation without them being any wiser of our involvement, but you have now openly colluded with an Abyssal Lord, and let the whole world know!"
I waited for her to finish, and then calmly asked, "And what is the world going to do about it?"
"… Excuse me?"
"I'm not in the habit to repeat myself," I told her, just as the elevator began to slow down. "As far as Leonard Dunning is concerned, the fact that I'm tangentially involved with Bel of the Abyss is already well-known, so this changes nothing. As for Polemos…" I waited until the door opened up, and only then did I finish with, "I'm the Second True Archon. Whom I use for my own purposes is my business, and mine alone. Do you think anyone has the right here to condemn me?"
The director was still rooted in place when I stepped out of the elevator and, feeling a bit mischievous, I turned around and smiled at her before using a phantom limb to close the doors again and send her down to the bottom of the tower. I couldn't help it; her mere presence still annoyed the heck out of me, and no amount of exposure or magical meditation malarkey would make that go away.
In any case, once she was gone, I let out a deep breath and turned on my heel. My destination was here, on the top floor of the tower. Specifically, the large terrace where the Department of Military Affairs was holding a tiny banquet. In retrospect, I wondered if Savir was also invited, considering the military was ostensibly under the umbrella of the Orthodox faction.
After some thinking, I came to the conclusion that I didn't care, and I made my way over. I wasn't entirely familiar with this section of the building, but due to the geometry of the tower, the top floor was the smallest, and by following the red dots of Jaakobah and Kane, I quickly found my destination. Speaking of which, once I passed through a pair of large doors, I found myself staring at the starry sky overhead, with those two standing nearby.
"Lord Archon!" Michael's father, currently dressed in a slightly fancier version of his usual uniform, exclaimed in surprise and gave me a salute. "We didn't expect you to arrive so soon."
I looked over them and was surprised to find a third man in their midst. He was tall, with wide shoulders, a lantern jaw, cropped hair, and a long scar running diagonally across his face. He wore a white military dress uniform with altogether too many medals pinned on his chest and had a long, sky-blue cape hanging from his shoulders. I've seen him before, and if my memory served right, he was the director in charge of the Department of Military Affairs. Couldn't recall his name though.
While I observed him, he did the same to me, though he seemed more concerned by something else other than my appearance.
"Welcome, Lord Archon. If I may ask, where are your attendants?"
"They know better than to try to escort me," I told him flatly and theatrically swept my eyes over the premises to show that I considered the topic finished.
The large terrace jutting out of the side of the tower was about half the size of a basketball court. The curved periphery facing the night skies of the Elysium had white handrails that gave the impression of carved limestone, and despite not having a roof overhead, the air was both warmer and considerably less windy than expected. Based on the barely perceptible glow surrounding the whole structure, I imagined there was some kind of barrier involved.
As for the terrace floor, there were about three dozen people in attendance, most of them wearing military uniforms, though some of the opted for togas instead. The majority of them were sitting by the large, oval table in the middle, surrounded by service staff carrying food trays and refreshments, while the rest idled around the rails or were having conversations in the corners. Last, but not least, an honest-to-goodness harp player, plucking at a fancy instrument twice her own size, was supplying the background music for the occasion.
"Lord Archon, please come this way," Jaakobah addressed me with a shallow bow, and gestured at the chair at the head of the table, as much as that terminology applied to ovals. "The Praetorian Guard already tested both the food and the beverages, so feel free to sample them at your convenience."
"Good work," I spoke on autopilot.
"Please, come sit with me, O Archon," the man with the lantern jaw and distinct scar called out to me, trying to show me a friendly smile. He failed, and he appeared more like a hungry wolf to me. "For the longest time, I wished to converse with you in person."
"So did I," I responded without meaning it, and while I had to admit I was looking forward to the food, I had no idea where my talk with this man would eventually lead me…
Comments
Terry Stevens
made my brown climb my forehead at once Brow climb my forehead at once
carebear90
I'm looking forward to the reactions to Bel's appearance. Especially the Archmages'...
