“I’m here to see the Queen,” Paige said.

She tapped her foot briskly as she waited to enter the room, but a familiar face was stopping her from entering. She had a lot of things to get done today, and being forced to wait was not going to work for her.

“I’m sorry, Imperial Servant, but I can’t allow you to enter just yet. The Queen is in the process of issuing war orders to the Army. The Healer Ha-”

“Don’t give me that shit, Haille. I know full well that the Healer Hall is afraid I’ll steal one of their ‘precious artifacts’ or whatever. Go get High Protector Glenn.”

Paige knew she would be able to check two things off her list if Glenn was present as well. Both Rebecca and Glenn had to know what Peter was up to here, and she hoped that it would make whatever conversation flow easier with both of them in the same room.

Haille blinked and was staring at her weirdly, and Paige belatedly realized her mistake. Haille hadn’t introduced herself yet.

“We have ways of uncovering information we need to know, and I already know who the Queen has contact with, and what the Healer Hall has let her borrow.”

“Which is?” Haille asked suspiciously.

“What?”

“What is the name of the artifact?”

“The Healer Hall only has one artifact that would be useful in this situation. Now, Let. Me. Through,” Paige bluffed. She really had no idea exactly which artifact would have been chosen. An offense artifact or weapon would be the most ideal choice, but with the Imperial Scion here, she was sure that the Healer Hall would hesitate to send anything that they could not protect. So that left a support artifact of some type. ‘Wait, could it be some type of healing formations? They have those… right?” It would be expensive, but well worth it in a prolonged war.

Paige sighed as Haille stayed in her position. She could do it the hard way and barge in, but how would that help her?

“Look. What exactly is the issue? Why am I not allowed in? There has to be something that can get this process moving.”

“You have to beat me in a fight first.”

Paige blinked. “...what?”

“You heard me. Or show me how the mage was able to deflect a sword with her clothing. Either one would be acceptable,” Haille said.

That was more like the Haille Paige knew. “Either one is fine?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a solid bar of Mithril that had been spun into thread. I had a tailor custom sew it into a cloth armor.”

“Really?” Haille asked skeptically.

Paige nodded. “Yes.”

“...so what’s mithril? Is it an alchemic metal?”

“No. It’s mithril. You know, mithril. Everyone knows what mithril is?”

“Nope. Is it rare?”

Paige was shocked. Was mithril not a known substance anymore? Well, it wasn’t something Haille could afford anyways, not as a Scout. Okay, not even the country could afford a mithril armor. It was expensive, even for her. And she had used every favor she had to even get a friend discount on her own set of mithril armor. Speaking of which, Paige looked over her old acquaintance and paused. Haille was wearing a standard Royal Guard outfit; complete with the symbol for a Scout. It had been a while since she had been her tester for the Guild ranking, but she was sure Haille was a Mage.

Though a miniature crossbow hung by her waist and a short sword by her side, she had to have a wand somewhere. She eyed Haille’s sleeves suspiciously. It would be a tight fit to hide a wand there, but it was possible. Her gaze shifted down toward her shadow. She knew that Haille had a high affinity toward darkness, so perhaps she was just hiding her weapon in the shadows.

“Well… it’s costly to process. It’s an okay material, though with your mana capacity you might as well try and learn a defensive spell that could do the same. Hell, you might as well just conserve a bit of your mana and learn [[Shadow Shield]] or something instead.”

Haille tensed and Paige could see the shadow’s darkening across the room. She could feel a few more people in the room now. She flicked her eyes at the shadows and shrugged her shoulders lightly.

“Well, I guess that solved the riddle why the Queen is still alive. I’d wager any Demon Scout would be hard-pressed to escape the detection of both Demon Mages and Demon Scouts. Good job.”

Haille shifted. “You aren’t going to try and attack?”

“Why on earth would I do that?”

“Imperial Scion Maxwell slew six Royal Scouts when he realized we weren’t full Humans.”

Paige blinked. ‘Of course. That sounds like something Maxwell would do.’

“Well, not everyone looks at Demons with clouded eyes. Your husband certainly doesn’t,” Paige teased.

“Guh. Your source of information is accurate. Fine, the Queen should almost be done with her war conference, so I don't really have a reason to stall you anymore. Do you want me to announce your presence to the room?”

“No. But please try to stall Glenn for a moment or two. I'm sure someone has told him I'm here”

"My duty is to the queen."

"As a favor then?"

"No guarantees about that," Hallie muttered softly. Opening the door just enough for Paige to pass through, she squeezed into the room, the door softly shutting behind her. Rebecca stood in the middle of the room, her eyes never leaving the map. She could tell that her friend was stressed though.

'The war must be going worse than I thought. What the hell is Maxwell doing?'

Paige walked forward silently, listening to her friend's orders.

“- want all battalions to reinforce the third and fourth defensive lines. Get relief supplies to the first and second defensive lines, at all costs. Prioritize those castles closest to the Evidian borders.”

‘Okay. So Glenn was tasked with bringing this monster out of the Imperial Healer Hall. One mystery solved.

Paige stepped forward and looked at the map, sensing that Rebecca finally noticed her. She almost whistled aloud when she saw the map. The Healer Hall wasn’t playing around with this. The Queen was holding onto a golden sphere, issuing her orders while she simulated the plans. The golden spheres circling the queen were very noticeable, but it was the queen’s orders that told her what the Healer Hall was providing.

Communication artifacts were rare, even rarer than spatial rings had been. If she remembered correctly, it had to do with something about a linear decay of mana over distance. Or, when she had pressed for a dumbed-down answer, it had to do with active mana converting to ambient mana as the spell moved further away from the spell caster’s control. Either case, the Healer Hall was going all out providing support for the Queen.

Paige studied the map and frowned the more she looked at it. The defensive lines were faring… poorly. Well, the first five or so anyway. It had scarcely been a month since the first reports came in, and they were already close to cutting off a swatch of the defensive lines. Again.

“We need to pull back to the sixth defensive line. I recommend pulling back and reorganize our forces. We must preserve our armies strength,” a dissenting voice called out.

Paige focused on the voice. She knew that voice. It was Daniel’s. She eyed Rebecca and noted her tight frown.

‘Well now, I guess Daniel is still under the allusion that he’ll be king in the future. Fat chance of that.’

But it was the second voice that made Paige mood drop.

“I agree with Crown Prince Daniel. I order you to abandon the defensive lines that are at risk of falling to the enemy. Have them commence scorched earth tactics while retreating. This is all your fault, Queen Rebecca. Your confidants are sorely lacking.’

Maxwell.

Paige eyed the area on the map and grimaced. The situation wasn’t that bad yet. At least, not as bad as they were making it out to be. The defensive lines still had plenty of contested land that could give them an edge in a defensive battle. But that the two of them would even be willing to contemplate the idea that retreating was the only plausible idea was not a good sign.

Paige stepped forward beside her former friend. “Fuck off, Maxwell. The defensive lines will be reinforced per the Queen’s orders. The next time I hear words like that coming from your mouth, you’ll be removed from your post and someone more qualified will take your place. I am sure you would rather enjoy being on the other battlefield instead.”

“HOW DARE YOU! THE IMPERIAL HEA-”

“I do dare, Maxwell. Go ahead and threaten the local Royal Family. You should know better than I that there are others just waiting for you to cross the line. And they are more than willing to take your place right now," Paige threatened softly. "Go on, just say the word, and you’ll be sent to the other battlefield for your failures. We both know the punishment for failure.”

The silence was golden.

She could feel Rebecca’s shocked gaze from the side. Paige turned and looked over, her gaze filled with pity. It was clear that Glenn had not coached Rebecca on how to truly deal with Imperial Scions. Heavy hands were always required, otherwise given their status, it would be hard to even keep them in check.

But it was odd that Maxwell had even backed off to this extent. ‘What leverage have they been applying so far to Maxwell?’ Something to think about, but right now it was more important to shore up the defensive lines. “Imperial Scion Maxwell. Acknowledge the Queen’s plans and make them happen. We want those castles lines defended. Meeting adjourned.”

She could hear Daniel coming to Maxwell’s defense, and Maxwell shouting something, but Paige had no time to listen to their arguments. She tapped the artifact lightly severed the link between that and the other orbs as the room plunged into silence.

She could hear the queen chuckle beside her, which soon devolved into a hearty laugh.

“I bet Maxwell is fuming on his end. Good. It was about time he was put in his place. Thank you for that, Imperial Servant Paige.”

Paige smiled, though she looked at the Protectors in the corner. “Come and collect the artifact. We won't need it for now. Send Glenn this way as well, if he isn't heading this way already..”

She turned and walked over to a side room that she had noticed. She could hear Rebecca following her, as well as the Protectors storing the artifact for safekeeping.

She didn’t have much time. She needed to talk to her alone before Glenn arrived. Paige waited for the sound of the door to close before she turned to look at her friend.

“Hello, Rebecca. What did Peter do? And how much do you remember?” Paige said quietly, her eyes focused on Rebecca. “I can’t help until I have more information.”

Rebecca’s smile dropped from her face. This was a huge risk, Paige knew. The queen could deny that she knew anything. But she had to know what her brother intended. Surely Peter had a reason for dragging her here… Right?

“...What?”

“Peter. He was your best friend, by all accounts. So tell me, what was his end goal? Why me?”

Rebecca struggled to answer, but she didn’t say a word. Paige frowned as she realized what was happening.

‘An oath? Did Peter use an oath to stop any leaks from happening? How is it still active when Peter is dead?’ She sighed as she realized it was far more complicated than she had thought. ‘No matter, if I can’t ask about his plans, then maybe I can get around it by using personal questions instead.’

“You remember, Rebecca. I know you do. And if you remember me, then a few others should know me as well. How much do you remember?”

“...pieces, Paige. I remember fragments, but that is all. How did you know?”

“The banquet and the Scout. You both specifically said ‘May Alcudia's light shine bright in the darkness.’ But few would realize that is not the historical saying, not unless they had an interest in history. We made that up together since the actual saying is far more cumbersome to say when drunk.”

‘When heavily drunk,’ Paige amended to herself.

“Rebecca, this is important. I know Peter applied an oath, but it should be weakening with his death. Why did he do this? I shouldn’t even be here, not if he was alive.”

“I don’t know, Paige. He told me to tell you sorry, whenever saw you next.”

“That’s it? No, Peter had to have left something for me. Anything.”

“His messes, Paige. He left you his messes. I can’t tell you what how he did it or why exactly, but I could tell he wanted your help. He said only you would be able to fix the problems plaguing the Empire at large.”

Paige blanched. “What do you mean?”

“It wasn’t a random coincidence that he found me. He was following some type of pattern. He’s known to be a wanderer, but there was a reason for that. While he was here, he would wander around, looking for people, visiting places. But he wasn’t doing it for fun, Paige. He was looking for something specific. Anything related to you, he researched heavily. Places you’ve been, people you interacted with. All of it.”

“How do you know?”

“Memory. I followed him on a few of the trips. He traced a few of our trips perfectly.”

Paige’s mind whirled into action. The changes throughout the Empire. Even though she hadn’t investigated that far, she would be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t interested in how the Imperial Family solved the problems that had been plaguing the Empire in the past. Especially the problems she had a hand in quelling or creating.

‘If Peter was able to find out who I talked with, then he should have been able to trace all of my movements,’ Paige realized. But that led to another important question.

“...how did Peter know who I talked to? And where I’ve been,” Paige mumbled.

The answer was obvious to Paige after she said it aloud. There was only one way it was possible. Her mana. Or rather, the divine mana she had. But how would Peter be able to track her that way?

‘Peter was a Blessed True Hero.’ Lily’s voice rang out in the depths of her mind.

“Rebecca… how many Scions are Blessed Heroes?” Paige asked slowly.

“Only Peter, as far as I know. The Imperial Family doesn’t outright state what Class a specific Imperial Scion is, though most will call themselves Heroes. It’s hard to say substantially who is and who isn’t.”

‘Shit! That’s bad. Really bad. No wonder everyone believes the gods are dead. Does that mean divine level skills and spells aren’t in use either? And Maxwell stayed silent when I threatened him just now. Just how bad is the casualty rate over there then?’

“Your majesty, Sir Glenn has arrived.”

“One moment, Haille,” Rebecca called out. She looked over to Paige and sighed. “Paige, we’ll have to pick up our conversation later. I need your help though. Please, if not for me, then for my children. They deserve better, least of all from you.” The queen turned and walked out of the side room, her voice calling out to her guard outside.

Paige sighed hard. That hit her right across the gut. Paige knew Rebecca was probably holding that against her, even if she didn’t have all of her memories. She was their godparents and she hadn’t done anything for them in their time of need. Not that she could since stuck in the forest, but it was unlikely that was supposed to have happened either, judging by Rebecca’s tone.

Though, that was also the thing she was unsure of. ‘Just what did Peter promise you, for you to actually agree to whatever plan he had?’

---

Paige walked out of the room and stared passively at the Head Protector as he conversed with the queen. She could already feel the drive to talk with Glenn fading away. Or maybe it was due to the guilt. But she had to stay and talk, not least because she had to know what the Healer Hall knew.

Still, it also gave her a chance to right one wrong.

“Release Beatrice from captivity. I know the Healer Hall has her.”

Glenn paused mid-sentence. He turned, his brows arching, “She’s safe with us.”

“She’ll be safer with me.”

“Paige, I-”

“The moment she leaves the Healer Hall, another Scion or a servant will apprehend her. Besides, I doubt you have so much free time that you would be willing to travel out to Pruite Monarchy for a single girl.”

Paige stared. “You sent her out of the country?”

He nodded. “Queen Rebecca requested us to. With Prince Daniel firmly entangled with Scion Maxwell, controlling Crown Princess Beatrice would be the next best choice for anyone wanting to exert power over the Royal Family,” Glenn said.

Paige knew that was a valid reason, but the whole argument ignored one key person. “Beatrice is second in line to the throne. What happened to Crown Princess Alexandra?”

“She’s in a medically induced coma. The Healer Hall is attending to her recovery,” Rebecca said quietly.

‘Maxwell… shit! That’s why Rebecca’s mad at me. No; she’s probably mad at me for not rescuing her sooner.’

“...She survived, so I’m guessing the damage is more mental than physical. What drugs are you using to induce memory loss? I assume some type of hallucinogenic, though I guess an alchemist may know more about that than healers.”

Glenn and Rebecca stared.

“What? It’s a valid treatment. Wipe the last eight years or so and let her move on with her life. It’s far more humane than letting time or meditation ease the pain, that’s for sure.”

Glenn narrowed his eyes, clearly evaluating her. But Paige knew that it all depended on Rebecca. If Peter was so paranoid as to figure out how to keep the oath active even after his death, then it was highly unlikely that he would have told any even remotely related to the Imperial Family anything.

“You are vastly different than I imagined. Tell me, is the other Healer Hall that patient with you? I imagine that any Healer would take offense at your suggestions.”

Paige shrugged. She had also saved quite a bit of Healers as well, so why would they get mad at her. Still, she knew that Glenn was probably right. But his words gave Paige a pause. The other Healer Hall. ‘...the cross and journal. I didn’t pay it any mind when Zenith said Prim took it. So that means that the Grand Healer is either still alive or someone else found the remains.”

“So, what exactly has Queen Rebecca told you? She had to have given you something, otherwise there’s no way she’d have gotten her hands on that artifact.”

“No, we were willing to loan out the artifact. The mere fact that Peter left his heritage here is enough to warrant our involvement. Should Alcudia fall, I do not doubt that Alduit Academy would be targeted next, even with Peter’s foresight. It was not meant to forestall an army, not by itself.”

“But, the Queen has told me one thing, one that would corroborate with the evidence we have on hand: Tell me, Paige Alduit, how exactly did Peter bring you here?”

Paige sighed in her heart. He knew her name. That was already a bad sign.

She shrugged. “Honestly? I have no idea. I was in the middle of securing a heroic blade for the Imperial Family when the whole mountainside suddenly exploded. And the next thing I knew, me and my party were standing in a forest.”

“Just like that?” Glenn said.

Paige narrowed her eyes. His tone betrayed his true thoughts. Glenn had to have some type of perception based skill. It would be hard skirting around the truth against him, though she hoped that half-truths would work. It typically did, so long as she mostly told the truth. “Well, what did you expect me to say? The last time I saw my brother, he was bleeding out. I was… taken in by the Imperial Family soon after. I learned how to be a good servant and worked to better the Empire.”

She glanced at Rebecca and hesitated. ‘Tch! How much did Rebecca tell Glenn about me? I’m in deep trouble if she mentioned I was a Princess... No, if she knew about Isabella, then she should remember how her birth went.’

“And the Wardstones you have? They are far too big for your supposed Imperial Servant status.”

“I have extras. Not like the Imperial Family is short of them. Plus, we need them to do stuff like this.”

Paige gripped her Wardstone in her hand and smiled at Glenn. Crushing the stone in her hand, she watched with satisfaction as Glenn’s face turned to horror. “I, Farmer Paige Alduit, change my status to Warrior Paige.”

“What have you-”

“I freely show my Class and Name. [[Status]].”

Glenn stopped and stared at the ghostly white words that formed from Paige’s mana.

Paige

Warrior

“The size of the wardstone was rather large, so the effects will last a few years maybe. Short of some advanced status checkers, the disguise is perfect.”

“You wasted an entire Wardstone on that demonstration?” Glenn said, his eyes twitching.

Wasted. Paige smiled. She opened her hand and watched as the broken wardstone disappeared into the air, glittering shards evaporating quickly as they fell.

“Yes. Wardstones aren’t in short supply. At least, it wasn’t for us. But judging by your face, I’d say Wardstones are rather rare now. So rare, that only certain Scions and Consorts must have them, hmm?”

Paige lied through her teeth. Even she knew that Wardstones weren’t exactly in supply either, but she wasn’t exactly keen on giving back her spoils, not after she had been hunted for so long. And it was only a coincidence that she had learned Wardstones could do that since no one else was insane enough to waste one like she just had.

“Tell me, what will it take for the Imperial Healer Hall to secure our cooperation? I’m not exactly thrilled with being a Servant again. Not with Maxwell here.”

“...Peter’s heritage. We need his specialized magic circles, especially for the central battlefield.”

“What grade of magic circles?”

“Any. It’s said that Peter left all of his documents concerning magic circles at the academy. The problem is, it’s surrounded by specialty magic circles. We have no way of accessing them.”

'Specialty magic circles. So, he had some type of restriction on it? Or is he being literal about it?' she thought. Either way, it was something for the future. Right now, she needed to get her whole Party there. “Fine. Secure us a spot and we’ll get you information about magic circle creation.”

Glenn shook his head. “We can get you an interview, but even we don’t have control there. There are...too many people aiming for the same goal. Even moving Isabella’s family is posing a logistical problem for us. ”

“... meaning there are enough Scions there to give you pause. Great. Your majesty, I thought Alduit Academy was governed by the border countries?” Paige asked. Her knowledge of the academy was practically zero. She was heavily relying on the old intel they had received in the other world.

“Ideally, but no. We get some benefits, but Peter specifically chose who was to administer the school. The most I can do is give a chance for some students to apply. From there, they have to use their own talents to get in.”

Paige sighed. It was not ideal, but maybe having someone inside the school would be helpful. “Fine. An interview then. Zenith can become a teacher there, and we’ll support her from the side.” Paige’s eyes turned sharp. “But I want it in writing, a full blood oath, Glenn. From both you and the Grand Healer. Our cooperation for the Imperial Healer Hall’s unconditional support in Alcudia, as well as concealing our actual history. Also, I want it clearly stated that Isabella will get to decide her future. Her Party, living conditions, etc. All of it. And that the Imperial Healer Hall will support her decisions.”

A hard bargain, but Paige knew she was walking a thin line. That should be just at the limit at what the Healer Hall would accept.

‘...they must be desperate. The Healers especially. Magic circles were always the first line of defense to thin down the ranks. The amount of injured is probably high enough to justify my demands, though perhaps I should give them something.’

“In exchange for the blood oath, I’ll give you the formation sequence for… two area-of-effect spells. Tried and true formations, specifically for the main battlefield. [[Scatterstrike Firebolt]] and [[Eye of the Pathfinder]]. And they do just what it sounds like. Any others we find, we’ll get it for you after we settle down in Alduit Academy.”

She turned to her friend. “Queen Rebecca, the invasion must not pass through the borderlands. The Imperial Family already has its hands full. I can give you [[Lightwall Defence]] to help stem the pressure on the defensive lines. It’ll cost an arm and a leg, but it will help. We’ll talk later, your Majesty, Sir Glenn.”

Paige walked out of the room without another word. She felt bad, knowing that she was leveraging lives for support, but she knew that Glenn would take the deal.

He had to.