Fort Geranium

Fourteenth Chapter: Examination (Demise)

[Sigmund Von Ulysses’s Point of View]

“Haa…” I sighed as I glanced at the mountain of paperwork that rested beside me. It could just be my imagination playing a trick on me but I’m almost certain that these papers duplicate themselves whenever my back is turned. It is really suspicious that no matter how many of these I read and sign over they refuse to diminish.

“Admiral, if you’re feeling fatigued to the point you’d contemplate whether those papers are playing a trick on you, then perhaps it is time for a short respite?” suggests a voice that enters my study without even a proper knock. The thought the blood of ancient human royalty flowed through his veins with such atrocious social etiquette like that was a joke. A man that’s my age yet looks as though he is half that, ‘Atlas de Odysseus’.

Let me correct myself; ‘Vice-Admiral Atlas de Odysseus’, he is a man who wears both his elegance and status upon his neatly ironed military uniform. One glance to his side and anyone would easily point him out as a member of some high ranking nobility. Though unfortunate for him, nowadays our race has been so reduced that my family is the only officially recognized human nobility.

His hair alone resembles an aureate crown though its length and impossible smoothness resembles not that of a hardened field warrior but of a frail maiden. Sometimes it makes me a little sick just looking it but I cannot deny that it suits his rather effeminate features. His clear blue eyes smile at me sarcastically as I retreat in disgust but he steps forward. Sometimes I forget; is he supposed to be my lieutenant or my maid? He comes in and simultaneously both as greetings and to set down the tray with my tea. “Even if you stare that intently, I’m afraid to say my sexual orientations will not change. Though I do appreciate the sentiments, Admiral.”

“Tch, are an idiot or are you an idiot?” I try to shoo him away with my hand gestures so I could refocus my attentions back onto my administrative duties as the Realm Lord. Though, I must admit that this was a good chance to jab back at this moron. “Besides, I prefer a prettier woman.”

He chuckles at my response, “I assure you that there is no one prettier.” He really doesn’t know when to give up.

“Ho~ Really? I could think of one off the top of my head right now,” I retaliated, but he had already seen through that one.

“While I do agree Mariana is cute even amongst flowers, it’d be against the rules for you to choose her.”

“Tsk… enough, I have important work to do.” Yet as I sat back down to continue on with my given tasks I was interrupted by another sound. One more distant and familiar; it was the kind of sound that I had been surrounded by for almost all my adult life- the sound of an airship. “Did we have a guest scheduled today?” I asked Atlas, however he shook his head with an equally perplexed look.

“No, I believe nothing has been arranged for today,” he tells me as he walks towards the window for visual confirmation. “I cannot see clearly from this angle but from the size of that ship I can only surmise it is some kind of emissary from the Empire. Perhaps it is wise to set out a reception before they arrive?”

As our realm is at the boot-heel of the Scarletheim Empire we are forced to accept them. Even unarranged visitations like this must be met with the utmost welcome and preparation. “They’re such a headache.” I lightly tap across the surface of my wooden table twice to call for one of the nearby servants.

“Yes, you’ve called Lord Ulysses?” the one who entered was Carol, the head maid of this entire estate.

“We’ve some troublesome guests, prepare for a reception.”

She gives a swift nod, “I understand,” and leaves just as quickly as she entered.

With the tension of the oncoming vessel becoming greater I found myself unable to continue on with my duties and thus gave up on completing them for the day. “Sigmund, you’re probably not going to like who’s arriving.” Atlas calls out whilst dropping all forms of formality. This man had been a friend since childhood so most of the formalities he shows me are only done in ironic jest or if we’re in a proper situation such as in front of our men. That he dropped his sarcastic behavior now meant that there really was a situation in which I wouldn’t be too pleased about.

I took his advice and glanced out the window now that the approaching vessel was more visible. “Ugh… that’s,” cold sweat ran down my back as I recognized the insignia carved onto the side of that ominous black and red vessel. They were the Scarletheim Empire’s most elite and highest ranking military faction, with equal sway in government and commerce; it would not have been an exaggeration to call them the true leaders, “the Crimson Chivalric Order…”

“What shall we do?” Atlas asks but if they’re here, then we’ve no choice but to show them utter compliance.

“We’ll receive them.”

***

The thick tension congealed at the back of my throat as I waited with bated breaths. Their gargantuan vessel floated above our estate noisily as they lorded over us both figuratively and literally. There had existed a dedicated airship dock located further ahead from the estate at Amberheim, but our most honored guests didn’t wish to walk that far. One side of that massive carrier opened to eject a smaller, more suitable vessel to contact us.

Behind me were rows of servants and knights under my command, all bowed and ready to receive our uninvited guests. I didn’t have to look but to understand what kind of emotions and thoughts were going through their head right now. Next to me, Atlas stood tall with an unnerved but stoic expression. Though I wore my greatest poker-face, I couldn’t rid myself of this subtle fear trembling at the depths of my heart. ‘Why where they here?’ the purpose of their visitation was a mystery but as the leader to this realm it was my solemn duty to never show even a hint of weakness.

The small transport ship landed carelessly onto our backyard with little regard for what may have been there. My daughter had planted many of her favorite flowers in that garden but they most likely perished just now. The heat of exhaust blew past my face but I stood still and waited for the emissaries to show themselves.

Knights adorned in more prestigious armor than what my entire estate could afford exited. There were about eight all of them hailing from the sacred ‘Crimson Dragon’ clan. They were an ancient and extraordinarily powerful clan of ascended dragons that had mastered both humanoid and dragon forms. I’ve heard many stories of their exploits, though I am not sure how true their legends extend. On one account, it was said in the past just a single one of them had conquered an entire foreign nation. Other tales are of how they’re the closest existence to being called ‘gods’.

Yet eight of them stepped forward onto my backyard, ‘just what kind of situation has arisen?’ One wrong move and it is very possible that not only just my estate but the entirety of Amberheim would be wiped off the face of the map. “Is this all for the reception? I’m honestly disappointed,” echoed a most immature and arrogant voice. It was the voice of a young girl but no mere girl would be the leading such a strong military force.

A young girl that seemed no older than my seven-year-old daughter stepped off the ship. Her hair blood crimson, eyes of precious gold, yet her skin was the color of cold steel and her teeth were razors harp. She had the look of a beast ready to destroy anything that would displease her even in the slightest. The way she moved was otherworldly; levitating through the air as her hair floated about defying gravity. She exuded such a powerful and oppressive aura that even I had trouble to withstand. Instead of any military uniform, she wore a simple white one-piece, though I wondered if that was due to her preferences or if it was because she didn’t want constricting clothes to impede her powerful magic.

Non-human and though I couldn’t be sure, I had some semblance as to what race she belonged to. Scarletheim was home to various demonic races but there was an exceptionally rare and powerful one. I’ve heard tales that long ago about the ancient fairy race that had split into two. The first were the ‘Nature Fairies’, a kind and docile race that not much is known about outside the fact they usually steer clear of other races. The second type were the ‘Blood Fairies’, a near villainous, more ruthless and cold race that tore asunder the lands with their unmatched magical prowess.

‘If I had to hazard a guess…’ Atlas and I immediately knelt down to the floor to receive this small girl’s intrusion. “Most honored members of the Crimson Chivalric Order, we welcome you to our humble estate.” My head was lowered but I could still tell that she let out the most chilling smile.

“Yeah, we’ll be temporarily taking over this estate for the time being. You trash need only to continue groveling on the floor like that.”

***

[Mariana Von Ulysses’s Point of View]

“Ugh… heh… hehehe…” though rife with the taste of rusted metal, my mouth had been stuck into a perpetual smile. My blood-tinted vision blurred as even the simple act of breathing became a challenge. My entire body was suppressed; as though being crushed under a truck, my limbs refused to move as I commanded them. An indescribable surge of pain coursed through every fiber of my being before they collided into a brilliant whirlpool of torture at my center- my abdomen.

Yet even then, as I lay dying with a hole punctured through my upper torso, the smug, satisfied smile upon my face did not diminish. “Ah… hahaha… ugh… I killed it,” yes, it was all me. I was the one who had felled that monstrous Orc; even if it was only a minute portion of a much greater whole, I had still proven to this world I could overcome it. It was a complicated emotion that nested within me, but that doesn’t matter anymore as soon I’ll be gone.

The interconnectedness of the human body was made very apparent. Therein lied the problem, “shit… ugh!” be it my arms, legs or neck, no matter which part I wanted to move they needed to pass through my abdomen. That had been the problem; a thin piece of rubble pierced through my person from the back. Thus a dilemma: the rubble also acted as a plug and prevented too much blood loss but without removing it I would soon be doomed.

No strength left in my body to move. Slowly, both blood and life rapidly drain away from my grasp. “Hah… hah…” coughs of blood interrupted every few breaths I took.

“Hey Mariana, if you don’t do something soon you’ll really die, you know?” a familiar voice flew over and whispered into my ears. ‘I’ll die?’ the notion of mortality seemed surreal- as if it were a joke. I was a being that had already experienced death once, so the thought of dying a second time didn’t scare me as much. Instead, I felt only a little dissatisfied with the turn of events, ‘this is how I die…’ that was the extent of it.

Dissatisfied that I wouldn’t be able to experience any more of this coveted ‘fantasy’ life and that I’ll never truly know those I’ve come to love. Yet most of all, it was a pity I wouldn’t see how this child grew. Perhaps it was some innate maternal instincts that never kicked in during my previous life but towards this child… towards Charlotte, I wanted to see.

‘Ah, she’s waking up,’ I thought to myself as I felt her body move from within my embrace. ‘That’s good,’ I was relieved that I get to at least say my goodbyes to her.

“Mmm… mm, huh?” confused and still half-asleep she slowly peeled her eyes back open. With those small hands of hers she rubbed her eyes to clear the fatigue as she tried to readjust her memories of recent history. It took a few seconds but the moment she remembered what had happened she called out my name first, “Mistress Mariana!”

“Charlotte… thank god you’re okay…”

“M- mistress? W- wait, please let me try to heal you!” she closed her eyes to concentrate. Upon the palm of her small hands amassed a formless ball of black mana. This technique was known as [Heal], a rank 1 [Void] type magic spell. She navigated the ball towards my most damaged area, my abdomen and tried to apply the spell but after a few seconds the spell dissipated with no real change to my condition. “No… no! I- I’ll try again, please stay with me!”

She continued several more times, each time more desperate than the last. Even through my failing vision I could tell from the sporadic of her [heal] spell she wasn’t concentrating enough- she couldn’t. “That’s enough… Charlotte.”

“No!” she shouted as she shook her head. “Please don’t say that! Let me… just give me a bit more time!” she continued on, but I knew best, because it was my own body. No matter how many times she tries it would never work. Perhaps it slowed down my eventual demise, so that’s something at least.

“Listen Charlotte…”

“M- mistress?”

“You have to… grow up strong okay?” I wanted to reach out to her and pat her on the head but I couldn’t even muster up enough strength to do that. Words will have to suffice.

“No! Please!”

“Listen to all the other maids too.”

“…” she shook her head furiously as she grabbed onto my clothes.

“I know he’s… a little scary but my father… he’s a good man so he will… surely help you.”

“…” she buried her face into my chest in tears. The quiet trembling in her hands told me everything I wanted to know, her feelings for me and how much she cared. I was truly honored to have been the starting point for a potential future legend.

“Remember always… to be kind, okay?” how strange it was that even as I stood knocking at death’s door for a second time I didn’t feel scared.

“Mistress… please don’t leave me… I beg of you…!”

“It’ll be fine… I know you will, because… you’re the one I chose…” air no longer entered my lungs as efficiently as it did before. I coughed up more and more blood with each passing second. My eyelids felt heavy… ‘I guess it’s about time,’ I told myself with a dry laugh.

From where I was I could see Aegis staring down at me. ‘I guess I should also apologize to him for being unable to entertain him anymore.’ While short, this second life of mine was an enjoyable ride. “Sorry… Charlotte…”

“Mistress? Mistress?! No, please wake up! You can’t leave me like this! Please! Please…!”

As though I were hurled into a deep black see I sank.

Slowly, back to the place in which everything started… I would return…

Back to that all too familiar abyss.