The Simulacrum - Chapter 135 - Part 2 (Patreon)

"Just go home, take a nice, warm bath, and rest," Elly instructed the class rep, and she let out an ambivalent noise that could be maybe-kinda-sorta-potentially construed as agreement.

The four of us, including Judy, were standing outside, near the entrance of the base. Since it was no longer strictly 'secret' anymore, after it became the official headquarters and/or fortress of the Ordo Draconis, it naturally meant more traffic. First off, we had our Knights moving back and forth daily between the base and the Dracis mansion (or in Duncan's case, the school) to do their jobs. Then there were the Draconic Federation's representatives (mostly meaning Naoren and Odango Girl) visiting the place regularly, plus the Fauns and the Kage Ninjas going on their patrols.

The last two groups didn't use the main entrance anymore though, as Fred dug a special secret exit for them, so that they could move in and out of the complex unseen, but the rest were still using the front. Because of this, a construction project was already underway, one of the first joint finance ventures of the Draconic Federation. It wasn't anything fancy; just a small resort building to serve as the cover for our movements, as well as a proper parking lot, so that my in-laws wouldn't have to get out of their limo at the edge of a dirt road.

Speaking of them, Mom-in-law apparently had some direct connection with the mayor's office, and the nearby bus stop we first used to get close to the abandoned bomb shelter was moved to said parking lot. Of course, I didn't need it, but it was still very convenient, since it meant I no longer had to ferry everyone in and out all the time.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep," the class rep muttered, sounding more tired than anything. "I have so many things to think about."

"Do it in moderation," I commented as I pocketed my hands. The sun was already down, and early spring or not, the air was getting pretty chilly. "Too much thinking gives you wrinkles."

"That's the least of my problems right now," Ammy grumbled, eliciting a soft chuckle from the princess.

In the meantime, the regularly scheduled bus arrived on the minute, and after bidding our farewells, the class rep boarded it and we headed back inside. It was only when we were already walking down the stairs that Judy spoke up.

"Chief?"

"Yes?"

"Since Amelia is already meta-aware, I think we should involve her in our future discussions."

I turned my head to face her and blurted out an eminently baffled, "Are you serious?"

My dear assistant nodded without any reservations, and my other girlfriend also agreed with her.

"She has some interesting ideas," Elly stated rather diplomatically.

"She certainly had… after you threatened her with a retcon," Judy pointed out, and I reflexively rolled my eyes.

"It was less of a threat and more of an attempt at shock therapy. And hey, it worked, right?"

Judy eyed me skeptically for a while, and when we reached the bottom of the stairs and were about to enter the main hall again, she cut in front of me to halt us.

"Chief. For the record, if it didn't work, would you have done it?"

Now it was my turn to stare at her incredulously and shake my head.

"Please, Dormouse. Who do you take me for? Didn't we already discuss that it's ridiculously dangerous? While I admit my on-the-spot judgements aren't always perfect, I'm not nearly frivolous, or mad, enough to cross the Godzilla Threshold for something like this."

Also, there was that whole thing about other me's warnings and the Bone Man with the other star-people and whatnot, but I didn't want to go into extra-Simulacrum details with this.

"Something like this…" the princess echoed me, with a finger on her cheek. "So that means you would do it if the situation is bad enough?"

"Theoretically? Maybe," I answered just a tad ambivalently. "I mean, it could potentially unravel time and the universe itself, but if things get bad enough, I guess uncertain doom is better than certain doom?" My girlfriends were both giving me flat stares, so I hastily added, "Why don't we just drop this line of thought and focus on how to avoid any such situations in the future instead?"

"Sounds more productive," Elly agreed, and Judy shared the sentiment, as she stepped out of the way so that I could open the heavy metal door leading into the base itself. Arnwald insisted that we needed more layered defences and checkpoints, but honestly speaking, opening and closing this one simple door was already quite the hassle. Even though this was a fancy-pants hydraulics-assisted magitech super-door Fred and Galatea made to replace the one Mountain Girl cut apart when she invaded the place that one time.

In any case, the moment we stepped inside, we were welcomed by Roland, standing nearby and waiting for our return.

"Good evening," he greeted us in a neutral voice and focused his attention on me. "I've heard you were looking for me."

"That's right. I'd like to have a tactical meeting about some… delicate matters."

He quickly caught my drift and nodded along.

"Are you joining?"

This time the question was aimed at my girlfriends, and after a short discussion they conducted entirely by glances, Judy shook her head.

"Go ahead without us. We'll discuss what to do with Amelia in the meantime."

I had no reason to stop them, so we parted ways (after the customary kisses, of course), and they went left, while Roland accompanied me as I turned to the right.

"What would you like to discuss?" he asked after just a few steps, but I shook my head and pointed at the reception room.

It was the second time I'd be discussing sensitive matters in there, but to be fair, it was the perfect place for that. Since I was the only one who made use of the teleport closet, nobody else had a reason to wander around there, so it was both private and comfortable. Once inside, I turned the wheel on it (this was one of the original doors that looked like it belonged on a submarine, complete with the locking wheel and all) and only then did I gestured for Roland to sit down.

"I'm listening," he said once he took a seat on a bench.

I didn't follow his example, but instead, I proceeded to walk back and forth in front of him while I explained what I learned recently, my to-do list, and some other minutia. I started by telling him about what I just learned from Moose about the internal movements of the Directorate. For context, I also explained to him about Savir's coercion tactics with the old laws and whatnot and how it related to that book she was trying to safekeep, and Mensah's mobilization efforts.

I purposefully left out the part where Moose insisted that I should just put my cards on the table and take over the Elysium directly, because I still wasn't convinced by his argument, and I focused on the concrete facts before moving on to the issue of Percival instead. Then I touched on my duel with Lord Ambrose and the Assembly's involvement in all of this in general, and concluded with the topic of Tajana's Fauns and whether we should just throw caution in the wind and hunt them down or not.

He listened attentively, and once I reached the end of my speech, I turned to face him and say, "So, that's the gist of it. What's your opinion?"

"… On what, exactly?" he asked back, sounding rather puzzled by my request.

"About what my next move should be," I clarified. "I can't decide what I should prioritize first, so I'm asking for a second opinion."

"You should've started with that," Roland told me in an even tone and took a deep breath. "Right now, I'd say there are three issues on which I feel the need to advise you."

"Go on."

"As you have noted yourself, you need to deal with Sir Percival." My stomach sank hearing his assessment, but I made sure it didn't show on my face. "We can't keep him locked up forever, especially now that you're already back in Timaeus. Even after all this time, he provided no useful information, and he's too dangerous to keep around. While he's no longer as much of a political liability as he used to be, considering your direct connection to Celestial hierarchy had long since superseded any concerns about their influence on the Brotherhood, he still poses a liability. His testimony would not only incriminate you by furthering your collusion with Bel of the Abyss, but it would do the same for Neige."

"Ugh… Yeah, that's a problem, but what exactly do I do about him?"

"As much as it pains me to say it, I'm still of the opinion that executing him for his crimes against the Brotherhood, the Ordo Draconis, and you in particular, would be the cleanest way to go about this." Roland's voice didn't even waver as he said that, sounding way too reasonable.

"Any alternatives?"

"None, other than keeping him locked up forever, eating up resources and manpower for the rest of his life, and hoping that he never escapes or gets found by anyone."

Hearing that made me close my eyes to think. As distasteful as it was, Roland wasn't wrong about his assessment, and as he said, we didn't have other options. Well, except maybe for retconning him, I jested… but then my thoughts got caught in a loop and my furrowed into a troubled frown. Could that be done? Theoretically, I could've retconned him into not being a traitor, in which case… Wait, no. If I did that, then he would've never set me up, and I wouldn't have ended up in the Elysium, and then none of the whole Polemos thing and anything related to it would've happened. That's not just a butterfly effect, that's the whole bloody hurricane.

Then what if I made him into a double agent? Someone still loyal, but playing a dangerous game. I could make it so that we planned the whole thing together so that I could infiltrate the Elysium, and… Ugh, no good. Wouldn't doing that still mean that I would erase his current self to replace it with someone else? How was that any better than just killing him? Morally speaking, I mean. And, and…

Seriously, what was even wrong with me? Why was I even seriously considering this as an option? Didn't I just tell the girls that we would need to cross the Godzilla Threshold before I should even entertain the thought? Yet, I would've been lying if I said the idea of doing so wasn't tempting, in a kind of intoxicating, primal way. I couldn't help but wonder; now that I knew that had enough phantom limbs to make the deed non-debilitating, would I have seriously attempted it if not for the warning of other me… and the chilling memory of the Predator Moon's gaze wedged into my subconscious?

Roland must have mistaken my internal turmoil for something else, as he soon cleared his throat and continued in a slightly more considerate tone.

"I know you are averse to this solution, but you are a leader. Sometimes, it means you have to make hard decisions that leave a bad aftertaste, for the sake of the greater good."

"I know, I'm just…" I groaned and massaged my forehead. "I'm wrestling with something bigger issues as well, and I'm afraid of unforeseen consequences if I get rid of Percival like that."

"Something bigger than the single greatest upheaval in the history of the World of Mystics," he said flatly, and I nodded.

"Yeah. It's hard to explain though."

"Is it destiny?"

"It's—" I almost answered reflexively, but then as the word belatedly settled in my mind, I closed my mouth so hard I nearly bit my tongue. My eyes narrowed on their own and I asked, "Who, when, and how?"

"Angeline, two days ago, I overheard her discussing it with Joshua after leaving Wissenschaftler's workshop."

For the record, that was Fred's surname, and more importantly…

"That girl and her big mouth!" I exclaimed, followed by a long groan. "Okay, listen. Just forget about it. Things are already complicated enough, I don't have the mental capacity to explain this for the second time today."

"The second time?" Roland echoed me, and when I glared at him, he let out a sigh. "If that's an order, I'll forget about it."

"More of a very strong request, but please do. Thank you," I concluded, and then after a beat, I crossed my arms and mused, "What's the second thing?"

Roland seemed rather displeased by the way I moved on from the topic of Percival without reaching a decision, but he played along.

"Personally, I would recommend ignoring the Celestial Directorate for the moment." That was unexpected, and my reaction must have shown on my face, as he subsequently clarified, "While their military buildup is troubling, you have previously explained that the Unorthodox faction's primary concern is the Abyssals, not us. The Draconic Federation is still in its infancy, and while our relationship with the Assembly can be called amicable at the moment, they still represent the status quo of the World of Mystics, and our organization is directly intruding on the domain they held for centuries. I believe that, for the moment, we need to focus on solidifying our internal structure, as well as our relationship with the Magi. Getting involved in the domestic matters of the Celestial realm at this time is not in our best interest."

"Granted that they leave us alone," I commented, and Roland nodded slightly.

"During the last general briefing, you said the leadership of the Elysium are in soft opposition to you and Angeline."

"Two out of the three of them, yes."

"Meaning," he continued, barely acknowledging my interjection, "they are currently also busy solidifying their political position in preparation for your eventual return to their realm, along with Angeline's. Am I correct?"

"You're not wrong," I answered a tad hesitantly.

"That means they would most likely be bogged down in internal strife, potentially for years to come, meaning they would have less time, manpower, and opportunity to interfere with external affairs. This is, without a doubt, beneficial for the Federation."

"Yes, but if they do solidify their position, then…"

My words trailed off, as I wasn't even sure what I was trying to argue anymore. I promised the girls that I would take care of the whole Celestial situation sooner than later, and it was something I considered to be inevitable, but I could understand Roland's perspective on this. His main concerns weren't about narratives and route-ending climaxes, but how our actions would affect the Ordo Draconis and the Draconic Federation it was part of. As such, unlike me, he had his priorities clear and straight. That fact alone made him much more of a leader than I was, which wasn't surprising, considering their…

Wait. Now that I thought about it, didn't I gain all three of my official positions by traditions related to sentient magical weapons, instead of any inherent charisma or leadership ability? Did that… did that make me a triple King Arthur expy? Seriously?

This belated recognition made me stumble for a moment, which Roland must've once again mistaken for something else, as he cleared his throat and spoke in a much softer voice.

"Listen, Leonard. I understand why you would want to resolve the Celestial angle as soon as possible, considering their track record with subterfuge and sabotage, but I still have to urge you to act with prudence. If it seems like you can do it without causing political instability, or worse yet, military action, then do so, but remember that you now shoulder not only the Ordo Draconis, but the whole of the Draconic Federation… and in a way, even the lives of the Celestials in the Elysium as well. Don't be hasty."

"Fine, fine. I understand. That said, there was this other thing I mentioned that—"

"It's a trap," Roland spoke definitively, cutting me off. "You mean the book this Director Savir is trying to lock away, or am I wrong? It's clearly a trap."

"You think so too?" I asked, though in my case, I was only slightly suspicious about it.

"In a way, it's almost too obvious," he mused and dragged a thumb across his moustache. I had no idea why; maybe his nose was itching. In any case, he stressed, "Based on your description, she possesses more than enough authority to do something like this on her own. If it was me, I would've made sure to keep it a secret and move it covertly, instead of openly announcing it for the rest of the Directorate. She most likely wanted it to reach your ears."

"That sounds like a reasonable conclusion," I mused and titled my head to the side. "Do you think I should play along?"

"… You want to walk into an obvious trap?" he blurted out with an incredulous look on his face.

"Well, not as myself," I emphasized with the tiniest of smirks, and Roland's shoulders slumped, as if by reflex.

"Bel?" he asked, and when I nodded, it felt like he was just a moment away from facepalming.

"I mean, I wanted to use him to make her sweat a little for a while now, and this seems like a great opportunity."

"Didn't we just discuss that we shouldn't stir the Directorate until we are ready to deal with the fallout?"

"Oh, but I wouldn't be doing that. It would be Bel of the Abyss acting up," I stressed with a smirk that was no longer tiny. "And knowing her, she probably wouldn't tell anyone about the encounter either, especially if I dropped a few carefully curated clues to mislead her into a wild goose chase."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time you did that, you caused an internal witch-hunt within the Directorate, and brought about the political instability that caused you to be… invited to the Elysium, and everything that followed afterwards."

"A fair point, and that's why I'll be very deliberate this time," I said with conviction. Or at least as much of it as I could muster. "Seriously though, if we're going to retire Bel sooner or later, I might as well make use of the identity one last time to squeeze some information out of her. And maybe make her life a little harder, because karma and whatnot."

Seeing that I was adamant about this, Roland soon gave up.

"Fine. I can only advise you, but if you want to do things your way, I don't have the authority to overrule you. Speaking of which, there's the third issue that has to be considered and resolved as soon as possible."

Oh, right. We were discussing that, weren't we? That said, if it was prompted by authority, and it wasn't about the Celestials, then… erm… Tajana's Fauns? No, that made no sense. In that case…

"I'm drawing a blank. What is it?"

"Since you aren't attending the Federation's meetings, you might not be fully aware of this, but there's a growing sentiment that you should be relieved of your duty as the leader of the Ordo Draconis."

"What? Seriously?"

He nodded, and simply uttered, "Conflict of interest."

"Oh. Because I'm also an Archon now." He nodded again. "Well, I can kind of understand their concerns. Do you want the job?"

"Don't even joke about that," Roland chided me with a deep frown. "Before anything else, you are the King of Knights, so the entire conversation is fundamentally pointless. However, since you do not appear enough in public, and don't exercise your authority in favor of the Federation, it's understandable that the representatives would feel insecure about your allegiances."

"So, on top of everything else I'm dealing with, you also want me to attend the meetings and reassure everyone about where I stand?"

"Yes. It's vital for the stability of the Draconic Federation."

Oh, great. I consulted Roland to figure out how to lessen my troubles, and I gained more things to do instead. Why did it always end up like this?

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" He was looking at me disapprovingly, so I let out a sigh and raised my palms in surrender. "Fine, I hear you. I'm getting pretty used to playing the role of the stern but fair leader, so I'll just attend a few gatherings and wow everyone with my acting skills. That should be enough to keep the naysayers in bay, right?"

"It would be preferable if you didn't act, but took it seriously."

"What are you even talking about?" I blurted out, sounding even more offended than I truly felt at the moment. "I'm acting because I'm serious about this."

Roland eyed me with a look that said he wasn't sure I wasn't pulling his leg, but when I remained silent, he shook his head and gave up trying. Seeing that, I nodded to myself and raised a finger.

"All right, now that we agreed on this, let's go back to the previous points and figure out what I should focus on fi—"

Before I could finish that, I was interrupted by a guitar solo. I would've been surprised, but this was becoming a bit of a pattern, and I was catching on to it. Whenever my phone rang in the middle of a conversation like this, it meant either one of three things: something dangerous was about to happen, something stupid was about to happen, or the universe was trying to interrupt me. Also, the three of those weren't mutually exclusive.

"Hold that thought," I said as I took out my phone, and checked the caller ID. It was Snowy, but before taking it up, I faced Roland again and emphasized, "I meant that. Don't forget what we just talked about, because we're going to continue this discussion."

With that, I swept the green button across the screen and raised the phone to my ear.

"Hi, sis."

"Leo, we have trouble," my Abyssal sister opened with a clichéd line, and I couldn't help but sigh.

"Tajana, her Fauns, or someone else making trouble?"

"N-No, it's not them. Or… um… technically it's someone else, but it's not that kind of trouble."

Raising a curious brow, I urged her to continue.

"Exactly what kind of 'trouble' are we talking about?"

"We got a letter in the mail," Snowy explained, sounding unusually panicked. "It's from the Child Protective Services."

…

"…"

…

"What?"