The Hundred Reigns

Chapter 112: The Cocagne Affair (12)

Nearly a month passed since what would be known as the Lafontaine Tragedy.

Simon spent most of this time alternating between hanging out with Verdis, spending time with Remedia, and hunting down every Cobweb operation in Cocagne alongside the Shadowguard. The Prince of Spiders’ grip on the local underworld wasn’t as extensive as in Valne and Endymion, but his organization had chapters in every major city, including Fabliau.

Unfortunately, the Cobweb had quickly covered their tracks after the Lafontaine fiasco. None of their other hideouts they raided included a portal door or a secret lab, and the most sensitive materials had been quickly whisked away. They failed to find any leads on the Prince of Spiders’ intentions as well.

Thankfully, while Euphemia refused to lend the queen Gourmand since she would rather keep him close as part of her efforts to consolidate her position in Marthrone, Remedia had found a necromancy spell capable of interrogating souls caught in soul gems. It didn’t guarantee truthful answers, since it could only allow communication, but she was confident she could coax intel out of Renal over time.

Simon did use the raids as an opportunity to put the Ninja Vassal Crestone he looted from Renal to use.

The Ninja: A warrior who uses stealth to be all but invisible thanks to the eastern secret techniques of Ninjutsu.

Strength B, Vitality D, Agility S, Perception B, Magic D, Intelligence C, Charisma E, Luck C.

Innate Perk: Stealth (Passive): You gain a bonus to camouflage when sticking to the shadows or using a disguise.

Innate Perk: Dual Wielder (Passive): You are always treated as ambidextrous when carrying a weapon in each hand.

Level 1 Perk: Throw I (Passive): You gain an accuracy bonus when throwing small objects, like darts or shuriken.

Level 3 Perk: Master of Disguise I (Active): You can cloak your clothes behind illusions, changing their appearance at will. The effect disappears when you take damage.

Level 5 Perk: Everything Goes I

(Passive): You gain medium proficiency (x1.5 damage) with all weapons. Level 7 Perk: Elemental Ninjutsu (Active): Shuriken technique. You can imbue shurikens with one of your Strong or Very Strong elemental affinities for one minute. Requires medium proficiency with shuriken.

Besides helping him slightly improve his terrible Agility base stat, leveling-up Ninja had introduced Simon to a new subset of abilities: techniques. They were apparently secret martial arts unique to a specific set of weapons that one could learn with sufficient proficiency, though the right Class allowed the user to sidestep the learning process.

The Overlord’s Perks didn’t include any technique so far—likely because techniques were the equivalent of trading a slot for a single situational ‘spell’—but Simon was curious whether his mastery of them would remain across reigns. If so, then it added another incentive towards either devouring martial classes or leveling up their Crestones. Maybe there were some techniques that involved the use of miasma for all he knew.

Otherwise, things began to fall into place for the assault on the Goetia Research Facility. Simon had done everything in his power to ensure the factory would fall without endangering his sister Lauriane, so the die was now cast.

What bothered him the most was the absence of news about Vouivre. Louis had driven her from Telluria as he usually did, but she had yet to show up and cause trouble in Scaland like she usually did around this time. Simon had the feeling that naming her as the Overlord heir instead of Casval had caused a slight change in the timeline, though he had yet to understand the ramifications.

Eventually, a certain person secretly arrived in Cocagne’s palace, seeking shelter…

“Greetings, Justine,” Simon told his guest upon welcoming her alongside Remedia in the latter’s throne room. “I am happy to see you safe and sound after all this mess with your brother…”

“Something which didn’t surprise you all that much, no doubt. You look unbearably proud of yourself, Prince Simon.” Justine covered her mouth with her fan, her eyes darting to Remedia. “You have quite the reach for a bastard my brother hardly considered worthy of notice, Prince Simon. I cannot help but notice your sister isn’t here to rub salt in my wounds.”

“Your presence in these halls will remain a secret for now, for your own safety,” Remedia replied, “You stand accused of treason in Endymion, and I would rather avoid having word of your presence reach Prince Louis’ ears.”

Justine squinted at Simon. “Playing the game of thrones, are you now?”

“Aren’t we all?” Simon replied with a shrug. “Play along, and you will be restored as Duchess Eligos once the dust settles. Your assistance will determine whether Empress Euphemia shall judge your brother, sister, and niece mercifully.”

“I will hold you to that promise, Your Highness. You have spun quite the wide web.” Justine sighed in surrender. “What will be your mercy’s price?”

“First of all, you will surrender the Changeling Crestone for study,” Remedia said, with Justine frowning in slight surprise. “You will also assist Prince Simon in developing his Visionary and Darkblood latent powers.”

“The Oracle forbade me from doing either many years back… but I suppose only fools trust the blind.” Justine pressed her palm against her chest, using magic to extract a Crestone hidden between her ribs. Her features immediately shifted, her ears lengthening, her face growing even more graceful and ageless. Her elven nature quickly became obvious without the Changeling Crestone’s shapeshifting effects. “Here.”

“So it is true…” Remedia bit her lip in slight surprise. She had already learned the truth from Simon and her spies in Endymion, but seeing it with her own eyes was another matter entirely. “You are an elf.”

“And one of the most beautiful ones, you will agree.” Justine smiled thinly at Simon. “You do not look surprised in the slightest. Did you foresee this moment from the very beginning?”

“Mayhaps,” Simon replied evasively. He had found it easier to deal with people when they were uncertain of what he could and couldn’t do. “Either way, I do not think you will have an issue staying in Fabliau?”

“We have plenty of manaliths for you to sustain yourself on, Lady Justine, and facilities for your experiments,” Remedia agreed. “I must admit I have taken a personal interest in your research. How do you intend to proceed?”

“It is an honor for the Mage to recognize the value of my research,” Justine replied, though she didn’t sound entirely sincere. “I believe the secret is in the blood itself, Your Majesty. Vampirism and some alchemical concoctions can awaken latent traits and mutations, and since the Darkblood is what suppresses Visionary powers in the case of House Magnos, an alchemical process combined with diabolism rituals ought to allow those buried traits to assert themselves.”

“You would blend multiple schools of magic together.” Remedia nodded in appreciation. “An interesting approach.”

“Thank you,” Justine replied, her eyes darting Simon’s way. “I will need a blood sample to proceed with my research.”

Simon hesitated, considering the risks involved, only for Remedia to reassure him. “I will personally supervise Lady Eligos’ research. She will need to sign a magical contract too, to ensure no foul play.”

“You already hold all the cards, and yet you would still hedge your bets?” Justine smiled thinly at them. “You must care for Prince Simon a great deal, Your Majesty.”

“He is a valued advisor to Cocagne’s Crown, and you would be wise to keep that in mind,” Remedia replied, her tone a little more icy, dismissing Justine with a wave of her hand. Two Shadowguards appeared out of nowhere. “Please guide Lady Eligos to her new accommodations.”

The fallen duchess bowed politely as she was escorted out of the room, leaving the queen and Simon alone. Remedia used a spell to cause the Changeling Crestone to levitate in her hand as she thoroughly examined it. “Please tell me you didn’t sleep with that snake, Simon.”

“I haven’t, Your Majesty,” Simon reassured her. “Our ball date was my sister’s idea of a joke.”

Remedia sent him a knowing smile, understanding the irony of the situation perfectly. “Either way, this Changeling Crestone is truly a terrifying tool for infiltration,” she said, “None of my divinations could pierce through the disguise. I wonder if the Oracle has planted similar infiltrators in my Queendom too.”

“It is a possibility,” Simon conceded. “I’m not aware of any operation targeting Cocagne, but the Oracle runs a tight ship with strict operational security. No two cells are aware of the other’s activities.”

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“It wouldn’t surprise me if I were to find an elf or two in our Militarist Party.” Remedia incorporated the Changeling Crestone into her necklace for future study. “The Oracle doesn’t bother me as much as the Cobweb. The Rogue keeps running circles around us.”

Simon shared her frustration. Weeks of investigations had led them exactly nowhere. “Has Renal’s soul finally spoken up?”

“A little. It is finally sinking into his soul that his employer cannot do much worse than an eternity trapped in a gem, but he is still wary of telling too much. I suspect he believes the Rogue will steal back his soul sooner or later.” Remedia clasped her hands. “He claims not to know anything about the experimentations that took place in Lafontaine, nor how to use the Attic.”

“The Attic?” Simon scoffed. “Is that what the Cobweb calls its portal door network?”

“This Prince of Spiders does seem to have a sense of humor,” Remedia confirmed. “Renal did let it slip that the Cobweb was currently sinking considerable resources into establishing a foothold in Fablan. He was spearheading his organization’s efforts to take over the local underworld when he was recalled to deal with our attack.”

“Fablan?” Simon scowled immediately as he recalled Mastemo’s words about the tributaries’ secret protocols. “There’s likely a demonbarrow there.”

“I suspect as much. I am considering how to share this intelligence with their viceroy, though I fear they will rebuff me. Fablan, Bujan, and Scaland are taking every step possible to appear nonaligned in the civil war to come.” Remedia stroked her chin. “Then again, I do purchase a lot of art from Fablan. I could arrange a meeting under that excuse, depending on how tomorrow’s operation goes.”

Simon crossed his arms. “I should be in the field for it, not here.”

“It would be extremely unwise, Simon,” Remedia reminded him. “I have dispatched Filip to assist in the Goetia Research Facility’s takeover, not to mention Alphonse of Lore and the White Unicorn will also participate in the operation. The risk that you come to blows with them during or after the battle is too great.”

“I understand that, but still…” Simon sighed. “I worry for my sisters.”

“Sisters?” Remedia raised an eyebrow. “Norbelle included?”

“She is a vicious little goblin, and I would trade her for Lauriane anytime, but I don’t have anything against her personally.” Her personality annoyed Simon, but spending months in the company of Grimm and Gregory had taught him patience. “She has never tried to kill me yet, unlike some of my other siblings.”

“That is an absurdly low threshold to hold someone to, Simon,” Remedia pointed out with a hint of reproach. “And she threatens my son.”

“I know, I know, I’m not denying she’s a horrible person; only that I have no personal grudge against her.” In spite of everything. “Still, I hope all our preparations will pay off.”

“I am sure they will, Simon.” Remedia smiled at him. “We can review everything this evening during our spellcasting lesson, if it will ease your mind.”

“Yes,” Simon concurred. “Yes, I would like that.”

Their ‘evening lesson’ did involve some spellcasting, but otherwise mostly involved strenuous physical exercise.

Maintaining an affair with a married queen was a difficult task, since they had to forswear any open display of affection at the castle or in their day-to-day lives. Simon had to play the act of the pragmatic advisor and wait for Remedia to organize vanishingly rare meetings in a safehouse away from all prying gazes, though it made those meetings all the sweeter.

“I needed that,” Remedia said once they had finished their coupling. They both had some steam to blow off. “But this will be our last private meeting for a while.”

“What?” Simon protested. “Why?”

“We will have to stop meeting before Filip returns. He will know the moment his wolf catches a whiff of your smell on me or mine on yours.” Remedia let out a sigh. “Moreover, I fear we are only delaying the inevitable.”

“No one has to know, Remedia.”

“You are sweet, Simon, but someone always learns the truth,” Remedia replied with resignation. “There were already rumors of our affair before it became a reality, no doubt thanks to your sister. Someone will find evidence sooner or later. It may be a courtier who sees us, a spy we fail to notice, a word that gives us away…” She rested his head on his chest. “We should either stop here, or consider how to break the news ourselves rather than allow our foes to out us.”

Simon sighed as he stroked her hair. She was right, as always. Constantly watching over their shoulders out of fear of discovery would only keep the truth at bay for so long. He had lived enough double lives to learn that no charade lasted forever.

Moreover, there was one detail that bothered him… “Why are you so interested in Justine’s research?” Simon asked her, though he already suspected the answer. “It’s not just for the sake of curiosity.”

Remedia sent him a knowing look. “I told you on our first date,” she reminded him. “I want—I need—a daughter.”

Simon scowled. The truth wasn’t hard to glimpse. “You… want us to have a Visionary child. You want your own Norbelle.”

“Potentially,” Remedia replied. She didn’t sugarcoat the pragmatic truth. “A Visionary princess would go a long way towards alleviating the scandal our relationship represents. My people would see her birth as a sign of divine favor, and having a Magnos-blooded heir would also let me break Verdis’ engagement to Norbelle without alienating your family. The Militarist movement will be sidelined if everything goes well tomorrow too, which opens up new possibilities.”

Simon felt himself sinking into the bed, the weight of this information pressing down on him.

Children… The word scared him. He had considered starting a family with Anna back when he lived with her in the Berwick Islands, but that was before the true price of the Hundred Reigns curse became clear and obvious to him. He still recalled the sharp pain when he realized Anna had forgotten him, or when he lost all the progress he had made with Cassandra and her family. The reigns washed away everything, the past included.

Unborn children raised too many frightening questions. Balzam had managed to conceive Norbelle often enough in the past, which suggested some sort of fate could ensure a child’s birth, but what if… what if Simon couldn’t reproduce the right circumstances twice in a row? His relationship with Remedia only unfolded thanks to a series of events he doubted he could entirely replicate.

The oncoming Zodiac Parade clouded the future in shadows. What if they started a family and Simon perished as he did so often before, only to start all over again?

Simon had the feeling that going through something like that would destroy him.

“I’m not ready for that, Remedia,” Simon admitted. “Maybe not ever.”

“It is too early to discuss those things, Simon, but I won’t lie to you: if you are serious about this relationship, then we will need to address the issue eventually,” Remedia warned him calmly. “My Queendom needs an heir. If I divorce Filip and you cannot give me that, then I will need to remarry to someone else to get it. Your family does not leave me much choice in the matter.”

“I… I understand your position,” Simon replied. Their entire relationship wouldn’t have happened had Cocagne been stable in the first place. This Queendom was hanging by a thread, caught in a battle between giants. “It’s just a very big commitment, Remedia.”

“I know.” Remedia took his hand into her own and squeezed it. “I won’t force that responsibility on you if you do not feel ready or up to the task. We have some time to consider all the potential alternatives.”

Simon nodded and pulled her closer. Yes, there was still time to consider those questions.

He just hoped he could find the answers in this lifetime.

—----

Simon watched the Goetia Research Facility’s takeover from a country away.

Remedia gathered him and the rest of her general staff in the council room to witness the operation at dawn. The queen summoned a total of seven floating crystal balls, each of them linked to a second set in the hands of various commanders in the field. This allowed for swift communication without facing the risk of their messages being intercepted by the Goetia Research Facility’s staff.

The siege of Magvolia and the civil war’s opening salvo began with the sudden destruction of the War Party’s airship base by Cocagnian and Church Party saboteurs, and the public leak of Louis’ plans to bombard disloyal or undecided cities. The royalists and rebels quickly mobilized in accordance with the Oracle’s plan, as they did in the reign where Frightwall’s destruction unfolded, surrounding the Goetia Research Facility from all sides.

A repeat of Norbelle’s siege of the Goetia Research Facility unfolded, except the deck was now entirely stacked against the defenders. Lauriane had lost her aerial support, and Norbelle’s forces now included Alphonse’s party and larger Cocagnian reinforcements under Filip’s command. It didn’t take long for the Phoenix and Azulbolla to blow a hole past the defensive perimeter, which Frea, Alphonse, and their troops swiftly exploited.

It’s frightening how well things are going, Simon thought as he watched the fleeting images on the crystal balls. Frea blasted imperial defenders apart like she did with Simon’s cultists in the Darkwood, while Alphonse cut down a giant hound warbeast with skills he shouldn’t have at this point in time. Filip himself was quite impressive as well, raining down arrows of light from atop his giant wolf mount with deadly speed and precision. For all his faults, the man was worthy of his King Consort title. This is the vision the Oracle worked so hard to bring about.

And in spite of everything, her plan only unfolded because an Overlord allowed its completion. The Oracle was the mistress of no one’s destiny, not even her own.

Remedia lost contact with her allies once they entered the facility itself, since not even she could pierce through its wards, but those that remained outside let them see enough. Terrible explosions began to rock the facility, blasting apart entire chunks of its steely exterior and causing floors to crumble.

“What’s happening?!” one senator shouted in alarm. “Did they ignite the manaliths by accident?!”

“Or intentionally,” Simon muttered, having suspected something like this. There was no way Lauriane would allow such a facility to fall into enemy hands. “The defenders must have triggered a self-destruct protocol of some kind.”

Remedia scowled as more blasts flashed on her crystal balls, though she let out a small breath of relief when Filip, Alphonse, Frea, and a handful of their companions ran out of the burning facility. The entire building quickly collapsed on itself, crushing anyone unlucky enough to be caught within its vicinity in a flood of dust and smoke.

“His Majesty made it out,” one of the generals said. “That’s a relief.”

“But what of Princess Lauriane?” a senator argued. “Did we capture her?”

“I do not see her, and none of our soldiers know of her whereabouts,” Remedia replied, glancing at Simon.

Simon clenched his fists and prayed to the Light for mercy as he opened telepathic communications with his spymistress. “Shabram? What of my sister? Is she with you?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” his spymistress replied, to his relief. “We are boarding a ship to Telluria now.”

“Good.” Simon took a long, deep breath. “Everything has gone as planned then.”

Simon knew Lauriane would always prefer to evacuate with all the forces she could gather rather than fight a doomed battle, so he had Shabram suggest using an escape route back to Telluria where Louis and Dassein still held sway.

“This is a historic day,” Remedia told her council, a smile of deep relief on her face. “Prince Simon’s strategy worked perfectly. Magvolia is ours.”

The council room erupted into cheers, for she was right: the War Party couldn’t hope to hold the region with the loss of Goetia and no airship fleet to quell the rising Magvolian rebellion. Most of their loyalists would either flee to the far east in Telluria to continue the fight with Louis or surrender.

Either way, this meant the White Unicorn would soon take over Magvolia and the Church Party would dominate the south of the continent. Cocagne could then scale down its support of them, having secured its border and its place on the civil war’s winning side.

Simon had fulfilled Remedia’s second wish, and he was thus one step away from claiming the Mage Crestone.