"To think that boy would be an Auslese...", Colonel Bright uttered, still in shock and disbelief after hearing Queen Alicia's declaration to make Naoto the next Crown Prince of Liberl. While it is not set to happen right away, once Naoto returns, he will accept that role. Courtesy of Queen Alicia II. This might be Naoto's first big change to the original story. In the games, it is none other than Princess Klaudia next to Queen Alicia to succeed to the throne in the future. Players would even get to see this happen while playing through Estelle's story. That is when Kloe introduces herself as Princess Klaudia to them. By then, she's already set in stone to take the throne. Duke Dunan tries to take it away, but Princess Klaudia stops him by coming forth with her own identity as Liberl's Crown Princess.
But now, there's Naoto. He is to take that spot as Crown Prince. Whether or not this will have implications down the line, that remains to be seen...
"Your Majesty...", General Morgan uttered. Queen Alicia stood proud while saying that. It is clear as day that all of her emotions were in check when she declared that. General Morgan couldn't find a single fault. All he could do was salute. "I understand. As one of your Generals of our nation, I shall follow your will."
Seeing General Morgan salute Queen Alicia, Colonel Bright followed suit.
"As will I, Your Majesty. The next Crown Prince, huh? Seeing your successor like this, I am sure your parents who are sleeping peacefully in the Goddess's Halls are overcome with joy, Your Highness.", Colonel Bright said, glancing at her with a smile. "I hate to ask this, but isn't Liberl mostly a matriarchy?"
"For the most part, it is. Over half of our ruling family is female. But it isn't unheard for Liberl to have a King. Even my own son, Princess Klaudia's father, was set to succeed me, if it wasn't for that accident.", Queen Alicia answered. A hint of sadness appeared in her eyes.
"I am sure Father and Mother are resting peacefully as Colonel Bright said, Grandmother.", Princess Klaudia said, trying to respond with a smile. Despite being just six years old, she had enough time to get over her parents' death. At that time, she didn't have a clue. She was too young to understand. Eventually, she learned of it. Over the years, she managed to overcome this sadness. While not being able to have playdates with Naoto like the others could, having Naoto send Princess Klaudia letters played a big role to alleviate that. They became akin to pen pals. hearing that, Queen Alicia smiled.
"Oh little Klaudia. You really did go through a lot recently, haven't you? I may have to trouble you just for a little while longer. It is only temporary. You will have to act as the Crown Princess until Naoto returns to our side.", Queen Alicia said, and ruffled her fingers through Princess Klaudia's hair. She nodded, enjoying the comfort.
"Of course, Grandmother. It is only temporary, right? Brother Naoto will be the one to sit on that big seat.", Princess Klaudia answered, nodding.
"That's right. Push come to shove, you can even sit alongside Naoto as his Queen. That will be all up to you, though.", Queen Alicia continued to say.
"A Queen...", Princess Klaudia uttered to herself. She is but a child right now, but it was clear she held interest in her eyes. It wouldn't be like the Erebonian Empire where both the Emperor and Empress rule the nation together. Liberl is quite the opposite. It is a monarchy. There is only one given ruler at a single time. She wouldn't be "Queen" in the true sense if Naoto does end up as King, but she could still stay beside him. Hearing that, Colonel Bright shrugged his shoulders.
"Haha, this succession matter was definitely a surprise. It isn't like we can go against your words now, right, Your Majesty?", Colonel Bright asked.
"Do you plan to bring this up for discussion at the Royal Assembly this year, Your Majesty?", General Morgan decided to ask after staying quiet during this exchange. Queen Alicia shook her head.
"No. I will not let this go public until Naoto makes his return. Which is good, as this brings us to our next matter. Colonel.", Queen Alicia answered, looking at Colonel Bright this time.
"Yes, Your Majesty.", Colonel Bright responded, giving the Queen a salute.
"I shall let you lead the charge and devise countermeasures wherever our enemy decides to strike. Be ready to respond at a moment's notice, whether through our Air Force, The Royal Army, or our own Armored Divisions. You shall lead as their Commander. Commander Bright.", Queen Alicia announced. Colonel Bright remained unchanged by this announcement, and simply kept his salute at her.
"Yes, Your Majesty.", Colonel Bright responded, acknowledging her.
"You're giving Colonel Bright full command this time?", General Morgan responded, gaining interest. "I am assuming I will hold another role?"
"You assume correctly, General. You will lead a covert operation in my stead. I do not care how much it will require. You will have access to our full funds to accomplish this. Naoto said he could not disclose his current location. I want you to locate him. At all costs. Once found, deliver this information to me personally. Do I make myself clear?", Queen Alicia asked, showing her serious look again. General Morgan saw she was serious, just like before.
"I shall carry this order out to the best of my ability, Your Majesty."
"Good.", Queen Alicia said, smiling back at General Morgan...
Only this time, what General Morgan did not know was that the mission he received here was equivalent to trying to find a needle in a haystack...
THE NEXT DAY.
April 23rd. S1192.
A full day has passed since Queen Alicia declared her intent to have Naoto succeed her in the future by becoming Liberl's Crown Prince. To most, this was just a movement in the shadows. But to those who knew, change will be coming. Not now. But for what is to come.
Despite such a declaration, one particular person seemed to not have changed one bit, even with a full day passing. Back toward Hamel, the same Armored Knight still sat atop her branch. Arianrhod remained still for an entire day, but that didn't seem to bug her one bit. Instead, her mind seemed elsewhere.
"Is this really alright...?", Arianrhod asked. She neither slept, or ate. All she did was observe The Faceless play around with the kids of Hamel during this last day. He acted like he was one of the villagers. Blended through and through. That was The Faceless's specialty. He was good at mimicking someone he shouldn't be. And once he was ready to strike, he held the power of altering someone's consciousness. Not just wiping away their memories. No. The Faceless had the ability to act like he never existed. Like if someone never met him to begin with. That is why he is called The Faceless. A person with no face. No identity to hold his own.
This peacefulness Arianrhod observed did not last long. It was well into the night on April 23rd. Zemuria's moon held high in the sky. The darkness was no longer as dark. It soon painted red.
One. Two. Three. One after another.
Seeing the village light up before her, a voice reached out to Arianrhod. A person soon arrived following that voice.
"I didn't take you to be a sentimental person, Steel Maiden. I figured you're just here for results.", McBurn said, arriving beside her. "The monster wasn't half bad. Didn't match your strength by a long shot, but was still a decent challenge. Enough for the pups to handle it."
After saying that, McBurn's gaze traced Arianrhod's. It did not take long for the two to hear yelling. The bad kind. The villagers of Hamel screamed in terror as one house after another soon ignited into a blaze. Distant gunshots followed suit. Many houses were now on fire. Blazes rippled through the once-peaceful village. They were already being burnt to cinders, or actively being torn apart by what appeared to be people clad in green military-style clothing. Similar clothing to what the Royal Army wears in Liberl. It was like they too were part of the Royal Army. But that was an act. A deceitful act to paint Liberl as the enemy. The very same ploy that will put Erebonia and Liberl together in a fearsome war.
The Hundred Days War. This attack was the prelude to this.
Arianrhod and McBurn observed the ongoing attack with calm expressions. To Hamel, they were mere observers. They could not act. Seeing this, McBurn spoke.
"It looks like The Faceless finally decided to act. Will we even need the three days at this point? You going to join him?", McBurn asked, half-interested, half-lazy. Even seeing a village being burnt to the ground didn't excite McBurn much. Still, Arianrhod shook her head.
"I will not. Unlike The Faceless, I am not one to hurt the innocence of Man.", Arianrhod answered, shrugging him aside. "Should or when I decide to kill, it is for purpose and reason. I do not partake in needless slaughter.", Arianrhod said as a melancholic look appeared in her eyes.
"Haha, you say that Arianrhod, but this night does serve a purpose, doesn't it? I would not mind if you went down to have some fun.", A third voice said, calling out to the two. It was not Campanella. No this voice warped into existence with a swing of his staff. The very same one that he would use while facing Estelle and Joshua on the Liber Ark. He pushed his glasses upward slightly upon his arrival.
"Oh my, you already started the party without me, Faceless. I feel left out.", A fourth voice spoke, only to have them see a green magic circle appear on a branch nearby. This time it was Campanella. As for who the third person was, it was The Faceless. Campanella greeted them.
"Did you finish your report to the Grandmaster?", Arianrhod asked.
"I sure did. The Grandmaster was pleased with His Highness's response.", Campanella said, answering Arianrhod with a playful smile.
"Hmm? It sounds like I missed out on something.", The Faceless said, wanting to inquire on what happened between the members of Ouroboros.
"You could say that, Faceless. It looks like this Gospel Plan has begun. All we need to do now is watch.", A fifth voice said, calling out to them. It was a girl's voice this time. Vita showed up greeting them. She wasn't alone either. Two smaller figures rested near her. She frowned as she observed the fiery blue-haired man before her. "How could you leave us behind like that, McBurn? I know we took care of that monster and all, but you didn't have to ditch us like that."
"Kyuuu!", One of the two smaller figures said. That was Tamamo of course. A chilling mana ball of ice condensed out of her body, and was sent hurtling toward McBurn.
"Chirrp!", The second smaller figure said. Well it was more of a screech than a voice. It belonged to an azure bird of sorts. Vita's own Familiar, Grianos. Grianos flapped his wings at McBurn out of anger.
The ice ball landed on McBurn's body, but simply melted out of existence. He wasn't disturbed by this one bit. All McBurn did was yawn.
"I told you I ain't no goddamn babysitter, didn't I? If you got lost, that's your own fault.", McBurn responded. Even though he cursed at Vita, she smiled hearing that.
"Hehehe, oh I'm just kidding. Thank you for letting us hunt like that, Blazing Demon.", Vita said, thanking McBurn. Over this last day, Vita took both Grianos and Tamamo to some hunting grounds to gain some experience in the vast woodlands around Hamel. The monsters were not scarce by any means. Thanks to that, several Gamer Notifications came through, even with Naoto's absence. Tamamo was still figuring out how the Gamer System worked, but she decided to review those messages later. Not only could Naoto use it, Tamamo could use it too because she's his Familiar!
Still, McBurn scoffed at Vita. His previous lazy look shifted to annoyance.
"Tch, damn magic pets.", McBurn retorted. As he said that, he stretched his neck around.
"Well isn't this something. I see a new face. Or faces, in this instance.", The Faceless said, greeting everyone. Campanella nodded his head.
"You were still in Hamel at the time so you wouldn't know, Faceless. Some things happened. What you see before you is the Familiar of our newest recruit the Grandmaster had the pleasure of getting acquainted with. Well, he is not a member yet due to his present circumstances. Just like with Vita here, His Highness will be joining us in due time.", Campanella said, explaining the situation to him.
"His Highness...?", The Faceless uttered, still wondering who it was they were referring to.
"Kyuu.", Tamamo said, greeting the man before her. She strutted around in pride when Naoto's name was brought up. Hearing that, Vita giggled, and picked Tamamo up into her embrace. Tamamo didn't deny Vita's advance. She quite liked being around Vita.
"Hehe. The Grandmaster was gracious enough to extend an invitation to me. I wasn't the only one this time. The second person sadly isn't here right now as The Fool stated. I will not be joining immediately either. The Grandmaster offered one of the seats of the Anguis to me. The other person can either become an Anguis or an Enforcer. It all depends on his choice.", Vita said, also explaining the situation. The moment she mentioned the word "Anguis", The Faceless's gaze turned serious. After all, he held the same position.
"The Grandmaster offered the seat of the Anguis to a little girl like you?"
Hearing The Faceless say that, Vita didn't immediately respond. Instead, she took out her large staff. It was the same staff Roselia used. Well, not quite. It wasn't crimson in color. It was azure and green. The Faceless raised his eyes seeing this staff.
"...Isn't this an orbal staff the Epstein Foundation is trying to develop? No...I feel something different...", The Faceless uttered, observing the staff for a moment.
"Received it personally from Grandmother for having me completed my training. It is a fully functional staff of a Witch. It was imaged in the same way of what our Elder uses. I did ask to use Grandmother's, but she can be surprisingly petty at times. Especially when it comes to her vegetables, hehe.", Vita said, giggling at the latter. "Still, the Grandmaster did indeed recently scout me out. It is a pleasure to meet another Anguis. Vita Clotilde of the Hexen Clan, at your service.", Vita continued to say, formally introducing herself to the group.
"The Hexen Clan...", The Faceless responded. "Now it's beginning to click. I did not think you would be from such a secluded clan. They like to keep to themselves, don't they?", The Faceless asked.
"For the most part. We do have something we'd like to call a Wandering Witch. I've already received permission to explore the outside world, you needn't mind me.", Vita answered.
"So it's the right place at the right time, eh? Either way, you can call me Georg Weissman. Most people just call me The Faceless, or Professor. It is up to you how you will address me. It is nice to see our positions are finally being filled.", The Faceless said, introducing himself.
"While I may have already accepted to join on paper, it isn't official. It won't be until Naoto decides to join. Until then, I'll be exploring Zemuria to my heart's content.", Vita happily said. "And we even have some new destinations in mind.", Vita continued, only to rub Tamamo's ears.
"Kyuuu!", Tamamo happily replied. The Faceless just stared at her. She brought up an unfamiliar name.
"Naoto?"
"Boy, we really haven't caught up in a spell, have we, Faceless?", Campanella retorted, half-jokingly. Vita just stared at him with a deadpan look in her eyes, and ignored him. "Naoto von Auslese. The Grandmaster sent him an invitation to join us. He did not decline right away either."
"Naoto von Auslese...", The Faceless responded, only to push his glasses upward again. "Even someone of royal blood caught the Grandmaster's eyes?"
Sadly, Campanella couldn't give him another response before they were all distracted by Hamel once again. It was much more set ablaze now, painting the darkness in a strange light.
Toward the center of the village, they saw a silver-haired boy speak to a black-haired girl with amber eyes for a couple of moments before retrieving a sword from one of the slain Jaegers. The black-haired amber-eyed boy stood next to the girl, paralyzed with fear. The silver-haired boy started to fight back.
After that, the girl took the black-haired boy, and dashed toward one of the edges of the village, making an attempt to escape. Unfortunately for those two, a stray Jaeger appeared, cutting them off.
On the spot, the girl decided to protect the boy, revealing her back to the Jaeger as she held onto him. She ended up getting stabbed in the chest several times. Her blood started pouring out, causing more shock to the boy.
The girl slouched over him, losing blood quickly. Seeing her unresponsive, this ruined the Jaeger's mood, and by some miracle, he left the black-haired boy alone. He returned to the village to try to have some "fun".
As the black-haired boy failed to comprehend what was happening before him, in another direction of the village, a sole brown-haired kid even younger than the boy actually managed to outwit a couple of Jaegers that were giving chase to him.
This brown-haired boy fled into the woods, vanishing from sight. If one had a close look, he clutched his left eye. Blood seeped out of it. The direction this boy was running in was toward the rest of the Sutherland Province to the north. Snot ran down as he cried. Blood mixed in thanks to his eye. He ran with all his might, allowing his tiny feet to carry him into the darkness of the night...
As for the silver-haired boy, he fended off several Jaegers and managed to catch up to where the black-haired girl and boy wandered off too in a moment of respite. Unfortunately for him, by the time he caught up to the two, he saw slash marks on the girl's body. Despite collapsing earlier, she had enough strength to say something to him, before passing away in the silver-haired boy's arms...
Trying to hold several emotions back including sadness, fear, anger, and desperation, a strange sense of clarity swept the silver-haired boy. Making a decision right then and there, he grabbed onto the black-haired boy who was still alive, and fled in a separate direction.
Seeing three people flee Hamel, Campanella observed all of this, and simply smiled...
The silver-haired boy was Loewe, and the black-haired boy was Joshua.
The brown-haired boy, on the other hand, had a much more cursed role than the other two.
In due time, he would become known as Ash Carbide, The Accursed One. The same person who would become the trigger for the Great Twilight.