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.”