In the aftermath of that incident back in Arles, Maddie called for a council between her, Lily, Ursura, Lady Henristone, Dame Atkins, and me. Eris, since she was my servant, was allowed to join the meeting.
"Lady Heeres is in good condition now, thanks to the timely efforts of the Lord Kuro and Dame Atkins to save her," the paladin captain reported.
"Ah, I nearly lost a paladin to those people…" Maddie didn't hide her anger. To her, the paladin guards were like a second family, similar to how she treats her maidservants. Of course, it's painful for her to lose even one of them.
"Any information as to the identity of those who attacked Dame Atkins' group?" Lily asked.
"None, Your Highness," Lady Henristone admitted. "I'll be honest; we were caught by surprise. We didn't know that another group is following the Lord Kuro and Her Majesty the Queen of Cherwind."
"I'm even surprised that the Paladin Guards are following us," I told them. "I thought the paladins are Her Holiness' guard corps, not ours?"
"Besides," Ursura added, "Kuro and I are more than a match to those who'd try to harm us."
"Says the one who froze in the middle of the shooting."
"Shut the fuck up, Kuro," the bear-woman countered.
"In any case," the Human Saint interrupted, "we need to know about the group behind the attack earlier. Who are they? What is their goal?"
"Well, let me start by showing you this," I fished something out of my pocket and presented it before them. "I got that thing from the scene itself. In fact, there were a lot these scattered around the entire area; I just took one for you to see."
"Err…" it was Lily, "…it looks like some sort of a tiny metal cylinder? What's that, a burnt gold?"
I shook my head, "Nope, that metal is called 'brass'. Basically, it's an alloy of metals called 'copper' and 'zinc', both of which can be found in my world. What you are looking at is actually called a 'shell casing', something that is used to fire guns on Earth. It is part of a 'cartridge'; the open end here originally contained a 'bullet', and the hollow part is where all the gunpowder—or 'demon powder'—is stored until firing."
"Hmm…based on what I'm seeing in your mind, Kuro," Maddie said, "that time of bullet is from an advanced type of gun from your world."
"Yes, you're right. Although, I'm not sure of what exact type of gun; all I can say is that, this either came from a pistol, a revolver, or a submachine gun," I explained. "Well, judging from the sound of gunfire earlier, we can rule out the possibility of a submachine gun and instead focus on a pistol or a revolver."
"…"
After all that I said, I just noticed that the entire room was quiet while I elaborated. They just gave me blank stares, perhaps waiting for some more explanations.
"A revolver is a small firearm, like a matchlock pistol, only with a revolving mechanism where you can store up to six bullets for firing before loading it again," I drew a rough sketch of the weapon I'm talking about. "It is designed to increase the rate of fire, as opposed to our current gun—'demon weapon' models here, which is 'one shot, one reload'."
"Oh…"
"Then the pistol is also a small firearm, albeit you load more bullets to its magazine, and contains a more complex firing mechanism than the revolver," I followed the pistol sketch with a submachine gun drawing as well. "A submachine gun is a bigger version of the pistol, and with faster firing rate, too."
"Wow…I didn't know your world invented those deadly things," Lady Henristone quipped. "Are you sure your people is in their sane mind?"
"Trust me, what you're seeing is only the tip of the iceberg," I told her. I don't know how the paladin captain would react if she learned about nuclear missiles, jet fighters, and aircraft carriers prevalent on Earth. We got way too efficient in killing each other.
"Ah, before we got lost in the conversation," Lily interrupted, "I'm confused as to how we would identify your attackers with that thing."
"Well, it's simple. Those guys were using advance weaponry, possibly from my old world."
"And…?"
"Well, if you remember, when I returned from Cherwind, you and Maddie were at the Chersea-Cherflammen border fighting against the army of those nobles who conspired to eliminate me. They were using several howitzers—an artillery piece from Earth—back then, right? And some of them even possessed rifled guns, which has an increased range and accuracy compared to the 'demon weapons' made here."
"Ah! So that's why they could shoot at us from that distance," Lily blurted out. "And here I was, thinking that they keep on getting lucky with their shots."
"And you were thinking of charging them with your sword, right?" the Human Saint said. "See? You almost got yourself killed without inflicting a single dead to them!"
The Head Maid could only laugh at her foolhardy decision back then.
"So, uh, Kuro…" Ursura finally spoke again, "…you're meaning to say that those guys and the group that attacked us are the same?"
"That's impossible, Lady Ursura," Maddie corrected her. "Those nobles and their armies were thoroughly destroyed by Kuro back then. And besides, those advance weapons didn't exactly come from the nobles themselves; those were sold to them by an unidentified man."
"Unidentified man, huh?"
"Yes," I backed the Human Saint. "I'm actually thinking of that other aspect. It's possible that our attackers—who have these kinds of weapons, and the man who sold those armaments to the nobles, belong to the same group."
"So if we go by that logic," Lady Henristone said, "the conclusion is, we're dealing with dangerous people here."
"But what's their goal? Why did they attack us?" Ursura asked.
Silence filled the room once again. Obviously, no one had a clue as to what objectives that 'group' had in mind when they caused that incident. For everything that we discussed, we could only confirm one thing: someone's moving in the shadows once again.
"…"
And I guess I have to talk to Jules about this…
Meanwhile, as I was busy thinking about my options, I didn't notice that Maddie's eyes were looking at me that moment.
----------
Ah, fortunately, I came to this place again. I got a lot of questions for Jules lately.
"Welcome!" the former god greeted me the moment I appeared before him. "I heard you want to see me?"
Instead of answering him right away, my eyes went around his garden for a bit. In contrast to the earlier times I was here, the mood in Jules' garden today was neither easy-going nor tension-filled. His laptop was missing from his table, and so were the other fanciful items I would often see whenever I come here. The garden was well-kept as usual, the metal table and chairs were neatly arranged, and much to my astonishment, Jules wore a rather formal suit.
"Did…something happen here?" I asked. "You look different."
"I always base my appearance on the occasion," he answered. "And this time, it's not me who's seeking you; you're the one looking for me."
"Is that so?"
The former god grinned and caused the chair near me to move, without him actually holding it, "Please, have a seat."
I obliged. The next thing I knew, there was a cup of steaming hot coffee on my side of the table. Looks like Jules prepared for my appearance here, eh?
"I'll be direct with you, Kuro," he pulled out his own coffee cup from somewhere, then took a sip before continuing, "Whatever it is in your mind, it's true."
"Hm? You mean the origins of those 'advance' weapons?"
Jules nodded, "I heard from my 'heavenly friends' that the shell casing you hold is from a Stim & Nesson revolver. And no, it's not the old, vintage ones from your world's past, but rather a contemporary one—a gun that is widely used in your timeline there."
"How did it get here?"
"That's what I'm still trying to figure out," the former god elaborated. "But, in any case, the paladin who was injured—Lady Antonina Heeres, is it? She's not the target of that bullet."
"I know; it must've been meant for me." I could feel the hairs on my arms and nape stood on its end as I said that. I mean, there's no other reasonable target in that group aside from me and Ursura. And when Lady Heeres got shot, I was standing beside her, whereas Ursura was behind the Dame Atkins.
"Well, let's say your hunch is correct on one part."
"Which is?"
"The bullet is really for you."
"Right."
"But according to my sources, it's not meant to kill you."
"Huh?"
"Okay, let me be clear on this one. The details are not yet clear, as I only had to rely on my 'friends' because of my limitations as a mortal. But its seems you've also become a target of your waifu #1's enemies."
"Waifu #1? You mean, Maddie?"
"Wow…you got so many girls ogling and loving you, you don't know which is which?" Jules stared at me with disbelief. "Of course, waifu #1 is the Human Saint!"
"You could've just tell me straight instead of getting sarcastic."
"I love sarcasm," the former god grinned. "In any case, now that you know your waifu #1 has hidden enemies, the next thing you'd want to know is their identities, right?"
"Of course," I took a sip of the coffee Jules gave me. "We're not talking about Seirna here, is it?"
"Spare her your suspicious, Kuro," the former god quipped. "I know you guys had a rough start, but that fanatical idiot isn't involved in this brewing storm this time."
"Brewing storm, huh? Seems like an ominous phrase to me, if you put it that way. So, who are those fuckers trying to kill my fiancée?"
"Have you heard of the 'Knights of Cassandra David'?"
I was taken aback by his revelation. The 'Knights of Cassandra David'…weren't they the demon cult with rising influence at the demon land of Cherflammen?
"Whatever did Maddie do to them to earn their ire?" I could feel my heartbeats increased its pace, as my hands began to shiver. No, I'm not cold; rather, I'm getting fuming mad. Those fuckers tried to harm me so they can hurt my fiancée? Fuck them, I'll make sure those people pay!
"Calm down, Casanova," Jules had an amused look on his face. "I'm trying my best to get some more details about that group; until then, the information I can give you would only be purely speculative. But yes, think about it. The paramount ruler of the humans, the Human Saint Madelaine Ann Rubinforth, is an advocate of peace. And so is the most powerful demon lord in Cherflammen, Prince Hurion Devras IV. As you are aware by now, the humans and demons don't exactly have an 'amicable' past together. Of course, they're bound to have some of what you call in your world as 'extremists', seeking the annihilation of the other race. See, when the Demon Saint, Natasha Bellingsen, disappeared, these fools banded together to form the 'Knights' and decided it's time to act and spread their malicious lies to the gullible demon clans—still eager to avenge their defeat in the last war against Chersea."
"So you're saying that someone's trying to start a twelfth Human-Demon War?"
"Chersea and Cherflammen have its respective share of extremists, you know? Can you imagine, what would happen if those idiots rule over their respective people?"
"There'll be war to the bitter end."
"You could say it that way," the former god let out a sigh. "And with your introduction of military innovations—guns, aerial carpet bombing, and the like, that prospective war is going to be bloodier than the first eleven conflicts combined."
"Shit…"
"Well, anyway, at least you're now aware of what's happening. The best thing you can do is try to stop those demon cultists," Jules offered his hand for a shake. "I know it's a herculean task, but with your credentials, I'm sure you can pull it off. And of course, I won't stay on the sidelines. This is the world I created, and I'd do anything to protect it. You'll have me as your ally."
"Thanks for that." I shook his hand.
"I'll call you back here once I learned something new, so until then, keep yourself alive."
"Heh, it would take more than those deranged cultists to bring me down," I told the former god. "You know that yourself, Jules."
----------
And so, after that visit to Jules' garden, I woke up in my bed, with the clock showing that the 'long sleep' was over, and a new day had dawned.
"…"
If I remember correctly, it was Saturday when Ursura and I went on an impromptu date, and got attacked by cultists. So, today's a Sunday, huh? Nothing much on my schedule this time, I think? So I guess I could spend more time with the ladies.
Yeah, we should make full use of our free moments, for tomorrow, we're going back to our 'business mode' once again…
"When I saw your plans for today in your head, I can't help but get excited."
"Oh?" Maddie's voice drew my eyes towards the top side of my bed. I saw her floating above me, "Good morning!"
The Human Saint swooped down and laid beside me, "I was waiting for you to wake up, see? Good morning as well, Kuro!"
"Ah right, I'll be cooking breakfast for you guys." I tried to leave my bed, but Maddie stopped me.
"Just stay here, Kuro," she said. "Lily's been working on it, anyway."
"Oh…"
"I think Eris and Lily would bring our breakfast here in a moment. For the meantime, let's stay here like this…" then, Maddie cuddled with me.
Hmm…I guess it's not a bad idea then, spending time with her on a Sunday 'morning', doing nothing but cuddling together.
"…"
Yeah, I'll fight for this peaceful life, even if I have to face an army of crazy demon cultists to do that.
"Kuro?"
"Yep?"
"What are you thinking right now?"
"Ah, I was thinking of fighting an entire cult of demons, if I have to protect this life with you and the others."
"Why is that so? We're at peace with Cherflammen, as far as I know."
"Nah, it's about making war against Cherflammen. I'm just referring to those cultists calling themselves 'Knights of Cassandra David'."
"Huh? 'Knights of Cassandra David'? Isn't that the cult Lady Gratianni was telling us before?"
"I guess so? But hey, listen, I got some important matters I need to pass to you," then without speaking, I relayed to Maddie the information I got from Jules by having her read my thoughts.
"I see…" she commented after learning all that I knew about the 'Knights'. "To think that some individuals are thinking of creating another war…haa, this is exhausting already."
"I'm sorry you have to see all of that. Looks like the road of good intentions is always paved with tears and sorrow."
"Indeed, and all that I wanted is for our peoples to peacefully co-exist," Maddie buried her face on my chest, before asking, "In any case, where did you get all this information?"
"Hm? Didn't you see in my mind who's my source?"
The Human Saint shook her head.
"That's odd…" I re-imagined Jules' appearance, so that Maddie could check him. "Look into my thoughts once again."
She did what I told her, but without success, "Are you thinking of someone right now?"
"Well, uh, yes?"
"That's weird," she commented. "All I can see is blackness. Not even a recognizable image."
"Huh? Why is that?"
Maddie shrugged, "I don't know as well. But since it's like this, you can just tell me straight who's that person."
"I don't know if you'll believe me, but after a certain incident back in Cherwind, I'm communicating directly with Chersea's former god, Gaius. He goes by the name 'Jules' now, though."
Right at that moment, Maddie's eyes grew wide in shock, as if she just heard the most unbelievable thing ever.
"What's the matter?" I asked, quite alarmed.
"N-Nothing!" she replied, though her face went pale. "The information you gave me about the cultists came from that man claiming to be the Lord Gaius?"
"Y-Yes?"
Maddie suddenly stood and paced impatiently in my room. I could tell from her expression that she wanted to say something to me, yet for some reason, she could not.
"Maddie, are you alright?" I also stood up to check on her.
"Yes!" so she says, but I knew Maddie just forced it out of her lips.
"Err…you don't look okay to me, though."
"Kuro!"
"Yes?"
"I'm begging you, please stop talking to that man, or whatever he is!"
"H-Huh?" I was bewildered when she suddenly raised her voice. "But Jules helped me—"
"Please!" Maddie pleaded, falling on my arms, almost panicking.
"Err…o-okay?"
"I-I'm…I'm sorry!" the Human Saint then pushed me away for a bit, then uttered a teleportation spell. "I need to be alone for a moment." And with that, she disappeared from my room.
What the heck's going on?
----------
**Maddie**
I don't know what to do. What my mother told me before was true; Kuro was talking to the Lord Gaius, and he's being manipulated!
"…"
I just couldn't face Kuro with what I just learned, so I ran away to my private chambers to contemplate. Honestly, I wanted to see my mother, even if it's in a dream, once again. I wanted to ask so many questions about what happened. Drowning in my confusion and sadness, I let myself fall on my bed and covered my face with a pillow.
I want to see you again, Mama. Please come into my dreams…
"See what I'm telling you, Madelaine?"
"!!!"
At that moment, I saw my mother's spirit sitting on the other end of my bed. I don't know whether I really fell asleep that quick, or I was seeing things. I could tell I was in my private chambers, but everything felt surreal. Nevertheless, Mama's smile looked as if she was triumphant, and I did all the wrong things.
"Your man cluelessly admitted to communicating with that old god. Your Kuro has no idea of the person he's dealing with—that deity was the one who brought forth the eleven Human-Demon Wars himself!"
"What should I do, Ma? I don't want to lose him!"
Mama stood up and went beside me to calm me down. "Little Maddie, while I understand you love this person with all of your heart, you should accept the fact that he is an 'otherworlder'."
"What…What are you trying to say?"
"He's not of this world. His fate was never tied to its destiny, no matter how much he try his best to push it forward. And most importantly, Kuro is not the man you're destined to spend your life with."
My heavy heart sank even further when I heard those painfully blunt words of my mother. "Kuro…I don't care about my fate; I want to be with him!"
Mama just stared at me while tears fell from my eyes. Then, with a deep sigh, she said, "Little Maddie, have you ever thought why I returned from the afterlife to see you?"
"You said you wanted to guide me before, right?"
"Yes. No mother would want to see her child end up in a tragic fate," she gently smiled. "Do you remember the old Chersean saying about spirits?"
"The mortal wakes up and dies, but the soul sees through the future and others' lies?"
"Yes, that one."
"The old Saint, bless her name, always reminds me of that."
"And what do you know, Little Maddie? I thought before that it was just a metaphor. As it turned out, it was literally true!"
"What do you mean…"
Mama then held out her hand to me, "Come! I'll show you!"
Naturally, I took her hand, and in a blink of an eye, the scenery around us changed. My private chambers disappeared, and now we're at the middle of a grassy plain, with Chersea's light shining down on us.
"Where is this place?" I asked.
"This place? This is your land, inherited from your father."
"My land? Inherited?"
"Yes. This is several seasons in the future."
"Oh…"
"Mama!"
"!!!" At that moment, I heard several happy little voices laughing and calling out to their mother. Turning around, I saw four cute, young children running towards our direction. What was striking about those kids were their silver hair, and the silvery-blue eyes, similar to mine. They just went past us, as if we're not there. Following them, my eyes soon came upon a beautiful young, silver-haired lady, who bent down to meet them in her embrace.
"That's…me." I mindlessly uttered.
"Yes, and those are your children, Madelaine," I heard Mama say. "Beautiful kids, aren't they?"
"They are…"
"Well, that's your future, Little Maddie," she added. "Your ideal future."
"My ideal…future."
"Yes, the one where that man, Kuro, is gone."
I remained silent after she said that. I don't want to ask what happened to Kuro in this 'future', for I am afraid of what I'd learn…
"This is your future, Little Maddie. That 'otherworlder', Kuro was never part of it to begin with, and if you continue in this path with him, you'll only cause your ruin. He's a puppet of that former god, Gaius."
Tears resumed falling from my eyes.
"Madelaine, you are called to greatness. That is your destiny, woven into the very heart of this world from the beginning. You can't be someone's follower, and you can't possibly run away from it."
"I…" I tried hard to control my emotions; I'm about to bawl out. "I can't see my future without him—"
"Madelaine…" Mama put her hand on my shoulder. "Do you really want to see your future with Kuro?"
Silently crying, I nodded at her suggestion. My mother heaved another sigh, then uttered something. Like earlier, our scenery changed in a blink of an eye. The wide, grassy plain of Chersea was gone, and in its place, my private chambers in the Saint's Palace appeared once again. However, this time, instead of gold and white colors of the Holy Palatial Gardens, my room was filled with grey—Chersea's mourning colors.
"…"
At the middle of my bed was a person—a disheveled young silver-haired lady, sleeping. Her eyes had noticeable black rings around it, and she looked so frail, it's as if she would break if I touched her.
"This is…me, as well?" I asked.
My mother nodded, "This is the future you have with Kuro. A lonely, pathetic future unbecoming of a saint that you are."
"What happened…to Kuro?"
"I don't know…" she answered. "I'm sorry, Madelaine. I'm just a spirit; I can only see and show you the future, not change or know more about it."
I never removed my eyes from my 'future' self. As she lay there on my bed, weakened and pathetic, a small hope rose within me. "Mama…"
"Yes, Little Maddie?"
"You said that I'm a demi-god, right?"
"You know it yourself. You're the Saint of Chersea, the highest authority of this land, next to the heavens!"
"Then, by all means!" I pointed at my other self. "I refuse to become this girl."
"Ha?"
"Yes, Mama! I will not become this girl," I declared. "I'm the Human Saint, the Great Saint of Chersea, Madelaine Ann Rubinforth. A demi-god of this land!" I don't know what's gotten into me, but perhaps, I was driven into a corner by my desperation. "I will change my future, and no one—not even the spirits can stop me!"
----------
***Ursura's entourage, on their way back to the Chersea-Cherwind crossing…***
After discussing what had just happened to them that Saturday, it was agreed upon that Her Majesty the Queen Ursura would return to Cherwind as soon as possible. Considering that attack, as well as the 'advance' weapons they recovered from the camp of Kuro's enemies when he returned, he reasoned that because of the recent turn of events, it would be dangerous for her to stay in Chersea…which was his way of saying he 'didn't wish for her to get involve' with his hidden enemies.
"…"
In fact, Kuro also proposed that the Human Saint would come with her for the time being. But then, Her Holiness immediately turned down the suggestion.
"That Kuro…he's always like that," she muttered, as her carriage came to a stop at an Imperial outpost at the border.
"Hm? You're saying something, Your Majesty?" Chief Gislaine, who was to accompany her up to the crossing, asked.
"Haa…Chief Gislaine, will you listen to my request?"
"You know I'm always at your side, Your Majesty," the Eagle chief reassured.
"It's about Kuro."
"Yes?"
"He's about to dive into trouble again, see? I can feel it," the Cherwind monarch revealed. "You know him; Kuro may claim that he's powerless, or he's just lending a helping hand, but he's actually the 'heart' of many of us. I don't want any harm to come to him."
"Ooh…so you're saying…?"
"I'll order the chief of the kingdom's spy services to cooperate with you," Ursura told her, in a lowered voice. "Send some people to watch over him at his school. If it's gets too dangerous for Kuro, feel free to whisk him away to Cherwind—by force, if necessary. I'll be the one who will deal with Her Holiness the Human Saint in the diplomatic aftermath."