The barracks were open, but Amelia allowed the two of us to use her personal bathroom instead of the communal showers.
While I showered, Isabella stood guard just on the other side of the curtain.
A few minutes later, I heard he door open.
Can we have some damn privacy?
"Well, hello beautiful. I was hoping to catch you as you were washing up, but this is almost as nice," the imposing guard from before said.
"You are trespassing. Leave at once or I'll paint the walls red with your entrails!" Isabella hissed.
"She's married, buddy. And not interested in trash. Can you leave?" I said.
I could see the silhouette of Isabella holding Bravery to his throat.
At that moment I heard heavy footsteps.
"Lieutenant! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" Amelia shouted.
"Eh...umm...I just wanted to ensure that the Princess was okay!" The Lieutenant said.
"This filth was trying to have his way with me. I demand that he leave at once before I cut him down!" Isabella said.
"The bathroom is in use! NOT OPEN INVITATION!" I shouted.
Seriously, what's wrong with these people? Can't they see we're just trying to get cleaned up? This was why one of us had to stand guard!
"You damn liar! GET OUT NOW!" Amelia shouted at the Lieutenant.
I heard the Lieutenant run away and turned the water off. I wrapped a towel around my waist and peeked out.
Amelia had already left.
"Don't worry, Mizik. No one will bother us now," Isabella said with a smile.
I stepped out and sighed.
"It's like they just don't care that someone is showering in here..." I said.
Isabella looked me up and down and smiled. Her cheeks flushed slightly.
"Isabella?" I said.
"S-sorry...you should probably get dressed..." She said.
Normally someone would avert their eyes, but she continued staring.
I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at her.
"What!? We're married, aren't we? Besides, it's not like we haven't...seen each other. You know..." She said.
I shook my head.
"Whatever...just get cleaned up, okay?" I said with a smile.
"Gladly," Isabella replied.
Within minutes, she was showering behind the curtain and I was standing guard in some clean clothes with Vengeance at the ready.
"Isabella, how long have you known about Bravery?" I asked.
"What do you mean?"
"How long has it allowed you to use it?"
"If I'm being honest, since a few days after your passive attached itself to me. I wasn't sure where the voice was coming from, but I realized it the moment I held Bravery in my hands before we left."
"And you didn't say anything?"
"There was no reason to. I didn't plan to use it because it was supposed to be a bargaining chip. But that didn't work out."
"I can't apologize enough for doubting you... I was just scared of losing you."
"How do you think I feel!? You've almost died horribly two times since we met! I feel like you'll just die the moment I leave you alone for too long! I need to protect you."
"I'm not that fragile! I can take quite a beating!" I said proudly.
"That's the problem, Mizik! You're not supposed to take a beating! From now on, trust me to protect you," she said.
"Yes dear...." I said.
I learned that from my father.
Unfortunately...
"Don't 'yes dear' me! I want a genuine agreement!"
"Very well, I promise that I'll trust you to protect me from now on. Please be my shield, Isabella. Also you're beautiful and I love you..."
Thanks, Dad...
"You're such a charmer, Mizik. You learned that from your father, didn't you?"
Damn you, Dad...
"Guilty..."
Isabella sighed and stepped out of the shower in a towel.
She walked straight up to me and grabbed my collar, then pulled me into a kiss.
"Umm...Isabella...?" I said.
"I think I deserve a reward for putting up with you. But that's for later," She said.
"You're being...a lot more forward than normal..." I said.
"Ah...it's this damn sword! I feel like I can literally do anything with it. I feel invincible! I guess they don't call it Bravery for nothing, right?" She said.
"Actually...I think I like this. But I still love your normal self. When I saw you taking those attacks like they were nothing, I sort of fell in love with you all over again," I said.
Isabella smiled sweetly.
"Now you know how I feel every time I see you fight on my behalf," she said.
"R-right... Well, maybe you should...get dressed?" I said.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She said.
"No! I mean yes, but that's not why... That sword is really messing with you, isn't it?" I said.
"It is and I can't help it!! I'm sorry! But I'm also not sorry..."
"I think I understand?"
* * *
After that, Isabella put on some clean clothes and we sat with Amelia in a meeting room.
"Mizik Iratus. That is your name, yes?" Amelia asked.
"Yes, ma'am," I replied.
"What sort of wayward family member of ours would have the audacity to have children out of our household? And furthermore, who would name you an Iratus? Tell me the dog's name."
I shifted uncomfortably. She'd be quite surprised.
"My mother was a waitress who worked in a tavern in Lorelei. Her name was Karia Kneltol. Later, it was Karia Iratus once they were married. My father was Sir Ulysses Iratus," I explained.
Suddenly Amelia's eyes went wide and she stared at me in shock.
"Ulysses!? Our Ulysses!? As in the former household head!?"
"Yes. That would be him. I have documents to prove it," I said as I pulled out his satchel from my inventory and pushed it across the table.
Amelia quickly looked at the satchel and eyed me.
"You said the documents are in here?"
"Yes ma'am."
"That would be enough to set you up as a temporary household head, but..."
"But?"
"Nevermind that for now. This was his personal bag. He kept all his private belongings in it. And I would know because I bought it for him. Stupid disorganized fool... Old fashioned, too. He didn't care much for the inventory function," She said.
"You knew him?" Isabella said.
"I would hope so. He was my older brother. I loved him dearly and he taught me everything I know about battle. He saved my life countless times..." Amelia said sadly.
"So you're..."
"Your Aunt, it seems. You are my nephew. I can't believe I tried to kill my own nephew... Well, the good nephew, anyway..." Amelia said.
"Good nephew?" I asked.
"By comparison, you're a Saint. I barely know you and I can say that. Our oldest brother had a son who is the current head of the family. His name is Tyranus and he's a demon wearing human skin."
"Yes...we met him. He came to an interview before our wedding. It seems like he was threatening Mizik's life for some reason," Isabella said.
"Probably sending a message. He knows about Ulysses and likely found out about you as well. It's understandable that he wouldn't want you nearby because you present a threat to his power. As evidenced by the contents of this bag," Amelia said.
She pulled a key out of her inventory and opened the satchel. She peeked inside, pulled out the documents and nodded.
"Just as I suspected. You're telling the truth. This is his official seal...as irrelevant as this is now..."
"Why is Tyranus in charge? Didn't you say my father had an older brother? And even if he's dead, shouldn't you be in charge?" I asked.
Amelia put the documents away and closed the satchel.
"That is no simple question. Of the three of us, I am the only remaining child between Ulysses and Waldo. Waldo died under unknown circumstances. We suspected foul play and later Ulysses was assigned to Lorelei by the Emperor of Kalsa. However, no one can confront him on conspiracy due to certain problems..." She explained.
"What sort of problems does he present?" Isabella asked.
"I'm sure you may have realized this upon meeting him, but Tyranus is a monster. He is by far the most overwhelmingly powerful warrior to ever come out of our family. At least in the last three hundred years or so..."
That complicated things. We needed to control the household to gain the Emperor's cooperation. If Tyranus was in power and couldn't be expelled, then we were at another impasse.
We don't have the luxury of time!
"Well, I want to ask, what are you doing here? If you're part of the family, why are you guarding the border?" I asked.
"The short answer is that I don't know. Tyranus had me reassigned for reasons unknown to me. Likely due to not wanting political rivals... Despite this, he claims to have an absolute hold on the seat of power. He possesses the sacred family skill. Which unfortunately makes your documents and claims irrelevant."
"We have a sacred family skill? Since when?" I asked.
"Ulysses didn't teach you? Ah, of course he didn't... They probably didn't let you go to school in Lorelei and Ulysses wasn't likely to force involvement on you until you were older. But essentially, the Iratus family has a special skill given only to the true heirs of the family. It's how leadership is passed down. It's also the reason our line of succession differs from other noble families and why I'm not the current head. Descendants and family members can only become the temporary head until a skill holder is found."
"And what is that skill called?" I asked.
"The previous owner of it was Ulysses. It is what made him into the ferocious warrior that he was. The skill is a manifestation of our family's ferocity. It is appropriately called 'Rage of Iratus'. But the advanced forms of it go by similar names. Ulysses used a version called 'Supreme Rage of Iratus'."
"Mizik, isn't that...?" Isabella said.
"Yeah. Amelia, how many people can have that skill at the same time?" I asked.
"Only one. As I said, it only moves to the true heir of the family, whomever that may be, and it is very particular about its choice."
"I'm actually in possession of that very skill," I said.
Amelia stared at me in shock.
"Are you sure!? That is quite the claim, Mizik. You have Rage of Iratus?" Amelia said.
"I can demonstrate if need be. Or if you have a viewer stone..."
"No. That won't be necessary. You've already proven that you can be trustworthy. But I have to ask, how long have you had it?"
"Mizik has had this ability for a while now. Well over a year I think," Isabella said as she looked at me.
"If you possess the sacred skill, then Tyrannus' claim is false. You are the true heir to our family, Mizik. Now, what is it that you want with us?"
"Amelia, we need to convince the Emperor of Kalsa to help us in the united front. The world is in grave danger," I said.
"I would love to help. Despite Kalsa's grudge against Albatross, we still wish to protect the world. Unfortunately, the Emperor of Kalsa is a useless puppet. He doesn't make decisions on his own. If you want to get our help, you will need to convince him to act," Amelia said.
"And how should we do that?" Isabella asked
"He must first recognize that there is a threat. Up until now, this mysterious dark substance has been ravaging secluded parts of our country," Amelia replied.
"You mean the Black Ooze?" I said.
"The what?"
"That is the official name given to it by Albatross and several other countries. That monster we killed was spawned by it. You could say that we have experience fighting these things," I said.
"Then before I continue, I need to know more. What is the Black Ooze?"
"We don't know exactly what it is or where it comes from. Hell, we don't even know if that's what its real name is. But the Black Ooze is a harbinger for the end of the world."
Amelia took a deep breath and sighed. She remained ever stoic as she narrowed her eyes at me.
"What else do you know?"
* * *
I spent the next hour explaining everything we knew about the Black Ooze to Amelia and showing her my notes.
It was also a good opportunity to let Isabella in on some of my theories about the Ooze.
In short, Isabella was shocked to see exactly how much effort I had put into researching this substance, but also mightily impressed.
I couldn't help but notice her staring in admiration. I was quite proud of myself, actually.
Amelia was horrified at the things I told her, however.
Despite this, her expression did not deviate from the norm. I could see her shaking as I explained the situation.
"Is this truly the end of the world?" She asked me.
"I don't know. But it will be if we can't stop it. In all honesty, we don't have time to spare on political nonsense. We need to form a united front with the rest of the world to stand a chance. If we don't..."
"Our world will be consumed. Just like this Oracle said, yes?" Amelia said.
"Precisely."
"Then orders be damned. We're going to Noir. I'll lead the way and ensure that no one stops you. If you want to get the Emperor's attention, you must reason with Tyranus."
"Is that possible?" I asked.
"Likely not. Tyranus is a madman, but we won't know until we try."
"Then we're agreed! Let's go to Noir and speak with Archduke Tyranus. I will do my best to negotiate with him. Mizik, I would like your support," Isabella said with a determined smile.
I nodded to her and we began preparing to set out once again.
Just as I was about go leave, I remembered something.
"Amelia."
"Yes? Did you need something, Mizik?" She replied.
"I need an answer for something. How did you know about Ulysses but not about me and Isabella?" I asked.
That was something that bothered me a bit. It felt like a loose end...
"It's almost as if you think of me as untrustworthy with such a question... But I will answer. One of my men told me about Ulysses. He didn't mention a son, however, or the Princess. Just that Ulysses had somehow perished. I didn't even know that the Black Ooze had killed him," she said.
"That man was one of the guards assigned to protect my father in Lorelei. He and his comrade left and never returned under the guise of petitioning the Emperor of Kalsa for more funds. I wanted to ask him if he knew anything..."
"I see. Well, the weight of his sins has judged him, sadly. After the monster attack, we found his half-eaten corpse on the ground," she said.
"Damn it all..."
"No worries. There is another, yes? What was his name?" She asked.
"I can't tell you. I only know his face. Dad never really spent time with them unless he was dealing with political matters. Usually those concerning Duke Oswald in Lorelei. Other than that, they were hardly ever around."
"They never spoke with you?"
"A few times I talked to them, but they never introduced themselves. They didn't seem like they wanted anything to do with me at the time. I felt the same way..." I said angrily.
"Well, the soldier in question was named Jake. He was sent here alone and never mentioned a comrade."
"How long ago was this?" I asked.
"About eight months ago he was stationed here. Before that, I don't know. But Ulysses perished over a year ago, yes? That leaves a large gap in their activities. I'm guessing you want to know why your father was sentenced to die alone in a strange town so far from home. Is this correct?" Amelia said.
I nodded as I gritted my teeth.
I wanted to make these bastards pay for casting him away like rotten trash and leaving him to die.
I had a sneaking suspicion that Tyranus may have had something to do with it as well.
"Thank you, Amelia. Can I count on your help to bring these people to justice?" I asked.
"I will give my life to avenge my dear brother. And I will do everything in my power to aid you, Mizik."
I nodded to Amelia and left to get everything ready to leave.
After we spent several hours helping with cleanup, we organized our troops then got the horses some food and water. Our soldiers received rations.
Since it was late, we decided that we would wait until sunrise the next day to get moving.
That night, Isabella and I were able to share a bed together and sleep comfortably instead of being in the carriage.
Amelia considered us to be important guests and allowed us to use the private quarters usually given to high-class visitors such as nobles or royalty.
The 'Lieutenant' also tried to stop by, but Amelia threatened to have him executed if he continued harassing Isabella. He ran away with his tail between his legs.
Good thing, too. He was underestimating me far too much. If he laid a finger on Isabella, I would personally gut him like a fish.
That is...if I got to him before she did.
She was, after all, the holder of Bravery. She had just as much power as me and Walter did now.
The next day, we planned to set out. We were running out of time to save the world and needed to get the united front together as soon as possible.
However, in all honesty...
I wasn't convinced there was even a point...