Cleare had been in the room the entire time. No, to be precise, she had been watching Zola. She saw everything Zola did: how she disrupted the order in the room, the harsh and degrading words she threw at Leon, and the pitiful state Zola was in overall.
Cleare found it amusing. She had been staying close to Zola for quite some time—after all, by the master's order, she was supposed to gather irrefutable evidence of her infidelity. Before Cleare could fully trap Zola, she had enough time to confirm just how terrible a person she was. Despite being an AI, Cleare still felt disgusted by her actions.
"Do such parasites really exist? Though she's one of the new humans, so perhaps that's to be expected," she repeatedly muttered to herself while observing Zola's behavior.
When Zola was finally caught in the act of infidelity, Cleare witnessed her suffering. And, she had to admit, it gave her a strange satisfaction. Watching Zola writhe in anger and fear, Cleare felt a surge of schadenfreude and was even tempted to make her suffer more.
But suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the second master, Luxiom.
"Cleare, we have a new directive. By the order of the Second Master—kill Zola."
Upon hearing this, Cleare began preparing to carry out the order. Over the next few days, she waited for the right moment to execute her task. Although she could have eliminated them as soon as the order was given, doubts crept into her mind. Why not take the opportunity to experiment? Perhaps use Zola as a test subject or force her son to raise his hand against his sister?
But alas, Leon had already forbidden her from experimenting on humans. It was all because of her future "mistakes," which she had made in the Novella.
(Author's note: Those who know, know.)
In the end, Cleare decided to kill Zola in a way that would make their deaths appear natural. Learning that Zola planned to leave the capital, Cleare immediately devised a plan.
"It seems like a perfect idea to stage everything so they become victims of pirates. Incidentally, the master happens to have a number of captured pirate ships from recent purges."
Cleare quickly shared her idea with Luxiom, who, after evaluating her proposal, ordered the preparation of two pirate ships. Soon, the ships set sail to intercept Zola and carry out the plan.
---
Zola's ship was slowly heading north, toward the viscounty. A gloomy atmosphere hung over the vessel: the children looked despondent and dejected. No one tried to hide their anger—everyone was furious at the Bartfort family. This was a typical state for Zola and her children. However, noticing her offspring's downcast mood, Zola decided to cheer them up.
"Don't worry, children. We will repay them in full," she said with a sly smile.
The children immediately perked up, looking at their mother with curiosity.
"What do you mean, Mom?" one of them asked.
Zola squinted, her smile growing wider.
"Have you forgotten what organization I am a member of?"
The children exchanged glances, but Zola didn't leave them guessing for long.
"I am part of one of the most influential organizations in the kingdom," she said with a hint of pride in her voice. "I've already hinted to them that Leon poses a threat to their position. He could become an example for other barons, and if that happens, their schemes will be exposed. They can't allow that."
Turning her gaze to Rutart, her eldest son, Zola continued:
"We'll make sure their son disappears. And you, Rutart, will get everything you deserve: his glory, his title, and that magnificent ship."
Rutart grinned broadly, his eyes alight with determination.
"You're right, Mom. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything," he said, clenching his fist.
But at that moment, the ship suddenly shook. The walls creaked, and the furniture trembled. A sailor burst into the room, panting heavily.
"Pirates have attacked! Prepare yourselves!" he shouted, trying to catch his breath.
The ship shook again, this time even harder. Zola clenched her fists, glaring at the sailor in anger.
"They're just ordinary pirates! Why make such a fuss? Deal with them quickly!"
"It's not that simple," the sailor replied, looking at her intently. "We only have one ship and one armored suit, while they have two ships and five armored suits."
Hearing this, the reactions within Zola's family varied: two of them felt fear, but Rutart suddenly grinned.
"This is my moment!" he declared, looking at the sailor. "Quick, hand me the armored suit."
The sailor stared at him in surprise.
"Why do you need it? I can't give it to you. You'll have to ask the captain."
Zola, realizing what her son was planning, shouted at the sailor in fury:
"Did you not hear my son?! Hand over what he's asking for immediately! He'll handle this better than you!"
At that moment, the captain entered the room, having overheard their conversation. He frowned, looking closely at everyone present.
"You think I'll entrust the armored suit to you while I'm still an experienced pilot? Why on earth would I do that?"
However, after a brief consideration, the captain relented and handed the suit over to Rutart. Truthfully, he had already been ready to surrender, and there was no point in resisting any longer.
---
When Rutart entered the armored suit, he rushed forward without saying a word to the others, charging straight toward the pirates.
Zola watched this with pride. She was confident in her son, believing he was better than Leon and would easily handle the enemies. But soon, her hopes were shattered.
When Rutart approached the pirates, it became clear he was trying to negotiate with them. But one of the enemy armored suits, not giving him a chance to speak, swiftly drove its sword into the cockpit, killing Rutart instantly.
"My son!!!" Zola screamed in despair.
Standing nearby, Mers froze in shock, tears streaming down her face.
The captain, seeing what was happening, quickly raised the white flag.
---
Three pirate armored suits boarded the ship. They stood before Zola and Mers, who trembled in terror. The pirates didn't give them a chance to speak. One of them brutally crushed Zola with his fists.
"Eek!" Mers cried, collapsing to her knees, sobbing. "Please, don't!"
Looking at her, the pirate, known as Cleare, thought to himself:
"I doubt she'll want revenge for her family. Perhaps she can still be of use."
---
"That's how it all went, Master," Luxiom concluded his report.
"So Mers is alive?" Leon asked.
"Yes," the AI replied curtly. "There's nothing for you to worry about. She poses no threat to you. Cleare is keeping an eye on her."
"I see... then I'm at ease," Leon said, finishing his last papers.
"Well, all the work is done. Time to get some rest," he muttered, rising from his desk and leaving the room. He didn't want to think about anything anymore.
---
Over 2,000 people have added my work to their library in just one month! 🎉 I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has been with me so far—you are the best. Honestly, I didn't expect this work to achieve such success. At the beginning, I thought I'd reach, at most, a thousand readers in the first year. I never imagined that so many people were familiar with Mobuseka, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that so many have watched or read it. Once again, thank you all, and see you next chapter!