The Simulacrum

Part 1

"I can't believe you did that…" my dear assistant, still dressed in her winter coat and boots, continued to grumble even while she was fixing my hair. "I can't believe we have to start implementing anti-harem countermeasures even for your Bel persona."

It was early in the morning, and it was only the two of us in Fred's workshop, but I still put a finger in front of her lips.

"Careful, Dormouse. They are literally next door," I reprimanded her, then added, "Also, why are you jumping to weird conclusions again? I thought you would be more focused on the part where I sabotaged the Inanna's Mana Well."

"I've learned that I can't really do anything about your habit of causing major supernatural incidents wherever you go, so I'd rather focus on curtailing your flirting habits."

"I wasn't flirting!" I declared a touch more indignantly than planned. "It was supposed to be creepy and unsettling!"

My girlfriend gave me a flat look, followed by a disappointed sigh and her whispering something about this being similar to the Rinne situation, or something. She was barely audible, and I didn't have the chance to try and decipher her words, as she forcefully straightened the lapels of my usual black coat and then stepped back.

"Chief, we talked about this already; just because you think it wasn't supposed to be flirty, it doesn't mean the other party won't misunderstand."

"Oh, come on! There's no way she considered that anything other than weird and sinister."

It was at this point that Galatea entered the workshop with the familiar silver suitcase she used whenever she was carrying prototypes around, and my dear assistant's eyes imperceptibly sparkled at once.

"Let's ask a neutral third party then."

"Are you serio—?"

"Good morning, Grandmaster and first fiancée Judy," the androidess greeted us, and my dear assistant let out a satisfied hum and turned back to me.

"Of course I'm serious. Galatea is very sensible and mindful, therefore she should be able to settle our disagreement in an objective manner."

"… You're only saying that because she called you the first fiancée."

My deadpan reaction only drew a shrug out of her, not denying my words at all. In the meantime, Galatea came closer and presented the case to us.

"Reporting: I have finished customizing the frames of the Uniformers. I request permission to enter into charging cycle."

"Before that, we need your help in a matter," Judy cut in before I could take the suitcase from her hands. "We have the following theoretical scenario: one day, while you are minding your own business behind closed doors, a man shows up near to you, takes your hand, and tells you that your meeting was destined, that he was looking forward to it, but it's not yet the right time and promises to return later before completely disappearing. Would you consider that a romantic encounter?"

Galatea blinked in surprise and lowered her arms, then cocked her head to the side before repeatedly muttering, "Parsing. Parsing." At last, her head returned to the upright position and, after making a beeping noise with her mouth, she said, "My analytical engine requires further parameters. Was the man a tall, mysterious stranger with a velvety voice?"

"Erm… Well, I suppose the tall part checks out, and so does the stranger one. As for being mysterious…"

"Yes, for all accounts," my dear assistant cut me off with a confident nod, and Galatea cocked her head to the side again.

"Parsing variables. Beep and boop." She kept doing that for about ten seconds, then she returned to normal again and declared, "According to my analysis, such an encounter would statistically fall under the 'romantic' category, with a p-value of 0.02."

Hearing that, Judy let out a satisfied hum and turned back to me.

"You see, Chief? I told you so."

"Just one question," I interjected before she could gather steam. "How do you make a statistical analysis with a single data point?"

Galatea blinked at me, and after a long beat, she more or less tossed the suitcase over to me and said, "My audio receptors are detecting increased levels of sounds corresponding with aquatic life forms in distress. I must go and assess the situation at once."

Saying so, she turned on her heels and marched out of the workshop, leaving the two of us behind in silence. That lasted until I turned to the girl next to me and muttered, "Did she just run away?"

"Don't be silly, Chief. She simply didn't want to embarrass you by explaining how your question was wrong in meticulous detail, so she came up with an excuse to leave," she declared with completely unwarranted confidence before crossing her arms. "So, now that we have scientific proof, I think we must discuss implementing further anti-harem counter-measures."

"No, we seriously don't have to do that," I griped with just a hint of exasperation as I put the case onto one of the comparatively emptier workbenches. After opening it up and quickly checking the artifacts inside, I pushed it aside and turned back to my girlfriend. "Listen, even if we presume that Crowey's spymaster would, against all logic, reason, and common sense, somehow ends up interpreting the event in a romantic light, there's no way in hell she would be happy about it, let alone develop something silly like a crush." Seeing that Judy was about to interject, I raised a finger to stall her and hastily continued with, "However, even if by some weird stroke of fate or narrative influence or whatever she would, against all sense, develop a romantic interest, it would not be on me, so the entire point is kind of moot."

"It's still technically you," she shot back.

"Technically, yes, but it doesn't really matter, because sooner or later I'm going to retire the character, and she'll never know about the connection."

My dear assistant was still eminently skeptical, but before we could continue our argument, the main door of the workshop opened, with Duncan's huge frame, wearing the usual tracksuit, coming into view on the other side, with the others following behind him.

Seeing that, Judy clicked her tongue and told me, "Let's continue this discussion later. However, I would like to reserve the right to say 'See, I told you so' the moment the universe proves me right."

"Sure, be my guest."

"Good morning, my liege," Arnwald greeted me first, cutting to the front of the group, followed by a shallow bow towards Judy. "My lady."

"Morn. Sae, wa did we hae tae gie up sae early?" Duncan cut the chase, followed by a flat "Ow?" as Penny firmly planted her elbow in his side.

"I've heard the Feilong patriarch challenged you to a duel. Are we to provide support?" Roland spoke up, ignoring the duo on his left, and I promptly shook my head.

"No. I will deal with that issue myself," I answered and placed a hand on the case by my side. "Since I will be occupied, I want you to be on standby. I have received a tip saying that there might be something of an incident during the Draconian tournament today."

"Isn't the tournament starting in the afternoon," Penny interjected, and I nodded. "But you said your duel is in the morning."

"I don't plan to fight Naoren head-on, so things might get a little drawn out. Not to mention, even if we finish before the competition starts and I could make it there on time, you can't expect me to single-handedly resolve it by myself."

"You can't?" my sister blurted out, drawing an amused chuckle out of Arnwald. Roland, on the other hand, nodded along in agreement.

"What do you require of us?"

"Nothing much. Just be on standby, and if something dramatic happens, move in and try to resolve it to the best of your abilities. If nothing happens, good. If it does, it should serve as a great opportunity to introduce our organization to the Draconians."

"A wise move," Arnwald commented on the side, while Duncan only let out a soft 'Bah!', indicating he thought this was just common sense.

"In any case, since you might be exposed to real combat, Fred and I upgraded the Uniformers a bit." Reaching into the case, I handed the large watches over to their respective owners. "I've only refined the arrays a little, and Galatea engraved your initials into the back plates. I've also integrated the same communication system used by the Magiformers, so if the situation demands it, Judy can serve as your mission control."

As if she was just waiting for me to say that, Judy reached into her breast pocket and dramatically flicked her star-shaped eyewear's temples open before putting it on her face.

"You can leave it to me."

"… Excuse me, my liege, by why is Lady Judy wearing those odd glasses?"

"It's an artifact," I told him, and a glance at my girlfriend later added, "She likes them, so she didn't let me replace them for something less conspicuous."

"If it's not broken, don't fix it," my dear assistant commented, looking silly, yet oddly adorable with her party glasses. Deciding to leave it at that, I focused my attention on the knightly group again.

"A few more notes on the new version: The output should be more stable now, and I managed to find a workaround for accessing the upper-level instruction shell of a damaged Oath-receptacle. It's still in the proof-of-concept stage, but it should have no negative side effects, so I implemented them into the connection arrays."

"Yeah, sure. Noo, coods ye please repeat 'at in Sassenach, sae 'at we can actually kin whit yoo're talkin' aboot?" Duncan growled, and while I was tempted to snap back that if he wanted others to talk in a way he could easily understand, he should first try practicing what he preaches, I swallowed it down and took a deep breath.

"In short, if this works, we should be able to at least partially utilize broken Oaths. Or rather, the one that's broken by default."

"You discovered how to restore broken Oaths?"

Roland sounded equal parts excited and skeptical, so to dampen his expectations a little, I told him, "Not really? It's more of a workaround, and so far it only works on that one particular Oath."

"It's still wonderful news!" Penny chimed in with an ear-to-ear grin as she locked the clasp of her Uniformer, and a moment later she was clad in her white combat uniform. "Wow! I can already feel the difference!"

"No, you can't," I cut in with a deadpan voice. "The extra connection only activates when your equipment is running over eighty percent capacity, and you can't do that without a weapon."

"Oh, I'll go get my sword then!"

Without waiting for an answer, she turned around and dashed out of the workshop, prompting Roland to subtly roll his eyes, after which he looked at me, so I felt pressured to say, "You can go as well. Familiarize yourself with the feel of the new uniform."

"As you command, my liege," Arnwald responded with a grin and a salute, and he followed after Penny, with Duncan in tow. The last things, however, remained unmoving.

"Is there something else, Roland?"

"As a matter of fact, there is one thing," he said as he absently shook his arms to make sure his Uniformer was secured properly. "I've heard that Ascalon was put on auction yesterday."

"Penny?" I asked, and he nodded like it was obvious. "So I imagine she also told you it was a fake."

"Yes, she did. I've also learned that it was supposed to serve as bait, and that it was stolen from the auction house."

"… And where did you learn that part?"

"Lady Rinne," he responded flatly, and I couldn't help but send a disapproving glance at my shadow. In the meantime, Roland cleared his throat. "I couldn't help but notice that you were very vague about the nature of this 'incident' that may or may not befall the tournament venue. Can I presume that the two cases are connected?"

"They might be," I told him with as much confidence as I could, earning me a flat look from Judy, one which I could feel even while her eyes were still hidden by her glasses.

"I understand. I'm sure you had your reason to keep this information from the others, so I will not tell them either."

"I'd appreciate that."

He gave me a knowing nod, the kind that people in misunderstanding comedies use when they mistakenly think they had figured out some kind of hidden intention behind another person's actions. I didn't exactly want to go down that route, but I couldn't come up with a good explanation on the spot either, so I nodded back, and Roland soon exited the room as well, leaving me alone with Judy once more.

"Chief? What was that part about fixing the Oaths?" she inquired, and while the door was closed, I still gestured for her to lean closer.

"Yesterday I got into a bit of an argument with Raven Boy over at the second base, and to make sure he would stay in line, I tried tweaking his Oaths so that he wouldn't be able to casually reveal my connection to Bel," I explained, and she ever-so-slightly raised a brow.

"Did it work?"

"A little too well," I answered a touch sheepishly. "Afterwards, I talked with Morgana, and she volunteered to undergo the same procedure."

"She's unexpectedly loyal."

"I think she's just kind of inflexible," I responded in the company of a shallow groan. "Once she concluded that I'm the King of Knights, she's just treating my every word like the gospel. I think if I told her to jump into a well, she would simply do that, saying that a Knight must always obey the King or something. It's honestly creeping me out a little."

"Is that the disturbing kind of creepy, or the accidentally romantic kind of creepy?"

"Not funny," I warned her, then pulled her even closer and whispered, "The point is, I was kind of riled up when I was dealing with Raven Boy, and I accidentally did more than planned. You know how one of the Knights' Oaths installed broken by default, because it was the one requiring obedience to their Celestial handlers?"

"Yes."

"So, I might have been too forceful when I tried to modify that one, and instead of just tweaking Raven Boy's instance, I might've, kinda-sorta affected the very concept of that Oath, and now it applies to every single one. Don't ask me how, because I'm not entirely sure either. What I do remember is that it involved interaction with the bottom layer of the world, two of my phantom limbs, and the color skobeloff."

"… Another retcon?"

"I don't think so," I responded, sounding uncertain even to myself. "I mean, we all remember what it was supposed to be, so it's not retroactive, but I think what happened is similar in principle. I wasn't paying much attention at the time, being more focused on telling the guy off, so I can't say exactly how it happened, but long story short, right now all the Knights have one more functioning Oath making them unable to reveal that I'm Bel."

"Does that include you?"

"Well, no. I've already tweaked mine before, so it probably wasn't acknowledged as just another instance of the same Oath by the Simulacrum and changed along with the rest."

"Chief?"

"Yes?"

"I was under the impression we agreed that you wouldn't experiment on your own soul."

"I didn't. Technically." My dear assistant was still giving me a disapproving look, so I decided to change the subject by saying, "In any case, while I think with some practice, I should be able to reproduce the effect. It could be potentially a huge breakthrough, and it could allow us to mass-produce Knights."

"… I understand that, but you are still not allowed to practice on yourself." My expression apparently didn't convince her that I reflected on her words, so she reached out and gently pinched my ear. "I'm serious. If you accidentally retcon yourself, I swear I'm going to hate you for at least a month."

"That's severe," I muttered and gently removed her hands from my lobe. "Don't worry, Dormouse. Now that I have Raven Boy around, I don't need to experiment on myself anymore."

"I'm not sure I'm happy about human experimentation, but rather him than you."

I interpreted that as the end of the argument, so to punctuate it, I planted a peck on her forehead and stepped back. Following that, I checked the time on my phone and uttered, "Half past seven. I should get going."

"It's a little early, but I suppose it's better than to be late." She gestured for me to lean over, and this time she was the one to give me a kiss, on the mouth this time. This wasn't exactly the time for tongue-stuff, so we kept things fairly chaste, and once she caught her breath, she said, "I'll contact you through the comm-glasses if something predictably unexpected happens."

"Don't speak of the devil," I warned her, followed by a forceful tousling of her hair. Not expecting the unexpected affection-attack, she retreated in a hurry, drawing a chuckle out of me. "Bye, Dormouse. See you later."

With that, I headed out and bid farewell to the knightly quartet as well, already busy familiarizing themselves with their new gear in the training arena. I had to keep up appearances, so I used the teleport closet to Phase home to pick up a few things before moving over to the black site base, where Morgana and Raven Boy were already in the process of preparing for the show in the afternoon.

"Good morning, your majesty," the lady Knight, already in her armor sans the helmet, greeted me right away. Her nephew was standing right beside her, though he was only partially geared up.

"You and Arnwald are way too similar," I noted, and she let out a thoughtful hum in response.

"Is that so? It's not the first time I've heard that, but if you also say so, I have no choice but to believe it."

"How are the preparations," I asked, pointedly changing the subject, and this time Raven Boy came forth to answer.

"We just had breakfast. It's early, so we are still getting our equipment ready."

"The Squires are on their way to infiltrate the area," Morgana added.

"Good. But speaking of equipment," pausing, I tossed the package I picked up on the way over to Raven Boy. He looked eminently baffled, so I told him, "It would be weird if you didn't have your inventory bag on you, so you can have it back for the time being. All the weapons are still in there, plus Morgana's sword and a few extra items."

His eyes jumped between me and the bag, but then he quickly fastened it to his belt as if he was afraid I would change my mind. Meanwhile, Morgana walked closer and asked, "Do you have any further orders, your majesty?"

"Since you wouldn't listen to me even if I told you to stop calling me that, I don't have anything. Just stick to the plan."

"Very well. We will not let you down."

Raven Boy grumbled something in the background, but then there was a flash of light and he produced a familiar flamberge from the enchanted bag.

"Here, auntie."

"Thank you."

She did a couple of practice swings with it, but once he was sure that everything was in order, she set the blade against the ground and was seemingly about to say something when his nephew let out a startled gasp.

"Is… What is Ascalon doing here? And isn't this Duncan's sword?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to mention that. Make sure you use the sword but don't take the spear out until I tell you to. It's important, so don't mess it up."

Raven Boy grit his teeth, but whatever he wanted to say, he ultimately managed to swallow back and only uttered a dull, "Understood."

"Good. I'll come back to check on you later, but I have to arrive fashionably early, so I must go now. In the meantime, relax, and prepare for the big show."

"As you command, your majesty," Morgana declared and saluted. Unlike the Faunish one that was picked up by the other Knights, hers was closer to a military salute, and after a single disapproving glance, Raven Boy grudgingly followed suit as well.

I acknowledged them with a simple nod and moved on, first dropping by at Elly's room, followed by a visit to Ichiko, stationed in Judy's room and tasked with keeping her parents safe in case of any kind of unexpected third party movement, after which I gave a surprise-inspection to the Fauns and Kage ninjas patrolling the neighborhood. Snowy was holding down the fort at home, but I still gave orders to maintain a tight net around the area, just in case.

Once I concluded that everything was in order, I finally arrived near the edge of the Chinatown area, using one of the pre-planted mini-shoggoths as my anchor. At this point I only had a few minutes to spare, so without further ado, I casually walked over to the pagoda-hotel, where a small gaggle of onlookers was already gathered, eagerly awaiting my arrival. Most of them seemed to be Naoren's retinue, with an entire group of men in ceremonial robes and silly hats, but there were also a couple of representatives from other Draconian families who probably came by to enjoy the show.

The sheer number of them was unexpected, considering how cold it was in the morning, but if they wanted to freeze their noses off for the sake of gossip, it was none of my business. More importantly, as I casually walked over, I could hear all kinds of surprised, outraged, and dismissive whispers in the background. Nothing I hadn't already anticipated, really.

"So you have showed up," Naoren, dressed in a thick, fur-rimmed winter coat that made him look like an arctic explorer, sneered at me from the top of the stairs leading to the hotel's entrance. There were three people standing beside him; his still fuming younger brother and odango-girl were more or less expected, and the latter was giving me a starry-eyed look that screamed 'I hope you'll have a fun time!', yet the one that surprised me was the grand elder. Considering the preparations at the freshly built arena were already underway, I thought he would be overseeing that, but I supposed he couldn't resist attending the pre-duel formalities.

"I still advise against going through with this fight. It is a waste of time," the old man said to no one in particular, and as such, nobody responded. Instead, I pocketed my hands and directed a well-practiced daring grin at the bespectacled man in the middle.

"Hey there, people. So, any reason why we're still loitering around in the cold and not getting started?"

"There are certain rules and ceremonies that have to be observed before the fight," a thin middle-aged man dressed in ceremonial robes cut in, holding a thick scroll in his hands. "Before the sacred duel is initiated, we must—"

"You see? This is exactly what I was talking about," I cut in with a scoff. "We aren't here to play, so either get on with it, or I will start it on my own."

"You dare!" the grand elder exclaimed, his eyes all but thundering. "You're courting death!"

"You've already said that," I pointed out, but it only made the old man more furious.

"Just how shameless can you be?" Zihao cut in, seemingly just as incensed. "You had eyes, but you still failed to see Mount Tai! My brother will make sure you won't live long enough to regret it!"

I waited for him to finish, and after nodding in approval, I pointed at the guy while still looking the grand elder in the eye and said, "You see? This guy knows his stereotypes. You really have to do better if you want to hold onto the position of chief cliché dispenser."

"You speak big, but you're just a frog in a well, while the heavens are boundless," the old man hissed, and I couldn't help but snap my fingers.

"You see! I knew you had it in you!"

"Enough!" Naoren cut in with a glare that was probably more than half-genuine. "I tire of this. Let us forego the formal procedure and carry on to the duel."

"B-But patriarch! The tradition!" the man in the ceremonial robes cried out, and as Naoren walked down the stairs, he put his hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"Not today, chief secretary. He does not deserve the effort."

"I… think you are right," the man responded, and… was he sniffling? Wow.

Anyhow, my designated enemy continued his way down the stairs and soon stood in front of me.

"Are you familiar with the rules?"

"More or less," I responded with a shrug, which apparently triggered the middle-aged man.

"The rules are as follows!" he exclaimed before either of us could say anything. "The combatants will enter a Restricted Space! No outside interference or observation is allowed! The duel shall only end until either party dies, or surrenders! At this time, both parties, be they alive or dead, shall be ejected from the Restricted Space! May the most powerful one be victorious, with power and honor!"

I blinked in surprise, then directed a questioning gaze at Naoren asking, 'Is he done?', and when he lightly nodded, I loudly cleared my throat.

"Honor, shmonor, whatever! Let's get this thing started already!"

"Audacious!" the grand elder exclaimed loudly. "He still smells of his mother's milk, yet he dares to act like he knows the immensity of heaven and earth!"

"… Okay, stop. You're trying too hard," I told the old man, at which point Naoren unsubtly buried his face in his palm and gestured for the official in the ceremonial robes, and the man hastily unrolled the scroll in his hand and placed his hand on it.

A moment later, the world around me flashed in a familiar display of transition, and everyone else aside from Naoren disappeared from my vision. However, contrary to my expectations, I found myself staring at green-tinted stairs and a bright white sky.

"Huh? Does this make it a Green Zone?" I muttered, only for the bespectacled clan head to snap at me.

"What was that?"

"Which part?"

"All of it! Didn't you say you wouldn't be playing the malefactor today?"

"Malefactor? That's a neat word," I noted, but he didn't seem to be in the mood to discuss verbiage, so I told him, "Well, sorry, but I have a bit of a temper problem when it comes to certain people, and the old man falls under that category."

"I noticed," Naoren said and rubbed his face, and after calming down a little, he exhaled a pent-up breath and asked, "Now what?"

"Well, now you stay in here, while I go and cause some tightly controlled mayhem, but first…"

I tapped my feet against the ground, and a second later, my shadow wavered and a large shape shot out from it.

"… Aren't you Leonard's retainer?" Naoren asked a touch perplexed, and the freshly revealed Mountain Girl gave him a serious nod. She was hard to recognize, as while she was still wearing her usual pantsuit, she had an oversized knit beanie on her head, complete with an enormous, fluffy pompom. Not only that, but she also had a huge backpack, the kind you'd normally only see when you're planning on trekking across half the countryside.

"She's going to be my substitute so that the pocket space here wouldn't mistake me leaving for dying and end the duel too early."

Hearing my answer, he glanced between me, then Mountain Girl, and ultimately uttered, "When you told me you had a solution for this problem, I thought you would use one of those enchantments you are famous for. This… was well beyond my expectations."

"Oh, I did that too," I told him and pointed at Rinne's head. "That's what the hat does. Unless this Green Zone or whatever uses some kind of super-advanced detection technique, like eyes, this homebrew artifact should make it believe she's me."

"So you've thought of everything, I see…"

"Well, not everything, but most things," I answered modestly before turning to Rinne. "He's all yours."

"Don't worry, Leonard-dono. Rinne also came prepared!" Saying so, he put her bag down and began opening its many pockets, one by one. "Rinne will serve as Naoren-san's host for the day! Rinne brought cards, board games, books, snacks, two lunchboxes, as well as two servings of premium ice cream Rinne was saving for a special occasion like this!"

"Ice-cream? In December?" the bespectacled clan-head muttered rather skeptically, prompting Mountain Girl to temporarily cease her unpacking efforts and look at him with one of those 'Is this guy dense or what?' kind of looks I was already familiar with.

"Yes. It's for tempering our inner yang with yin-energy! If Naoren-san did that, Naoren-san wouldn't need to wear such thick and cucumber clothing like that."

"Is that s— Wait, what was that about cucumbers?"

"She meant 'cumbersome'," I responded on autopilot.

"Yes," she answered with an overly serious nod. "Rinne had been trying to teach this to Leonard-dono, but he refuses to accept Rinne's advice, so Rinne decided to use this opportunity to showcase the effects of successful tempering."

"I think I understand, but somehow I have a feeling I don't…"

"Well, you'll have lots of time to figure it out, so I'll leave you to it. Bye."

With that, I proceeded to completely ignore Naoren's still less-than-convinced expression and walked away and out of sight. With this, the entrée was served without a hitch, so it was time to start preparing the main course. As such, I Phased away, simultaneously anticipating and slightly dreading to see how the nebulously narrative would react to what was cooking in the oven.

The curse of the underground facility strikes again!

No, seriously. What was up with this world's weird fascination with putting absolutely everything underground? I mean, maybe I'm not one to talk, considering I had a base built into the side of a mountain, but in my case, at least it made sense. Bomb shelter, therefore needs to withstand bombs, therefore was built underground. The logic is straightforward.

On the other hand, what sense did an underground stadium make? Sports are supposed to be played outside! Well, most of them, at least, but my point still stands. Who in their right mind had built this place?

It wasn't a rhetorical question either, as while the whole place was as uncannily pristine as everything else, by the design, I could tell it wasn't supposed to be a modern construction. If anything, it almost looked like someone took a Roman amphitheatre, and rebuilt it brick by brick inside a cave a couple of kilometers southwest of the capital, near one of the deserted mining villages.

On second thought, maybe this used to be a mine? If that was the case, I supposed the situation made a modicum more sense, but it was still pretty wacky.

Anyhow, as I previously said, the venue of the Draconian tournament was a fairly small amphitheatre, with an oval arena in the middle surrounded by a sloping seating area made of stone. My ballpark estimate said that it could hold about three, maybe four thousand spectators, but considering it only had the various Draconian families, their security detail and servants, plus the various contestants loitering around, there were only a couple hundred or so people around, making the whole place feel somewhat deserted.

For now, I chose to ignore the question of when this was built, or how, or the ever-present why. I shouldn't let it bother me.

Moving on. Despite the place looking archaic, being underground, and quite impractical in general, at the very least it had enough space in the middle for the contestants to stretch their proverbial legs. The fighting arena was oval in shape, about thirty by forty meters in diameter, and it was lit by huge stadium lights in the four corners. I had no idea where they got the electricity to run them, and while it brought up a lot of questions, such as how this place was lit before the invention of floodlights (or even if it was built before or after that point in time), I decided not to dwell on the issue.

Now, back to the building: the floor of the oval arena was covered with fine, white sand, creating a strong contrast with the dark grey, nearly black basalt blocks used both as the building bricks in the wall surrounding it, as well as the slabs serving as the elevated seats around it. The latter actually made some sense, since, considering this was a volcanic island, the building material was right here, but I had no idea where the sand came from. It was unimportant though, so I didn't let it bother me.

...

No, I'm lying. It actually bothered me. It bothered me a lot.

Just who the hell built this place? It probably wasn't made by the Feilongs, because ridiculously rich draconic aristocrats or not, there was no way in hell they could just casually build a freaking amphitheatre in a freaking cave or mine or whatever, in just a week or two. Was this always here? Was it made by the mole-people? Did the mole-people evolve from a long-lost Roman colony? Are we going to be attacked by mole-centurions leading mole-legionnaires in a campaign to reclaim their long-lost empire? I, for one, welcome our imperial-roman-fire-more-people overlords. They could hardly make things any more insane than they already are!

Ah, but I'm kidding, of course. If I was a betting man, I'd say this whole place was poofed into existence overnight to facilitate the tournament arc. I was half-tempted to launch a full-scale investigation into the matter, but I felt it was probably pointless, and if I tried, the Simulacrum would just retcon it into the history of the island just to spite me.

Not that I had the time for something like that anyway, as the tournament was about to start. The audience was spread out on one side of the building, with the most prominent members, such as my in-laws and grand elder Xinji, clustered on and around the extra-elevated area near the middle. I figured those were the VIP seats. The rest of the families were seated around them, while the servants and the rest of the guests would sit even further back and up.

As for the contestants, they were still busy preparing in an anachronistically modern gym locker room under the VIP seats, even deeper underground, with an arched stone gateway leading into the arena. It even had a fancy portcullis and everything. It was probably so that they could theatrically emerge onto the combat area from the shadows, I guessed. Such dramaticality, much wow.

It was also really convenient for us, as it meant the majority of the important people were clustered in the same spot. This time though, I was pretty sure it had less to do with Narrative meddling, and more with the grand elder's original plot. It didn't mean I couldn't take advantage of it for my own not-at-all-nefarious purposes, of course.

Anyhow, there were still guests arriving, which meant the main event wasn't going to start yet. Since I had the time, I left the baffling underground arena for now and did a quick roll call, just to make sure everyone was in place.

First, I Far Glanced at Lord Grandpa, and I was pleased to see that he was still home, just as I asked. That meant one variable was out of the picture. Next, I checked Sebastian, who also wasn't present at the tournament. Just like the arch-mage, he was too big of a variable to let him get involved in the event, so we agreed that he would stay behind and arrange temporary lodgings for all the Knights and Squires. I didn't plan to evict them from the base, but at least in the short term, they needed a more public place to stay for the duration of the planned negotiations.

But speaking of them, I moved my point of view over to Penny's group, and while they were still in the base, the Knightly Quartet was already geared up, and even the squires were wearing their new equipment, provided by Fred's workshop. Their new gear was closer to powered suits than the expected plate armour, but on the other hand, they still wore full helmets, meaning their mook status remained intact despite their high-tech appearance.

They would be the stars of today's performance, along with Morgana and Raven Boy. Speaking of which, I moved over to their side, and their group was already laying low near the event venue.

"Auntie… Do we really have to wear these?"

"Leonard requested it, so we must," she responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world, though the way she was tugging at the collar around her neck made it obvious she wasn't entirely comfortable with it either.

Raven Boy grumbled something about being a proud Knight of the Brotherhood and whatnot in response, but since I only wanted to make sure they were in position, I moved on without listening to the whole spiel and Far Glanced at the next target.

"… was here? In the Abyss?" the voice of an old woman spoke with tangible skepticism.

"I-I've seen him! With my own two eyes! The guards saw him too!" a younger voice answered, frantically trying to explain herself in the crossfire of suspicious gazes directed at her.

The group of Abyssals, gathered in what I presumed was a conference room, were both visibly exhausted and tense like piano wires. For once, Crowey wasn't amongst them, and I soon learned why.

"We have already heard their version of the events," the elegant middle-aged man in the familiar navy uniform answered with an unusually unstable voice, as if he had been shouting orders all morning or something. "Our Lord left me in command while he's in the process of re-weaving the pillar around the Mana Well. Do you know what that means, Tajana?"

"It means that… I must treat you as if you were our Lord himself…" the short woman in the middle answered in a mousy voice.

"Precisely. As such, I want you to think your words through carefully. Are you telling me, with certainty, that it was the rumored Bel of the Abyss who destroyed the pillar housing the Mana Well?"

"Yes! It was Lo— I-I mean, he was a masked man who called himself Bel of the Abyss! I swear that's the truth!"

"And he told you he would take back his property," the old matron in the back commented sourly.

"Yes! I… believe he was referring to the Mana Well, but he said many incomprehensible things about linear time and destinies, so I… I'm not entirely sure about that part, and then the pillar broke, and he disappeared from the Vault of the Well before anyone could move a finger."

A heavy silence settled on the group as they individually digested her words. At last, it was the old woman who spoke up again, her voice still skeptical, but also somewhat unsure.

"It is said that Our Glorious Emperor, Bel of the Tenebrous Flames, hallowed be his name, on many occasions claimed dominion over time and space. It is said he could travel great distances in the blink of an eye, and that he could see someone's past and future with but a single glance."

"Matron! You can't be—!"

"I'm only saying," she interrupted the bearded old man before he could gather momentum with a scowl, then she took a deep breath and reiterated, "I'm only saying this man, who walked into the heart of our domain and very nearly stole our Mana Well, was either an incredibly talented impostor with unfathomable means and powers, or…"

"Or it's really him. The Emperor, I mean," a younger man spoke up in the back, and upon noticing that everyone was glaring at him, he hastily added, "What? You were all thinking it!"

"In either case, this is an enormous incident," the man in the navy suit solemnly stated. "If it was a mere thief impersonating the Emperor of the Abyss…"

"Hallowed by his name," the matron added on autopilot, and the man nodded along.

"As I was saying, if he was a mere impostor, it would mean our security and wards were completely ineffective in stopping him, making us vulnerable to any future incidents, and if the other Houses learn of his ways, potentially full-scale invasions."

"That's… bad," Tajana uttered in the middle, drawing a scoff out of the acting regent.

"To put it mildly. And yet, it might be the lesser of two evils, for if this ‘Bel of the Abyss' is truly none other than the second coming of our Emperor of the Abyss…" He paused here, but this time the matron didn't add anything, so he continued with, "It would mean, based on your recollections, that he views our House with disdain at best, and open hostility at worst."

"Wait, wait! It might not be that bad!" Tajana cut in, only to shrink back when she found herself in the crossfire of everyone's gazes again. It took her a second to recollect herself, but then she straightened her back and told the navy man, "With all due respect, Master Ekhtear, I believe this might also serve as an opportunity for house Inanna! If the man I met is truly our Emperor, his final words would mean he gave us the opportunity to follow him!"

"By handing over our Mana Well!" the bearded man in the back exclaimed in outrage, and even after momentarily reeling back, the young woman ultimately stood her ground.

"With due respect, grand commander, I believe he had already demonstrated that he could take it any time he wanted. If we presume he was the one who infiltrated the Vault of the Well in the past, as well as our Lord's office, it appears he was sending us a message all along."

"Are you saying he was the one who poisoned our Lord with the Urdu Blood Amalgam?" the old woman spoke up, sounding markedly less skeptical than before.

"The office was accessed without affecting any of the wards or anyone noticing the perpetrator, just like what happened at the Vault of the Well," Tajana responded, more confident by the second. "It happened right after our Lord made contact with the Herald of the Emperor. It can't be a mere coincidence."

"But it's also too strenuous of a theory for us to just hand our Mana Well over because of it, don't you think?" the old matron commented sharply, and in a matter of seconds, all the momentum she built up drained out of the young spymaster.

"M-Maybe, but it's not something we can dismiss either!"

"Unfortunately, you are correct," the man in the navy uniform (Ekhtear, if I heard it right) spoke in a heavy voice. "While I may hold our Lord's authority for the moment, this is not something we can decide without his presence. We are going to—"

"{Chief? Are you ready?}"

Interrupted by my dear assistant's voice, I subconsciously reached up to my ear, only to realize there was nothing there. While my girlfriends insisted that it looked great on me, I still wasn't a huge fan of the fancy, non-piercing ear cuffs I used as makeshift communication artifacts during the raid on Fred's base, so when I put together my new Bel outfit, I made sure to incorporate the necessary arrays into the enchantment so that I wouldn't need them anymore. As for the originals, I handed them over to Morgana, so that Judy could coordinate with her.

Once I reoriented myself, I responded with, "Is it starting?"

"{Weren't you paying attention?}"

"Sorry, my mind literally wandered off," I said a tad insincerely before closing my eyes and slinging my point of view over to the underground amphitheatre again.

"… our clan leader, unfortunately, could not make it for the opening ceremony. Such is fate," the grand elder's voice boomed in the cavern. More importantly, the sound didn't come from his seat in the middle of the VIP area, but instead from a giant semi-transparent hologram of his upper torso hovering over the arena. It was big and blue and it even had freaking scanlines on it, even though I was about two hundred percent sure it was projected by some kind of enchantment similar to the one used during the Symposium a while back.

While I observed that, the old man launched into a long speech about relationships borne from exchanging blows, communicating with one's fists, and how the world is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers and whatnot. I had to give it to him, he was kind of correct on the dragon part, at the very least, but the rest was pretty much just a string of nice-sounding platitudes about the profundities of heaven and earth and so on and so forth.

I'm not going to lie, I was very tempted to just leave and return once he finished, but I had no idea when that would be, so I kept listening to his speech with a stiff upper lip. If I wanted to be cheeky, I could stay with the motif and say something like ‘this all took only a moment to describe, but it happened over half a bloody hour', but that would be just rude. Anyhow, after mentally torturing the audience for a while, he finally noticed the disapproving glare mom-in-law was giving him and he cleared his throat.

"… In conclusion, this day is for the next generation to show their prowess and prove that they are worthy of the legacy of their ancestors. Let us all welcome them with open arms and hearts."

As if afraid that he would continue if they gave him the chance, the audience erupted in cheers and clapping, nearly drowning the epic instrumental music serving as the backdrop for the entrance of the contestants emerging from the gate below the VIP area. Entering in two lines, each one led by a bearded Eastern Draconian elder in thick robes, they marched up to the middle of the arena before each taking a ninety-degree turn in the opposite direction.

On the left were the contestants belonging to the clans, with Elly walking right behind the elder. My girlfriend had her hair tied up into a large bun and she showed a lot of skin, only wearing a sports bra, shorts, and sandals. She wasn't the only one, as all the other Western Draconian participants were dressed in a similar fashion. It made sense, as they were going to transform before fighting, and so the less they wore, the less they would potentially tear up with their scales and spikes and everything.

The Eastern Draconians, on the other hand, were wearing fairly simple martial artist tunics, except for Xiao, who was the only female contestant on their side and dressed in her usual qipao. She stuck out of the crowd like a sore thumb, though not as much as Sahi and Pascal, as they were wearing heavy ceremonial raiments. Or rather, Armband Guy did, while Sahi had something that looked like it used to be a wizard's robe before someone took a scissor to it and turned it into some kind of stripperific Halloween costume, revealing nearly as much skin as Elly's sports garbs.

As for the other side, with the independent contestants, they were nearly as numerous as the first group, but also way more eclectic. We had a thin person of indeterminate sex wrapped up in black bandages until they looked like a mummy, a muscular woman with a ridiculously spiky, sky-blue hairdo, and an enormous bald guy with studded leather wristbands and more fat than a sumo wrestler. In other words, your run-of-the-mill, visually interesting but narratively unimportant cannon fodder. Nothing to see here, moving along.

Near the end of the line, I found the class rep, sporting her full, light-green cute-witch outfit, complete with her wide-brimmed hat, new staff, and everything. Right behind her walked Josh, already donning his Magiform and looking quite severe. Bloodthirsty, even. A glance at the other side of the line later, I found Zihao, wearing a very similar expression, and it didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

I was a little annoyed that I missed yet another of their interactions, but it's not like I could be everywhere at once, and with the number of my observation targets rising with every theoretical arc of our theoretical narrative, I was afraid missing things like that would become more and more common over time. Unless I suddenly developed a severe case of omnipresence, of course, but what were the chances of that? Oh well, such is life.

But back to the very grand and no way overengineered ceremonial scene in front of me: once everyone took their positions and formed a more-or-less tidy line, the main organized in the VIP box cleared his throat and his hologram lit up over the heads of the contestants once again.

"Juniors! Today, you will face each other in combat, but fear not! The elders of our clan will watch over your accomplishments with vigilant eyes and will intervene if either you or your opponent falls into mortal danger. Use the results of your cultivation and training freely, and don't be afraid to reveal your hidden techniques and the boons of your fortuitous encounters, as they are a kind of strength as well! After all, even a treasure as rare as qilin horns and phoenix feathers is useless if not wielded, so I encourage you to—!"

"Oh, come on, man! Don't just launch into another speech…"

"{Chief? Covert Operations Team One is ready to move out. Can I give them the go?}"

"Oh, thank god. Yes, Dormouse, please do."

"{Roger.}"

With that one word, she cut the line, and I also returned my attention to the arena.

"… for every one of you is a—" At this very moment, without any prior warning, the whole amphitheatre flashed in crimson light, and whatever platitude the grand elder was originally going to dispense was replaced by an alarmed, "What? Who dares!?"

He received no answer, as he was now standing all alone inside the VIP area, surrounded by a purple scenery dotted with red cracks, the telltale marks of a locked Restricted Space. His eyes darted around in incomprehension, but once he noticed that the confused contestants were still in the middle of the field, his already pale complexion went as white as a sheet of paper.

"No… Impossible! Impossible! It's too early!" he yelled, though since his hologram was gone, along with the voice amplification, nobody could hear him over the alarmed yells coming from the arena floor as Morgana and Raven Boy exploded onto the scene and, in the span of a few short seconds, completely subdued the two unprepared elders leading the processions. During this time, the Squires revealed themselves, appearing from the audience seats. I had no idea why they were doing it this way, since they had been in the Purple Zone since the beginning. Was it just for dramatic effect? Or maybe they were just sitting there until now?

In any case, once the adults were knocked down and tied up, Morgana turned to the contestants forming a defensive circle in the middle of the arena and raised her voice.

"You are surrounded! Surrender now, and you will be spared! We are not here for your lives!"

And just like that, the curtain on the first act rose without a hitch.

"Pawn moves to e4," I whispered with just a bit of smug satisfaction.

"{Chess?}"

"Hm? I didn't think you were listening," I responded a touch awkwardly. "Trust me, it'll make sense later."

And with that, I focused my attention back on the game-board, waiting for the next move.

The oppressive silence in the locked-up Purple Zone lasted only for a few seconds. Overcoming his initial shock, the grand elder demonstrated wuxia trope number seventy-four by rising to the air and slowly descending to the field, all the while glowing with a pale yellow aura. Grim and stoic on the surface, it was still plainly visible that the unexpected situation rattled him quite a bit.

In the meantime, the squires finished their encirclement of the contestants, and after the initial shock and confusion, they separated into three groups. The ones on the left side consisted of the Western Draconians automatically forming up around the princess. Sahi and Pascal also gravitated towards their group, and while the guy was as tense and apprehensive as expected, our incognito arc-mage looked more excited by the developments than anything. Though again, that wasn't too unexpected either, now that I thought about it.

In the middle, Zihao and Xiao formed the core of the second group consisting entirely of Eastern Draconians, and they were the most organized by far. On the other end of the spectrum, while Josh and Ammy paired up the moment they were caught up in the Purple Zone, the eclectic bunch surrounding them, while not exactly panicking, remained completely disorganized.

"Calm down, everyone! Grandfather is with us! We have nothing to fear!" odango-gill yelled out and took up her funny martial arts pose, the one where she was balancing on one leg.

"That's right! We outnumber them, so there's no need to hold back!" the spiky-haired Feilong brother raised his voice to follow up on her words, and their group got more fired up by the second… right until the grand elder poured a bucket of cold water on their enthusiasm.

"Juniors, stay your hands. Do not do anything rash," the old man, doing his best impression of an unruffled wise master, spoke in a soft yet demanding voice before turning to Morgana with a considerably more scathing tone. "What manner of madness holds you in its grip to challenge the tiger while it's still in its den?"

Translation: You bloody idiots! You weren't supposed to do this today!

"Not madness. Necessity," the Gorgon Knight responded solemnly. "When one's back faces the river, even a wall of spears must be charged head-on."

Translation: We didn't have a choice in the matter.

"So, when the heavens shatter and the phoenix cries, even the winged tiger runs for shelter?"

Translation: So, the situation changed and you decided to act now, huh?

"Once the warhorse bites the bridle, it must head to the battlefield no matter who sits in the saddle."

Translation: Yes.

"The mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole waits for its chance, but remember that when the lips perish, the teeth will feel the cold."

Translation: … I'll be damned if I knew what the ever-loving-heck he meant by that.

Anyhow, tensions rose again while the irritating grand elder silently considered his options.

"You say you are not here to claim the lives of these juniors, yet you must have a purpose behind showing yourself like this. State your demands."

The old man was likely, in spite of everything going on, under the impression that the Knights in front of him were still pursuing their original agenda, and simply chose to double-cross him. It no doubt gave him the impression that he had a modicum of control over the situation, which soon faded as Morgana flatly told him, "Item number ninety-six."

"… Excuse me?"

"We want item ninety-six from yesterday's auction," Raven Boy clarified in his usual, abrasive manner, and it was only at this point that the grand elder finally realized things were really going off the rail.

"There is no such thing. There were only ninety-five articles."

"Yes, we know," Raven Boy continued in the same tone. "There was supposed to be one last item, an ornamental metal box about this size, impossible to open and completely impenetrable. It was supposed to go up for auction, but it was neither in the catalog nor was it exhibited."

That second part sounded a little stiff, but considering he recited the script I gave to him more-or-less verbatim, I decided to give him a pass.

"We require that item," Morgana added, sounding so grave that if I didn't know this was just a red herring, I would've totally believed she was desperate to get her hands on it.

Needless to say, there really was no item ninety-six, or such a box even. However, as Bel of the Abyss, I had already hinted at the idea that he was interested in something related to the auction. The original idea was to use the fake Ascalon as bait for the Knights, while implying that it was all part of Bel's inscrutable master plan, and then abscond with a few shinies while blaming it on him, but Raven Boy's little jaunt threw a sizable monkey-wrench into those works.

However, as I had told Naoren in the past, plans had to be flexible, so I tried my best to salvage as much of the original as I could while putting a completely different spin on it. In short, since Bel was interested in the Auction, there had to be something he wanted there. It couldn't have been the spear, because he already 'had it', and it couldn't be another item I sneaked into the catalog either. In short, I needed to come up with an alternative, and one that my freely teleporting alter-ego couldn't just casually take from the vault at the auction venue the same time he took the spear.

Hence, I came up with the idea of item ninety-six. A mysterious box that no one had ever seen, yet Bel of the Abyss desperately wanted to get his hands on it. An archetypal MacGuffin, if you will.

"Have you truly jeopardized the lives of your sworn brothers for such a folly?" the grand elder burst out, and while the onlookers probably thought he was talking about the Knights and Squires present, it was easy to understand that he was referring to Penny and company, the original targets of Morgana's rescue efforts during their negotiations.

"It is precisely to preserve all our lives that we must do whatever it takes to acquire the item," Morgana answered, then pointed her sword at the old man, holding out the large flamberge with only one hand. "This box was definitely delivered to you, yet it disappeared before it could be put up for auction. This means you, or one of your clansmen must have taken it. Give it to us, and no blood will be shed today."

"I assure you, I have never seen or even heard of this item. Whoever told you of it reaching our hands was lying to you, and—"

"{Chief. We have a situation.}"

Blinking, I tore my attention away from the scene and answered, "What kind?"

"{The unexpected kind,}" she responded in a voice that was simultaneously deadpan and yet cheeky, then a customary beat later she added, "{The First Strike Group arrived at the operation area.}"

"I presume you mean the Knights, right?"

"{Yes, Chief. That's their code name.}"

"Neat. Also, wow. They must've been really itching for some action if they got there so soon." I paused here, then after considering Judy's tone, I guessed, "I imagine they weren't welcome."

A soft groan later my dear assistant responded with, "{The situation is much more complicated than that.}"

"Complicated? Please tell me it's not the imperial roman mole-people…"

"{The imperial roman what? Chief, stop it. This is serious. We have a coup on our hands.}"

"A… wait. Did you just say ‘coup'?"

Judy didn't answer right away, but then she let out an odd noise and hastily added, "{Yes.}"

"You only nodded the first time, didn't you?"

"{Chief, focus. We have more important things to consider at the moment.}" After reprimanding me, it sounded like she was about to clarify things, but fell silent instead. "{Wait a moment, please. I need to coordinate things with Penelope.}"

I responded with an affirmative grunt, and a moment later I used my Far Sight to focus on Penny.

Just as Judy said, she had already arrived at the underground amphitheatre, though it was in a considerably more chaotic state than the last time I saw it. My sister, separated from the rest of the group, was currently trying to herd the non-combatants out of the cave/mine/whatever.

"Don't panic! Follow the lead of the Constables, and head towards the exit in an organized mann—! Hey, I just told you! Don't push!"

Wearing her uniform made her stick out of the crowd, and combined with her attitude, most of the placeholder servants and guests followed her instructions without resistance. As for the rest, her retinue of Squires simply picked them up and carried them out of the building, whether they liked it or not.

As I watched, the whole aphitheatre was shaken by a powerful explosion, so I switched my point of view over to the closest red dot on my radar.

"Who are you!? Why are you getting in our way!?"

Before I could properly tell what was happening, my vision was filled with an enormous, glowing snake seemingly made of transparent ice. However, before I could take a closer look, it was already shattered by a bright green light and another explosion.

"We are the Ordo Draconis!" Arnwald, already nocking his next arrow, exclaimed before taking a shot at his momentarily unbalanced opponent. The middle-aged Asian man looked somewhat familiar, and it took me a few seconds to place him, during which Arnwald had another exchange with him and yelled, "Surrender at once, or suffer the consequences!" before they both disappeared in a plume of dust kicked up by Duncan.

"Gonnae-no runnin', ye yella' bellied bastards! Ye ur th' ones fa gart trooble oan uir watch, sae stain still an' bear th' ootcome!"

He was chasing around two Eastern Draconians, and while I couldn't understand what they were shouting at each other, I could guess it was probably something along the lines of ‘What the hell is that guy saying?'.

"Stop it, Duncan! You're supposed to break up the fight, not chase people around!" my sister yelled at the big doofus, and he grudgingly stopped waving his axe over his head and focused his attention on another group of Draconians locked in battle nearby.

"{I'm back,}" Judy reported in. {Do you still need a sit rep?}"

"I'm already at the scene. In spirit, I mean," I told her a touch wearily. "Tell me if I'm wrong, but are the clans under the jurisdiction of the Feilongs rebelling?"

"{That's the gist of it, yes.}"

"Figures…"

That meant I saw it right, and Arnwald really was dueling the Eastern Draconian bigshot I caught negotiating with the grand elder in the past.

"{Approximately twenty seconds after the operation started, several separate, disorganized conflicts broke out between the Eastern clans and the Feilong elders and branch family members on site,}" Judy explained, apparently hellbent to give me a situation report anyway. "{By the time the First Strike Group arrived, there were already dozens of injured. No casualties so far.}"

"Our in-laws?"

"{The Dracis personnel had already evacuated. Abram and Emese joined Roland's squad and are in the process of subduing the group assaulting the Feilong elders.}"

Following her answer, I switched my PoV over to them, just in time to catch a transformed dad-in-law grab a young-ish man in flowing red robes right out of the air and smash him against the nearby stone bench. I thought that would take him out of commission, but after being dazed for just a second or two, the guy jumped to his feet and tried his luck again.

"Right, Draconians are tough," I noted absently. "No wonder there are no casualties yet."

Just as I said that, mom-in-law appeared behind the guy, and using the dislodged bench as a bludgeon, she batted the guy across the entire arena. My in-laws shared a passionate glance, then shared an utterly adorable high-five before ganging up on the next guy.

"{In my professional opinion, I believe the lack of severe injuries is rather due to the attackers being disorganized and the Feilongs being already on guard.}"

"So you're saying they were expecting something like this would happen," I mused. "The plot thickens."

"{You don't sound too concerned by this development.}"

"Of course not; this is great! I already assumed that there would be some chaos after the tournament contestants were taken hostage in the Purple Zone, and expected our Knights to quell the unrest as their first official act, but this is even better! This way, they are seen protecting the weak and subduing the troublemakers, and before the Draconians would even realize it, they will start thinking of them as helpful and reliable, giving us an even bigger leg up during negotiations. And the best part is, we get all of this in exchange for only some minor collateral damage to a building that should've never even existed, so it's a win-win."

"{What about people getting hurt in the process?}"

"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

"{... Chief, please take off your Bel costume. It's making you sound unnecessarily evil.}"

"It's called method acting, Dormouse. Also, I can't take it off. There could be a really opportune moment to enter the fray any second now."

"{Maybe, but... Hold on, I've got calls from both Joshua and Morgana. I'll be back with you shortly.}"

While she dealt with that, I used Far Sight to travel across the arena, and my cursory observations quickly proved Judy's assessment right. There were many hot spots in the area where combatants, ranging from only two people to small groups up to eight or nine, duked it out between each other. All of them belonged to the Eastern group, and while a couple of Western Draconians, such as my in-laws and the older Smok brother, were caught up in the action, the vast majority of them decided to steer clear of the conflict and evacuate.

By sheer numbers, the ‘rebel' Draconians had a definitive numerical advantage, and even though they didn't form a united front and fought in small, separate groups, they still had the Feilongs on the defensive. Unfortunately for them, the intervention of Arnwald and company turned this situation on its head.

"Stain doon ye cloon, ur Ah swear Ah'll cut ye intae ribbons whaur ye stain!"

"Duncan! We are the good guys! Stop it!" my sister tried to rein Mr. Minotaur in, though she had little success, as the big guy was too caught up in the moment. In any case, thanks to their timely arrival and decisive attitude, our Knights turned the tide in one of the larger group battles, and the Squires were already in the process of tying up the defeated combatants.

"We are done on this side!" Roland called out, his voice barely audible through the cacophony of combat, and Penny waved at him to signal that they were also in the process of cleaning up.

I had to give it to them, they were doing a great job. In fact, they were moving so fast and efficiently that I was afraid they would finish things too fast.

"Penny? Can you break the Restricted Zone?" Arnwald popped up all of a sudden, dragging the unconscious body of the middle-aged Eastern Draconian he fought before. I think he was either the representative of the Mongolian clans, or the Korean ones. I couldn't be sure, as I was still terrible at remembering non-important people.

While Arnwald handed the limp body over to the squires, Penny grabbed the unicorn horn hanging from her belt, and after a long moment, she shook her head.

"I can, but it's an entrenched one with multiple anchors and lots of people in it. It's going to take a few minutes, at least."

"Work on it. We'll clean up the rest."

"Ah'll bide back tae swatch efter Penny-gurl," the big guy proposed at once, but was shot down just as swiftly.

"Nobody is fighting on this side of the arena. Please go and help uncle instead."

Mr. Minotaur grumbled something under his breath, but in the end, he obediently followed after Arnwald and headed to the other side. In the meantime, my communicator went live again.

"{Chief? Are you there?}"

"Of course I am."

"{Good. Listen. Negotiations had broken down inside the Restricted Space.}"

"Already?" I switched my point of view over to Josh, just in time to catch him blocking an attack from... Zihao? "... Okay, this is weird. What did I miss?"

"{When Morgana and Xinji couldn't reach an agreement, Zihao attacked one of the Squires. Amelia tried to stop him and de-escalate, but then he attacked her, so Joshua attacked him, so Xiao attacked Joshua, so Elly attacked her, and now it's all out of hand.}"

Just as she said that, I was stunned to see Sahi grab odango-girl with one of her floaty magic hands, just as she was in the middle of lunging at Elly, and throw her across the field like she was a baseball ball. She didn't seem to mind much, as she landed gracefully and rejoined the fray with a flying kick. Meanwhile, Armband Guy deployed a barrier around the three of them, pushing back two noname Eastern Draconians, only for them to get caught in an air blast by Josh and land in the middle of the scuffle between the Squires and the Western Draconians.

On the left, Josh and Zihao duked it out without a care for their surroundings. On the right, Elly was trying to lock down the bouncy odango girl while Pascal was doing his best to drag the gung-ho Sahi out of the fray. And then, in the middle, the grand elder was being suppressed by the combined efforts of the two Entitled Knights. In other words, it was a flustercuck, and I didn't like it one bit.

The stalemate was supposed to last a little longer, and then I wanted to show up as Bel, reveal the grand elder's connection to Morgana's group, and then use a couple of underhanded tricks to take him down and publicly establish Bel as an overpowering presence on the field. That was more or less out the window at this point, as by the looks of it, it was only a matter of time before the two Knights would subdue him, and he wouldn't receive any support either, considering everyone was too busy being bogged down in an enormous mêlée à trois, all thanks to Zihao and his hot-blooded idiocy.

"Dormouse, please remind me to give another punch to Naoren's brother once all of this is over."

"{I presume that means this wasn't in your master plan?}."

"Of course not. Morgana's group was supposed to gracefully lose to overwhelming odds and reveal they were forced into this by Bel, then I'd show up and antagonize everyone until the Purple Zone would go down."

"{Should I tell Joshua and Elly to focus on the Knights then?}"

"Nah, that boat had already sailed."

"{Then what?}"

"I'm going to improvise," I grumbled as I watched Josh pop another pill before lunging at Zihao, and then they did that dumb shounen thing where they linked their fingers together and pushed against each other while screaming from the top of their lungs. I was sure it looked very epic and dynamic and exciting and not at all monumentally dumb from up close. Maybe you also need a wide-angle lens too. And some dramatic music. Of course, we had none of those, so it just looked incredibly stupid.

"Is this a martial arts thing? Or more of a wrestling one?" I whispered under my breath, and I half expected a retort from Judy, yet she remained silent. I figured she was busy elsewhere, which she soon confirmed.

"{Chief? If you're not watching this already, you might want to keep an eye on what Roland is doing right now.}"

"Let me guess: it's another fresh hell, isn't it...?"

Mumbling so, I switched over to Mr. Griffon's red dot, just in time to catch him yelling, "We know this is your doing! We know you are watching!" in the center of the amphitheatre, his saber held high above his head.

I was just about to ask Judy who he was talking to, but then the cat got out of the bag when he added, "Show yourself, Bel of the Abyss!"

"Oh. I guess that's my cue," I said, feeling less than enthusiastic by this whole situation steadily careening off the tracks. Making sure my gloves were firmly in place, I told Judy, "I'm going to show myself, so keep an eye on Elly for me. I asked Sahi and Pascal to look after her in case something like this happened, but if things get hairy for her, call me no matter what I'm doing."

"{When did you do that?}"

"Offscreen." My answer resulted in a palpably petulant silence from the other side of the line, so I amended, "On the last school day before the winter break, during our raid on the sweets shop."

"{In other words, you were already expecting something like this would happen back then.}"

"I wouldn't say so, no," I responded absently while adjusting the mask. "I didn't know this exact scenario would come up, but I was pretty sure something would go wrong, so I made some preparations in advance."

"{Pessimism saves the day once again.}"

"Indeed. Please also remind me to tell Naoren to eat his heart out later. Now then, the stage calls, so off I go."

"{Have fun bamboozling everyone, but stay safe.}"

"That goes without saying." After saying that, I limbered up my shoulders, then strategically slacked them and whispered, "Queen moves to h5. Act two, here we go," and disappeared from the room.