"Alright, I’ve contacted the Captains and a few others, they should be here soon. Hide under my desk, I’ll go bring the Commander," Remarked Siele, before standing up and heading for the door as Tilda ducked under his desk.
He then opened the door and stepped out, before shutting it behind him and locking it. As he pocketed the key, he began making his way through the building, heading for the area where Jules was hiding.
After walking for a few minutes, he came to a stop in front of a door, before opening it and stepping inside, a staircase heading down coming into sight.
He shut the door and made his way down the stairs, before reaching the bottom and stepping onto the floor.
"Siele? What’s the matter, has something happened?" Came Jules’s voice, as she cautiously peered out from behind a stack of crates.
She had been hiding in the basement of the Knight headquarters, where their supplies were stored.
"Yes, Tilda just showed up, she says she’s got some information to relay to us. She’s hiding in my office right now, and I’ve contacted everyone who knows that you’re still alive, they’ve probably arrived by now. It was a great idea to have them carry Teleport Spells that teleport straight into my office, they should be able to get here without anyone noticing," He replied, before taking out a Sealing Spell and approaching Jules.
"Excellent, I’ve been waiting for this. This basement isn’t particularly comfortable, my back is quite sore from sleeping on the floor," She smiled wryly, before Siele pressed the Sealing Spell against her and activated it, sealing her within the Magic Crystal attached to it.
He then made his way back up the stairs, exiting the basement and shutting the door before heading back to his office.
As he reached it, he glanced around warily before opening the door and swiftly stepping in, the others having already arrived and glancing up as he entered before shutting and locking the door.
He then took out the Sealing Spell and ran his Mana through it, releasing Jules, who reappeared beside him.
"Commander! I’m so glad to see you’re alright...I’m really sorry for stabbing you, I-...," Began Tilda with a guilty look on her face. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝘯𝘦𝘵
"There’s no need for that, I understand that it was necessary to gain the trust of Exalt. And in comparison to the risk you’re taking by infiltrating them, a small injury like that is nothing," Responded Jules with a smile, as she walked over and placed a hand on Tilda’s shoulder.
"I-...thank you, Commander."
"Now, then, we should get straight to the matter at hand. We may arouse suspicion if we stay here too long, after all," Pointed out Jules objectively.
"Yeah, I told my subordinates that I was going to the bathroom, so the sooner I get back, the better," Spoke up Aster sheepishly.
"Oh, no way, I used the same excuse," Remarked Raven with a wry smile.
"I just said I’m stepping out for a sec and no one questioned me," Shrugged Lexia in response.
"Yeah, probably because they’re afraid of you," Responded Raven slyly.
"Hmph, they better be."
"I didn’t need an excuse, it just happened to be my shift to patrol, so I just slipped into an alley when no one was looking and teleported here," Chimed in Tacitus with a shrug.
"Alright, I’ll explain everything I know. To start with, this has been in the works for months, shortly after Queen Lyra began making changes to our laws and exposing the crimes of the corrupt members of the Nobility. Several Nobles banded together in response to that and began plotting this coup, and the one leading them is...the former King’s brother, Reiss Diamond," Remarked Tilda with a grimace.
"Tch, that bastard...I should’ve figured he’s the one behind this, he’s always been a crafty one," Muttered Rione in response.
"A while ago, I was approached by my mother, who asked me to join Exalt’s cause. While my father, Viscount Malachite, and my older brother, Diar, are kind to Commoners, the same can’t be said of the rest of my family, especially my mother. She absolutely hates Commoners and despises my father for treating them kindly, the only reason why she’s still with him is because she’s from a lower-ranked Noble House and doesn’t want to lose the privilege that comes with being a member of a Viscount’s family.
When I was younger, she instilled those prejudices into me, convinced me that my father and brother were pathetic excuses for Knights and Nobles...but then, after I joined the Knights myself and became a member of the Commander Squad, I was able to see things in a different light thanks to the Commander’s influence. My perception and mindset were effectively reversed, though I kept that from my mother.
She always spoke about my father and brother with such vitreol and hatred, so I knew that I wouldn’t be able to change her mind, and didn’t want to pointlessly argue with her. So whenever I interacted with her, I just nodded and played along with whatever she said, I guess that led her to the conclusion that I still shared the same mindset with her. I only saw her occasionally after becoming a Knight, so I figured there was no harm in-...oh, sorry, I’m getting off topic here.
To get back on track...since she assumed that I was still prejudiced against Commoners, she approached me to recruit me into Exalt. I almost refused on the spot, but after giving it a moment of thought, I decided that the best option would be to learn more about them before doing anything rash," She explained as she recalled the events.
"Yeah, Diar has often vented to me about your mother, she keeps trying to convince him to change his ways," Chimed in Fyre.
"Why doesn’t your father just divorce her? I mean, I don’t really know a whole lot about Nobles, but based on everything you’ve said, they clearly don’t have a loving relationship, it sounds like they hate each other," Added Raven in bemusement.
"Well, I have asked my father about it, and he did have a reason, but it’s, uh...," Trailed off Tilda, averting her gaze with an embarrassed look on her face.
"Ah, right, Diar told me about that...if I remember right, he said that your father’s still with her because she’s attractive and good in bed, so-...," Began Fyre.
"P-please don’t, that’s really not something I want to think about," Sighed Tilda in exasperation.
"Wait, so even though they hate each other, they still...do it?" Chimed in Raven.
"Heh, guess they’re into hate-fucking," Chuckled Lexia in amusement.
"I’m begging you to stop...," Groaned Tilda with an uncomfortable look on her face.
"Ahem...let’s stay on topic, shall we?" Frowned Jules as she cleared her throat pointedly.
"We’ll stop interrupting."
"Good. Now, then, please continue, Tilda."
"Uh, right...let’s see, where was I...?"