Heats - 5
Blackraptor
Not too sore, are you?
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"We were all stunned when the boy in the picture looked exactly like a child version of you." Julius just finished explaining the very strange coincidence that was Leon Sara Rault. It was pretty weird to hear that there was a kid who had the same name and face as me, moreso that he passed away a decade ago.
I was still en route to Alzer aboard the Nagare. Control and Yumeria were making sure that the accommodations for everyone on the ship were all set up properly. In the meantime, Marie contacted me again saying that Julius wanted to talk to me about something important before we arrived. I certainly didn't expect that the topic of discussion was the internal family complications of the Rault family.
"That sucks. I can't even imagine what it was like for them to lose a son that young." I lamented. I didn't know the kid, but I could at least empathize with the pain it would have caused his parents and sister. "So Serge was then adopted so their house can have a male heir?"
"Correct," Julius continued before his expression became quite conflicted. "There is a lot of tension between him and Miss Louise because of an incident he told us about relating to their Leon."
Of course there was going to be drama between the adopted siblings. It was like having a healthy family relationship was a hidden difficulty setting in this world for nobility.
"Serge feels like he is nothing more than a replacement for the deceased Leon, of which he is technically correct. Unfortunately, the grief of Chairman Albergue and his family over the loss seemed to have made Serge's feelings of neglect even worse." Julius sighed and shook his head as he continued to talk about his new friend's past. "Enough that he did something he described as unforgivable to Louise."
Well, that wasn't ominous at all. "Did he tell you what it was?"
"He burned nearly every photo of the boy the family had in a fit of anger, including all the ones that had Louise with him." I took in a sharp breath and winced at Julius' answer. Yeah, that'd put him on her shitlist for sure.
"Louise loved her brother. A lot." Marie continued the thought, her voice being unusually sullen as she spoke. "I never heard of Leon Sara Rault in the discussions about the second game, so it was probably cut content. Even so, I could feel how much Louise loved him whenever I got her to talk about what he was like."
"And now the two of them are going to spend the summer break with a guy who looks exactly like him." I said, lightly pulling at my hair with all the fun possibilities that this could bring over the summer break.
Thanks Marie!
"I don't think that Louise will do anything, she seems to have a good handle on her emotions." Marie hurriedly assured me when she saw my reaction. "It'll be fine!"
"Serge will likely be a different story." Julius went the opposite direction though. "Please be prepared in case he has an outburst."
"I get it. It's not like I haven't been hit with worse over the past year." If it had to come down to it, I'd give him a free hit because of how messed up their situation was. Anything more would be subject to self-defense. "But are you sure it's okay to divulge all this to me? Seems like a lot of very personal stuff he told to you guys in confidence."
"You will be personally involved in the matter even if I don't tell you about this. I'd rather apologize to Serge about it later than have the two of you at odds because you didn't have the right context for his anger." The conviction Julius had when he said those words made me blink.
Man, what happened to the guy I beat up last year who could only think about how unfair everything was to him?
"Good thing your women aren't with you. They'd probably rip him to pieces if he does try to attack you." My eyes widened at Marie's comment and I dumbly nodded in agreement. Yeah, none of them would have taken a direct attack at me lying down even if I was personally okay with a free shot. Especially with Livia and Anne's 'Shoot First; Mind Control Later' combination.
"Anything else?" The way Julius' eyes lit up when I asked that made it clear that there was definitely more.
"There is something strange relating to the Sacred Tree, the fully grown one." Julius then started talking about another part of the meeting he and the boys had with the Chairman when their Guardian Crests first appeared. "As you know, myself and the others were designated as Guardians by the sapling. There is also supposed to be a Priestess who takes care of and can communicate with it. However, there are neither Priestess nor Guardian for the current Sacred Tree as the Lespinasse house was destroyed a decade ago. No replacements were ever chosen by the tree afterwards."
Lespinasse, that was the house that both Noelle and Lelia were secretly daughters of based on what Marie told me about what she knew of the second game.
"Why was their house destroyed anyway?" I asked in confusion. They had both the Priestess and Guardian so they should be super powerful and important to Alzer in general. So how the hell was their family wiped out, or why for that matter?
"That's the thing. When we asked, Chairman Albergue claimed that it was a matter of State and he cannot share the details of the incident with outsiders." Julius stated and we all glanced at each other in silence.
"So basically that means that the other great houses probably did it." I finally stated and the two of them immediately nodded in agreement.
And here I thought that the politics in Holfort was messed up. So much for Anne's past being the only major mystery we needed to get to the bottom of.
"We probably won't learn the full story unless we gain the full trust of either the twins or the Raults." I said as the conversation ran its course. "For now, just make sure that everyone is ready to come aboard once the Nagare arrives."
We said our goodbyes and the connection ended. I remained seated in the Captain's chair as I thought about the whole thing. I was looking at the great expanse of the sky on the displays when I suddenly made a startling realization.
"Hey, Control." I called out and immediately got a response.
Yes, Leon?
"So Anne woke up from inside the Saint's Necklace after it spent enough time in the Nagare and soaked up the Getter Rays in here." I recalled the several months that the necklace spent in that safe after I got it from the pirates last year.
That is likely what happened, yes.
"What are the chances that the baby Miracle God Tree would have a similar reaction to Getter Rays?" I asked in barely restrained unease.
Zero.
"Wait, really? How are you sure?" I squawked out at the certainty in Control's statement.
The drone I have accompanying Marie has been analyzing the strange energy permeating from the full grown Sacred Tree. I have come to the conclusion that the tree and its offspring are the products of Getter Ray exposure to begin with.
I smacked my forehead with my palm. "Of course they are."
The Sacred Tree and its kind are likely mutated plant life that gained a form of power and sentience after prolonged exposure to a Getter Ray source. Over the following several thousands of years, the available Getter Radiation on the planet eventually ran out. The members of the species that would have managed to evolve into utilizing the ambient magical energy instead of Getter Rays were the ones that managed to survive and are likely where the Alzer Sacred Tree came from.
"There's probably something Getter related under the giant tree, isn't there?" I flatly asked and the long pause from Control pretty much confirmed my fear.
The possibility is not insignificant.
I swear, if it was another Getter Dragon in there, I would lose it!
…
"Big brother!" Marie shamelessly ran up and hugged me the moment we saw each other. I laughed and returned the hug even as Kyle and our new guests walked up behind her. Julius and the boys were loading up their Armors in the hangar and were probably going to get a surprise once they saw Roze Getter there.
Yumeria was at my side and I noticed her smile at Kyle, who tried to remain professional but I could see the blush at his mother's attention. Marie finally let me go and I looked at the remaining three people there. They were the ones I'd have to accommodate for the rest of the Summer Break thanks to my sister.
"It's nice to meet you, my name is Leon Fo-" I didn't even finish my introduction when the guy, who I assumed was Serge Sara Rault, stepped forward and pulled back a fist to punch me. I ignored the exclamations from Marie and the other two girls in favor of keeping eye contact with Serge.
My eyes widened when his fist didn't make contact with my face, care of the hand that was around his wrist. I turned my head and saw Yumeria holding onto Serge's wrist with one hand while the other was around his throat. Wait, when did she even move?!
"Urk!" Serge tried to speak but Yumeria's grip looked ironclad.
"Serge!" The blond girl, Noelle I assumed, called out in panic and tried to pull him away from my maid.
"What were you thinking?!" Louise opted to hiss at her adopted brother instead of trying to help him.
"Yumeria, let him go!" I ordered while grabbing onto her shoulders and ineffectively trying to puller her away from Serge.
"He tried to attack you." Yumeria stated in a tone I hadn't heard since I met her at Elven Island.
"I'm aware. I still want you to let him go." I insisted and she finally relented. Both Noelle and Serge stumbled backwards, the girl barely able to brace them both as Serge started coughing and rubbing his throat. Marie walked up to them to check if they were okay.
"Why the hell did you try to punch our host?!" Louise was already there and berating her adopted brother.
Serge coughed for a bit longer before he could respond. "I was just trying to make him flinch! I wasn't actually going to hit him!"
"It was still an idiotic thing to do!" His sister didn't seem like she was having any of it.
"She's not wrong, even though she can clearly say it in a nicer way." The blonde added while rubbing his back and giving the older girl the stink eye.
One that Louise returned, crossing her arms under her breasts. "Oh, so now you're the one defending him?"
"Anyway!" I cut in before things could get any worse. "Like I was saying, I'm Leon Fou Bartfort."
I then walked up to my would-be attacker and offered a handshake. "That was one hell of a way to make yourself memorable. Serge, right?"
"Yeah, Serge Sara Rault." He said with a nod and accepted the handshake. He turned to Yumeria and gave her a good look, his gaze lingering on the horn sticking out of her forehead. "You're a hell of a lot stronger than you look."
"I am Yumeria. I serve the will of the Dragon God as Oni and Priestess. You will not harm Inheritor Leon." She coldly stated before dismissing Serge entirely in favor of leaning towards Noelle. The girl didn't seem to know what to do when my maid just stared at her for a moment.
"You have traces of the Dragon God's light, but it is changed. Curious." Yumeria muttered, to the confusion of our three guests. Well, that was definitely a point towards Control's theory that the Sacred Tree was a product of Getter Rays.
Louise then roughly pulled Noelle away from Serge and hissed at her. "Introduce yourself, you twit!"
"Ah! Right! I'm Noelle Beltre! Marie told me a lot about you! I'll be in your care!" She hurriedly stated with a deep bow.
"It's nice to meet you too, Miss Noelle." I responded with a smile. Louise then cleared her throat and gave a perfect curtsy, making Noelle frown at her.
"Once again, I am Louise Sara Rault. Allow me to apologize on behalf of my house for the unacceptable behavior of our heir." She sweetly said to try to smooth over what her brother just tried to do. I raised a hand to forestall any further words from her or the others.
"It's fine. I know who I look like." Both Louise and Serge looked at me in alarm while Noelle didn't seem to know what I was talking about. "Julius and Marie explained it. I'm sorry for your loss."
Serge looked conflicted about it and ignored Noelle's whispers while Louise seemed to want to say something but held herself back. That was fine, there was a lot of time for them to breach that particular topic anyway.
"Please follow Yumeria to your quarters. I want to talk to Marie about something." I said instead while gesturing to Yumeria, who gave a respectful bow to them.
"As long as she doesn't try to choke me again." That remark earned Serge a slap on the arm from both Noelle and Louise.
"And whose fault do you think that was?!" They both yelled at him at the same time. The two girls then stared at each other, frowning at their sudden and unexpected synchronization.
Serge groaned and started following Yumeria. "Great, now there's two of them."
"Please do not cause another scene or I shall indulge in choking you again." I heard her say, making the poor guy flinch.
"Yes ma'am!" He hurriedly said, making sure to keep Louise between him and the elf. Noelle walked closely at his side and seemed to be teasing him. I turned to Kyle and Marie once they were all out of sight.
I looked at the two of them and noticed something very important that was missing. "Where's the sapling?"
"Greg has it." I thanked Marie and told the two of them to ask Control for directions to their quarters while I went to the hangar to talk to the boys. As expected, I saw the five of them staring at Roze Getter.
"Leon, why is there another Getter here?" Chris asked when he noticed me, making the others turn to me as well.
"It's named Roze Getter and it's here in case things get too hairy with all the monster attacks going around." I gave the most reasonable excuse since Marie still refused to tell them the truth about everything.
"So they are still continuing unabated." Julius said with a frown as he looked back at the other Getter Robo. "Who shall be piloting this new machine then?"
"Deirdre will be handling Roze Getter once Control and I give it to her." That certainly got a few looks of confusion sent my way.
"She is one of the Roseblade daughters, if I recall correctly. Is it wise to let a woman pilot such a powerful Armor?" Jilk's comment actually made me laugh out loud.
Miss Deirdre is a natural talent in piloting Black Getter F based on the time she has been spending in the simulator. Roze Getter was specifically built with her piloting it in mind.
The surprise on their faces was pretty much expected. Women typically weren't part of Holfort's fighting force outside of support roles even though most of the female nobility were registered Adventurers. They certainly didn't go around piloting Armors as far as I knew.
I then noticed the glass case that Greg was cradling in his arms and the little plant secured within. "Is that the baby miracle god tree?"
They all blinked and looked at the sapling. Greg nodded and handed the case to me without hesitation. "Yep, we weren't sure how safe it was for the little guy to remain in Alzer without any supervision."
Awww! The baby god miracle god tree had five dads! I wonder if they named it?
I examined the tiny sapling inside the case but it didn't really look any different from any other baby plant that I had seen in our family farms.
"I actually want to check something real quick, can you guys come with me to the bridge?" They agreed and we all made our way there. As we walked, I asked Control to have Yumeria come to the bridge as well. Her comment with Noelle earlier and what Control said about the Sacred Trees made me want to check something.
"Well? See anything weird?" I asked as Yumeria stared intently at the sapling. Julius and the boys were hovering protectively nearby. Even Marie and Kyle were present as well, likely curious about the whole thing.
"The infant also has the same light as the maiden." Yumeria muttered as she tilted her head. She then turned to me with her brows furrowed. "It is also trying to communicating with me."
Well, that was definitely something I wasn't expecting. Everyone else seemed to mirror my own disbelief.
"It's talking to you?!" Kyle suddenly exclaimed.
"The infant thanks its Guardians for distancing it away from the adult." Yumeria said, sweeping her gaze over the boys. "It seems that it had been siphoning away the magical energy that the infant needed in order to grow."
"Can you ask the kid why it chose us as its Guardians?" Greg quickly asked the most obvious question.
Wait, did he refer to the baby tree as a kid?
"The infant feared for its life and reached out to the only ones who had given it affection. The five of you seem to be good fathers." I heard Marie groan when Julius and the others actually looked proud. I turned to Yumeria and suggested something myself.
"Ask it about the Priestess and if it can already choose one." She nodded and had a silent conversation with the baby tree.
"The infant says that the maiden from earlier would be the ideal candidate. I believe that she would be able to communicate with the infant if it is shown to her." Marie and I looked at each other after Yumeria finished explaining. That pretty much confirmed our suspicions.
"You can talk to the kid, does that mean that you can be the Priestess instead?" Greg followed up. That was a really good point. Could Yumeria communicate with the baby plant because of the Oni conversion procedure?
We all suddenly felt a sense of immediate dread and doom as Yumeria responded. "I am already the Priestess of the Dragon God. I would refuse and snuff out the infant if it tried to force me into the role."
"So Noelle then." Brad quickly said, with the rest of us nodding in agreement. Yumeria then shifted back to her regular demeanor and continued to speak on the baby tree's behalf.
"The infant also says that Miss Marie would be an acceptable alternative due to its Guardians treasuring her, though her inability to communicate would make things challenging." The boys looked happy about that but Marie and I just looked at each other worriedly. If she was chosen as the Priestess, then it might end up complicating our lives even more than they already were.
Please ask the sapling what the role of the Priestess is for exactly.
Everyone except Yumeria flinched when Control suddenly spoke up from the bridge's speakers.
"The Priestess exists to be the infant's means to interact with the outside world. They will be its caretaker and see to any needs and concerns that it may have in exchange for its power and protection." We all heard the AI hum as they considered Yumeria's words.
"What are you thinking about, Control?" I asked.
The lack of a Priestess and Guardian may become the cause for the Sacred Tree to go rogue due to a lack of oversight and care.
"Wait, the giant tree could turn hostile?" Chris' alarm was understandable considering how massive the full grown Sacred Tree was.
And here I was worrying about having to fight D2, which was only fifty-five meters tall.
"The fact that we can't really say no is the most problematic part of this." Marie said in despair.
I thanked Yumeria for her help and handed the sapling back to Greg. Marie sighed as the boys started to actually talk to it while they went to their quarters. Yumeria and Kyle also left together, the boy probably wanting to catch up with his mom.
"Now they'll never stop talking to it." I chuckled at my sister's annoyance.
"It'll be good practice for when they actually have kids." I blinked and turned to her. "What's your plan for that by the way?"
Marie just looked at me flatly and turned to the door. "I'm tired. I'll talk to you later Big Brother."
"She really clams up when I talk about certain things." I muttered once she left the bridge.
I have been observing Miss Marie's behavior throughout our stay in the Republic. It seems that she is suffering from a form of trauma related to her previous life.
"I figured when she won't talk to me about what happened after I died on Earth." I agreed with a deep sigh. The fact that she wouldn't tell me about it meant that she probably wouldn't tell the boys about it either. "What can we do to help her?"
She will need to seek out help on her own. Forcing one to confront their own trauma forcibly rarely works and would normally result in their psyche breaking further.
"Dammit Marie." She was still stubborn and bullheaded even in a new world.
On the subject of trauma, I believe I have enough material to begin your own therapy. We may start whenever you are comfortable.
"Really? Thanks!" I wasn't really getting any nightmares anymore, but that was only really because I barely ever sleep by myself anymore. I'd take an actual solution to my problem if I could help it. "I'll definitely take you up on that once we finally have the time to breathe."
Understood.
…
Leon, Serge is about to arrive at the bridge. He wishes to discuss something with you.
I thanked Control for the warning just as the doors opened and Serge came in.
"Hey Serge." I greeted him from the Captain's chair. He nodded to me and took a look around the bridge.
"Lost Items really are above and beyond the regular stuff we have, huh?" He said after an impressed whistle.
"They can be pretty overwhelming, yeah." I agreed with him easily enough. We both lapsed into silence. I didn't really know what he wanted to talk about and he seemed to have trouble actually starting the conversation.
"I hate the kid you look like, you know?" I blinked. Ah, so it was about Leon Sara Rault. His difficulty in talking about it made a lot more sense. "It's fucking stupid, it doesn't make sense, but I hate him all the same. Makes me feel like shit since a dead kid doesn't deserve it."
I waited for him to continue as he started to pace around the bridge.
"You know, Louise and I got along really well when I was first adopted into the Rault house. She was great, the perfect girl." Huh, there might have even something more to that with the way he spoke about Louise.
I decided to cut in and be honest about an important thing. "I heard about what you did from Julius."
"Is that why you didn't look mad when I tried to punch you?" He asked, not really looking all that upset that his new friend told me about something so important.
"It was a pretty shit situation all around. I can't imagine what it was like for you growing up." He nodded at my words and took a seat at one of the nearby consoles.
"Because I felt like they didn't love me as much as a dead kid, like the little shit I was, I tried to burn away Louise's memories of him." His self hatred was pretty obvious with his expression and how he was practically snarling at himself. "Fucking idiot! She's right to hate me forever. I don't deserve her forgiveness."
"Have you actually ever genuinely apologized to her about it?" His silence was damning enough.
Huh, was this what it was like when Livia and the others had to deal with my idiot self?
"It's not going to get better until you do, you know?" I pointed out and he rolled his eyes at me.
"Yeah, yeah. It's not like she'd accept it." He said dismissively.
"You never know. Besides, that's not the point. The point is letting her know that you regret what you did. Until you do that, she'll think that you still hate her brother." Serge was pretty quiet after I told him that. He then looked at me with a helpless smile.
"Why does that scare me more than her being pissed at me forever?" I chuckled since I knew exactly what he was feeling.
"Because it means you still love her, despite everything that happened." I told him with a big smile. Serge actually looked surprised at that and furrowed his brow in thought.
"How'd you get so good at this shit anyway?" He asked and I had to take a deep breath.
"I know a thing or two about fucking up in a relationship. My fiancées could tell you some stories." I said with a laugh. I then turned back to him when he didn't say anything and saw that he was looking at me in complete confusion.
"Did you just say fiancées? As in more than one?" Ah, right. My arrangement wasn't exactly normal for anyone.
"Ahaha! Well, yeah. I have two and we all have a mutual lover as well. You'll probably meet them when they visit." I internally screamed when I barely prevented myself from talking about Mylene. Don't talk about having an affair with the Queen, me! Don't talk about Anne either!
"No wonder those guys talk about you like you're a fucking god." Serge said while shaking his head.
"Thanks for telling me about the other Leon." He just waved away my words.
"Honestly, I wasn't going to but Noelle practically kicked me out of my own room here and demanded that I apologize." Really? Huh, looks like they're pretty close if he was letting her do that to him. "I may have made a mistake when I became her friend."
"Friends have the sacred right to call each other out on their bullshit. I'm sure you've seen some examples with the boys."
The two of us shared a laugh at that.
I was still en route to Alzer aboard the Nagare. Control and Yumeria were making sure that the accommodations for everyone on the ship were all set up properly. In the meantime, Marie contacted me again saying that Julius wanted to talk to me about something important before we arrived. I certainly didn't expect that the topic of discussion was the internal family complications of the Rault family.
"That sucks. I can't even imagine what it was like for them to lose a son that young." I lamented. I didn't know the kid, but I could at least empathize with the pain it would have caused his parents and sister. "So Serge was then adopted so their house can have a male heir?"
"Correct," Julius continued before his expression became quite conflicted. "There is a lot of tension between him and Miss Louise because of an incident he told us about relating to their Leon."
Of course there was going to be drama between the adopted siblings. It was like having a healthy family relationship was a hidden difficulty setting in this world for nobility.
"Serge feels like he is nothing more than a replacement for the deceased Leon, of which he is technically correct. Unfortunately, the grief of Chairman Albergue and his family over the loss seemed to have made Serge's feelings of neglect even worse." Julius sighed and shook his head as he continued to talk about his new friend's past. "Enough that he did something he described as unforgivable to Louise."
Well, that wasn't ominous at all. "Did he tell you what it was?"
"He burned nearly every photo of the boy the family had in a fit of anger, including all the ones that had Louise with him." I took in a sharp breath and winced at Julius' answer. Yeah, that'd put him on her shitlist for sure.
"Louise loved her brother. A lot." Marie continued the thought, her voice being unusually sullen as she spoke. "I never heard of Leon Sara Rault in the discussions about the second game, so it was probably cut content. Even so, I could feel how much Louise loved him whenever I got her to talk about what he was like."
"And now the two of them are going to spend the summer break with a guy who looks exactly like him." I said, lightly pulling at my hair with all the fun possibilities that this could bring over the summer break.
Thanks Marie!
"I don't think that Louise will do anything, she seems to have a good handle on her emotions." Marie hurriedly assured me when she saw my reaction. "It'll be fine!"
"Serge will likely be a different story." Julius went the opposite direction though. "Please be prepared in case he has an outburst."
"I get it. It's not like I haven't been hit with worse over the past year." If it had to come down to it, I'd give him a free hit because of how messed up their situation was. Anything more would be subject to self-defense. "But are you sure it's okay to divulge all this to me? Seems like a lot of very personal stuff he told to you guys in confidence."
"You will be personally involved in the matter even if I don't tell you about this. I'd rather apologize to Serge about it later than have the two of you at odds because you didn't have the right context for his anger." The conviction Julius had when he said those words made me blink.
Man, what happened to the guy I beat up last year who could only think about how unfair everything was to him?
"Good thing your women aren't with you. They'd probably rip him to pieces if he does try to attack you." My eyes widened at Marie's comment and I dumbly nodded in agreement. Yeah, none of them would have taken a direct attack at me lying down even if I was personally okay with a free shot. Especially with Livia and Anne's 'Shoot First; Mind Control Later' combination.
"Anything else?" The way Julius' eyes lit up when I asked that made it clear that there was definitely more.
"There is something strange relating to the Sacred Tree, the fully grown one." Julius then started talking about another part of the meeting he and the boys had with the Chairman when their Guardian Crests first appeared. "As you know, myself and the others were designated as Guardians by the sapling. There is also supposed to be a Priestess who takes care of and can communicate with it. However, there are neither Priestess nor Guardian for the current Sacred Tree as the Lespinasse house was destroyed a decade ago. No replacements were ever chosen by the tree afterwards."
Lespinasse, that was the house that both Noelle and Lelia were secretly daughters of based on what Marie told me about what she knew of the second game.
"Why was their house destroyed anyway?" I asked in confusion. They had both the Priestess and Guardian so they should be super powerful and important to Alzer in general. So how the hell was their family wiped out, or why for that matter?
"That's the thing. When we asked, Chairman Albergue claimed that it was a matter of State and he cannot share the details of the incident with outsiders." Julius stated and we all glanced at each other in silence.
"So basically that means that the other great houses probably did it." I finally stated and the two of them immediately nodded in agreement.
And here I thought that the politics in Holfort was messed up. So much for Anne's past being the only major mystery we needed to get to the bottom of.
"We probably won't learn the full story unless we gain the full trust of either the twins or the Raults." I said as the conversation ran its course. "For now, just make sure that everyone is ready to come aboard once the Nagare arrives."
We said our goodbyes and the connection ended. I remained seated in the Captain's chair as I thought about the whole thing. I was looking at the great expanse of the sky on the displays when I suddenly made a startling realization.
"Hey, Control." I called out and immediately got a response.
Yes, Leon?
"So Anne woke up from inside the Saint's Necklace after it spent enough time in the Nagare and soaked up the Getter Rays in here." I recalled the several months that the necklace spent in that safe after I got it from the pirates last year.
That is likely what happened, yes.
"What are the chances that the baby Miracle God Tree would have a similar reaction to Getter Rays?" I asked in barely restrained unease.
Zero.
"Wait, really? How are you sure?" I squawked out at the certainty in Control's statement.
The drone I have accompanying Marie has been analyzing the strange energy permeating from the full grown Sacred Tree. I have come to the conclusion that the tree and its offspring are the products of Getter Ray exposure to begin with.
I smacked my forehead with my palm. "Of course they are."
The Sacred Tree and its kind are likely mutated plant life that gained a form of power and sentience after prolonged exposure to a Getter Ray source. Over the following several thousands of years, the available Getter Radiation on the planet eventually ran out. The members of the species that would have managed to evolve into utilizing the ambient magical energy instead of Getter Rays were the ones that managed to survive and are likely where the Alzer Sacred Tree came from.
"There's probably something Getter related under the giant tree, isn't there?" I flatly asked and the long pause from Control pretty much confirmed my fear.
The possibility is not insignificant.
I swear, if it was another Getter Dragon in there, I would lose it!
…
"Big brother!" Marie shamelessly ran up and hugged me the moment we saw each other. I laughed and returned the hug even as Kyle and our new guests walked up behind her. Julius and the boys were loading up their Armors in the hangar and were probably going to get a surprise once they saw Roze Getter there.
Yumeria was at my side and I noticed her smile at Kyle, who tried to remain professional but I could see the blush at his mother's attention. Marie finally let me go and I looked at the remaining three people there. They were the ones I'd have to accommodate for the rest of the Summer Break thanks to my sister.
"It's nice to meet you, my name is Leon Fo-" I didn't even finish my introduction when the guy, who I assumed was Serge Sara Rault, stepped forward and pulled back a fist to punch me. I ignored the exclamations from Marie and the other two girls in favor of keeping eye contact with Serge.
My eyes widened when his fist didn't make contact with my face, care of the hand that was around his wrist. I turned my head and saw Yumeria holding onto Serge's wrist with one hand while the other was around his throat. Wait, when did she even move?!
"Urk!" Serge tried to speak but Yumeria's grip looked ironclad.
"Serge!" The blond girl, Noelle I assumed, called out in panic and tried to pull him away from my maid.
"What were you thinking?!" Louise opted to hiss at her adopted brother instead of trying to help him.
"Yumeria, let him go!" I ordered while grabbing onto her shoulders and ineffectively trying to puller her away from Serge.
"He tried to attack you." Yumeria stated in a tone I hadn't heard since I met her at Elven Island.
"I'm aware. I still want you to let him go." I insisted and she finally relented. Both Noelle and Serge stumbled backwards, the girl barely able to brace them both as Serge started coughing and rubbing his throat. Marie walked up to them to check if they were okay.
"Why the hell did you try to punch our host?!" Louise was already there and berating her adopted brother.
Serge coughed for a bit longer before he could respond. "I was just trying to make him flinch! I wasn't actually going to hit him!"
"It was still an idiotic thing to do!" His sister didn't seem like she was having any of it.
"She's not wrong, even though she can clearly say it in a nicer way." The blonde added while rubbing his back and giving the older girl the stink eye.
One that Louise returned, crossing her arms under her breasts. "Oh, so now you're the one defending him?"
"Anyway!" I cut in before things could get any worse. "Like I was saying, I'm Leon Fou Bartfort."
I then walked up to my would-be attacker and offered a handshake. "That was one hell of a way to make yourself memorable. Serge, right?"
"Yeah, Serge Sara Rault." He said with a nod and accepted the handshake. He turned to Yumeria and gave her a good look, his gaze lingering on the horn sticking out of her forehead. "You're a hell of a lot stronger than you look."
"I am Yumeria. I serve the will of the Dragon God as Oni and Priestess. You will not harm Inheritor Leon." She coldly stated before dismissing Serge entirely in favor of leaning towards Noelle. The girl didn't seem to know what to do when my maid just stared at her for a moment.
"You have traces of the Dragon God's light, but it is changed. Curious." Yumeria muttered, to the confusion of our three guests. Well, that was definitely a point towards Control's theory that the Sacred Tree was a product of Getter Rays.
Louise then roughly pulled Noelle away from Serge and hissed at her. "Introduce yourself, you twit!"
"Ah! Right! I'm Noelle Beltre! Marie told me a lot about you! I'll be in your care!" She hurriedly stated with a deep bow.
"It's nice to meet you too, Miss Noelle." I responded with a smile. Louise then cleared her throat and gave a perfect curtsy, making Noelle frown at her.
"Once again, I am Louise Sara Rault. Allow me to apologize on behalf of my house for the unacceptable behavior of our heir." She sweetly said to try to smooth over what her brother just tried to do. I raised a hand to forestall any further words from her or the others.
"It's fine. I know who I look like." Both Louise and Serge looked at me in alarm while Noelle didn't seem to know what I was talking about. "Julius and Marie explained it. I'm sorry for your loss."
Serge looked conflicted about it and ignored Noelle's whispers while Louise seemed to want to say something but held herself back. That was fine, there was a lot of time for them to breach that particular topic anyway.
"Please follow Yumeria to your quarters. I want to talk to Marie about something." I said instead while gesturing to Yumeria, who gave a respectful bow to them.
"As long as she doesn't try to choke me again." That remark earned Serge a slap on the arm from both Noelle and Louise.
"And whose fault do you think that was?!" They both yelled at him at the same time. The two girls then stared at each other, frowning at their sudden and unexpected synchronization.
Serge groaned and started following Yumeria. "Great, now there's two of them."
"Please do not cause another scene or I shall indulge in choking you again." I heard her say, making the poor guy flinch.
"Yes ma'am!" He hurriedly said, making sure to keep Louise between him and the elf. Noelle walked closely at his side and seemed to be teasing him. I turned to Kyle and Marie once they were all out of sight.
I looked at the two of them and noticed something very important that was missing. "Where's the sapling?"
"Greg has it." I thanked Marie and told the two of them to ask Control for directions to their quarters while I went to the hangar to talk to the boys. As expected, I saw the five of them staring at Roze Getter.
"Leon, why is there another Getter here?" Chris asked when he noticed me, making the others turn to me as well.
"It's named Roze Getter and it's here in case things get too hairy with all the monster attacks going around." I gave the most reasonable excuse since Marie still refused to tell them the truth about everything.
"So they are still continuing unabated." Julius said with a frown as he looked back at the other Getter Robo. "Who shall be piloting this new machine then?"
"Deirdre will be handling Roze Getter once Control and I give it to her." That certainly got a few looks of confusion sent my way.
"She is one of the Roseblade daughters, if I recall correctly. Is it wise to let a woman pilot such a powerful Armor?" Jilk's comment actually made me laugh out loud.
Miss Deirdre is a natural talent in piloting Black Getter F based on the time she has been spending in the simulator. Roze Getter was specifically built with her piloting it in mind.
The surprise on their faces was pretty much expected. Women typically weren't part of Holfort's fighting force outside of support roles even though most of the female nobility were registered Adventurers. They certainly didn't go around piloting Armors as far as I knew.
I then noticed the glass case that Greg was cradling in his arms and the little plant secured within. "Is that the baby miracle god tree?"
They all blinked and looked at the sapling. Greg nodded and handed the case to me without hesitation. "Yep, we weren't sure how safe it was for the little guy to remain in Alzer without any supervision."
Awww! The baby god miracle god tree had five dads! I wonder if they named it?
I examined the tiny sapling inside the case but it didn't really look any different from any other baby plant that I had seen in our family farms.
"I actually want to check something real quick, can you guys come with me to the bridge?" They agreed and we all made our way there. As we walked, I asked Control to have Yumeria come to the bridge as well. Her comment with Noelle earlier and what Control said about the Sacred Trees made me want to check something.
"Well? See anything weird?" I asked as Yumeria stared intently at the sapling. Julius and the boys were hovering protectively nearby. Even Marie and Kyle were present as well, likely curious about the whole thing.
"The infant also has the same light as the maiden." Yumeria muttered as she tilted her head. She then turned to me with her brows furrowed. "It is also trying to communicating with me."
Well, that was definitely something I wasn't expecting. Everyone else seemed to mirror my own disbelief.
"It's talking to you?!" Kyle suddenly exclaimed.
"The infant thanks its Guardians for distancing it away from the adult." Yumeria said, sweeping her gaze over the boys. "It seems that it had been siphoning away the magical energy that the infant needed in order to grow."
"Can you ask the kid why it chose us as its Guardians?" Greg quickly asked the most obvious question.
Wait, did he refer to the baby tree as a kid?
"The infant feared for its life and reached out to the only ones who had given it affection. The five of you seem to be good fathers." I heard Marie groan when Julius and the others actually looked proud. I turned to Yumeria and suggested something myself.
"Ask it about the Priestess and if it can already choose one." She nodded and had a silent conversation with the baby tree.
"The infant says that the maiden from earlier would be the ideal candidate. I believe that she would be able to communicate with the infant if it is shown to her." Marie and I looked at each other after Yumeria finished explaining. That pretty much confirmed our suspicions.
"You can talk to the kid, does that mean that you can be the Priestess instead?" Greg followed up. That was a really good point. Could Yumeria communicate with the baby plant because of the Oni conversion procedure?
We all suddenly felt a sense of immediate dread and doom as Yumeria responded. "I am already the Priestess of the Dragon God. I would refuse and snuff out the infant if it tried to force me into the role."
"So Noelle then." Brad quickly said, with the rest of us nodding in agreement. Yumeria then shifted back to her regular demeanor and continued to speak on the baby tree's behalf.
"The infant also says that Miss Marie would be an acceptable alternative due to its Guardians treasuring her, though her inability to communicate would make things challenging." The boys looked happy about that but Marie and I just looked at each other worriedly. If she was chosen as the Priestess, then it might end up complicating our lives even more than they already were.
Please ask the sapling what the role of the Priestess is for exactly.
Everyone except Yumeria flinched when Control suddenly spoke up from the bridge's speakers.
"The Priestess exists to be the infant's means to interact with the outside world. They will be its caretaker and see to any needs and concerns that it may have in exchange for its power and protection." We all heard the AI hum as they considered Yumeria's words.
"What are you thinking about, Control?" I asked.
The lack of a Priestess and Guardian may become the cause for the Sacred Tree to go rogue due to a lack of oversight and care.
"Wait, the giant tree could turn hostile?" Chris' alarm was understandable considering how massive the full grown Sacred Tree was.
And here I was worrying about having to fight D2, which was only fifty-five meters tall.
"The fact that we can't really say no is the most problematic part of this." Marie said in despair.
I thanked Yumeria for her help and handed the sapling back to Greg. Marie sighed as the boys started to actually talk to it while they went to their quarters. Yumeria and Kyle also left together, the boy probably wanting to catch up with his mom.
"Now they'll never stop talking to it." I chuckled at my sister's annoyance.
"It'll be good practice for when they actually have kids." I blinked and turned to her. "What's your plan for that by the way?"
Marie just looked at me flatly and turned to the door. "I'm tired. I'll talk to you later Big Brother."
"She really clams up when I talk about certain things." I muttered once she left the bridge.
I have been observing Miss Marie's behavior throughout our stay in the Republic. It seems that she is suffering from a form of trauma related to her previous life.
"I figured when she won't talk to me about what happened after I died on Earth." I agreed with a deep sigh. The fact that she wouldn't tell me about it meant that she probably wouldn't tell the boys about it either. "What can we do to help her?"
She will need to seek out help on her own. Forcing one to confront their own trauma forcibly rarely works and would normally result in their psyche breaking further.
"Dammit Marie." She was still stubborn and bullheaded even in a new world.
On the subject of trauma, I believe I have enough material to begin your own therapy. We may start whenever you are comfortable.
"Really? Thanks!" I wasn't really getting any nightmares anymore, but that was only really because I barely ever sleep by myself anymore. I'd take an actual solution to my problem if I could help it. "I'll definitely take you up on that once we finally have the time to breathe."
Understood.
…
Leon, Serge is about to arrive at the bridge. He wishes to discuss something with you.
I thanked Control for the warning just as the doors opened and Serge came in.
"Hey Serge." I greeted him from the Captain's chair. He nodded to me and took a look around the bridge.
"Lost Items really are above and beyond the regular stuff we have, huh?" He said after an impressed whistle.
"They can be pretty overwhelming, yeah." I agreed with him easily enough. We both lapsed into silence. I didn't really know what he wanted to talk about and he seemed to have trouble actually starting the conversation.
"I hate the kid you look like, you know?" I blinked. Ah, so it was about Leon Sara Rault. His difficulty in talking about it made a lot more sense. "It's fucking stupid, it doesn't make sense, but I hate him all the same. Makes me feel like shit since a dead kid doesn't deserve it."
I waited for him to continue as he started to pace around the bridge.
"You know, Louise and I got along really well when I was first adopted into the Rault house. She was great, the perfect girl." Huh, there might have even something more to that with the way he spoke about Louise.
I decided to cut in and be honest about an important thing. "I heard about what you did from Julius."
"Is that why you didn't look mad when I tried to punch you?" He asked, not really looking all that upset that his new friend told me about something so important.
"It was a pretty shit situation all around. I can't imagine what it was like for you growing up." He nodded at my words and took a seat at one of the nearby consoles.
"Because I felt like they didn't love me as much as a dead kid, like the little shit I was, I tried to burn away Louise's memories of him." His self hatred was pretty obvious with his expression and how he was practically snarling at himself. "Fucking idiot! She's right to hate me forever. I don't deserve her forgiveness."
"Have you actually ever genuinely apologized to her about it?" His silence was damning enough.
Huh, was this what it was like when Livia and the others had to deal with my idiot self?
"It's not going to get better until you do, you know?" I pointed out and he rolled his eyes at me.
"Yeah, yeah. It's not like she'd accept it." He said dismissively.
"You never know. Besides, that's not the point. The point is letting her know that you regret what you did. Until you do that, she'll think that you still hate her brother." Serge was pretty quiet after I told him that. He then looked at me with a helpless smile.
"Why does that scare me more than her being pissed at me forever?" I chuckled since I knew exactly what he was feeling.
"Because it means you still love her, despite everything that happened." I told him with a big smile. Serge actually looked surprised at that and furrowed his brow in thought.
"How'd you get so good at this shit anyway?" He asked and I had to take a deep breath.
"I know a thing or two about fucking up in a relationship. My fiancées could tell you some stories." I said with a laugh. I then turned back to him when he didn't say anything and saw that he was looking at me in complete confusion.
"Did you just say fiancées? As in more than one?" Ah, right. My arrangement wasn't exactly normal for anyone.
"Ahaha! Well, yeah. I have two and we all have a mutual lover as well. You'll probably meet them when they visit." I internally screamed when I barely prevented myself from talking about Mylene. Don't talk about having an affair with the Queen, me! Don't talk about Anne either!
"No wonder those guys talk about you like you're a fucking god." Serge said while shaking his head.
"Thanks for telling me about the other Leon." He just waved away my words.
"Honestly, I wasn't going to but Noelle practically kicked me out of my own room here and demanded that I apologize." Really? Huh, looks like they're pretty close if he was letting her do that to him. "I may have made a mistake when I became her friend."
"Friends have the sacred right to call each other out on their bullshit. I'm sure you've seen some examples with the boys."
The two of us shared a laugh at that.
