A Strange Man.
The sound of the pen on paper is the only audible thing in this office. In front of me, there are two small sofas, and from here I can see Félix enjoying a book. I look at the piles of papers yet to be completed and close my eyes for a few seconds.
'Today I must finish all this paperwork; if I don't, I'll have much more tomorrow.'
I continue with my duty while we are here. Just the two of us...
Lately, those moments have been coming back to my memory. I never really forgot them, but I feel that their memory is becoming more and more vivid. Now I must strive for the choices that will be made; maybe I'm just feeling melancholic.
I stand up, but before I can decide anything, the door opens.
Wilhelm enters, bowing and positioning himself behind the door. I stay looking for a few seconds until I see the silhouette coming in. Wearing a robe and with a confident expression, I see him again. He enters the office, devoid of the fear he had before.
The previous aura has also disappeared, but that only makes me more alert. As if this were part of his plan.
"Good morning." He bows, maintaining that unpleasant expression.
I close my eyes for a few seconds and point to the sofa in front of Félix.
"Sit down," I say, and he starts walking, following my order.
Félix stands up surprised, looking at Marco with astonishment.
"Nya! You're almost naked." Félix points at Marco, but he doesn't seem really surprised.
He crosses his arms, sighing with a smile.
"I don't know where you have my clothes. I just woke up and they only left me this robe." He sits on the sofa, as if nothing matters to him.
He scrutinizes the office and then looks me in the eyes. His serious gaze, his brown eyes fixed on mine.
"You have broken the chains of fate." He stands up, bowing to everyone. "I haven't properly introduced myself. Nice to meet you! I'm Marco Luz, an inventor."
'That's what was said in my dream!' I open my eyes in surprise, but quickly regain my composure. If I let him see even a bit of myself, he will take advantage of it. 'He's just another scammer.'
Félix looks at Marco with curiosity, while Wilhelm stays on the sidelines. Seeing that I'm the one who must break the silence, I open the drawer of my desk. After opening it, I see those two strange objects he brought.
One looks like a mirror with metal parts. I don't know what the buttons on its side do, but when I imbued mana, there was no reaction. I don't think it's something dangerous, but the metals have all kinds of shapes, so it's best to be alert.
Besides that, there's this weird rope made of a material I've never seen before; I don't know what use it has, but both things look valuable.
"First, I would like you to answer some questions," I say in a serious but not intimidating voice, starting the interrogation. I'm not interested in introducing myself, especially to a scammer.
'Besides, he knows who I am.'
I had some mages inspect him to know more about him; what I discovered was something critical.
The mana in this man doesn't exist, as if he were a newborn whose gate hasn't taken shape. When babies are born, they absorb mana for the first time, and then their gate starts to form until, at a certain age, it stays formed.
In this case, the mages said it was something different.
'Maybe his gate is sealed and hidden,' was the conclusion they reached.
And now he's talking about fate. I really don't know where to start.
'Who sent me to meddle where I shouldn't have.'
"How did you end up in that plaza?" I ask, and he nods, calmly explaining what happened since he arrived. He avoids talking about the previous situation, but I still wait for him to finish explaining to really understand what happened.
Félix then looks at Marco with curiosity, leaning in to ask, "What was stolen from her, Nya?" Félix tilts her head, but Marco sighs and shrugs, shaking his head in a negative.
"Unfortunately, I can't say what was stolen from her. It would harm her, and I don't want that." Another truth in his words; since he started telling the story, he hasn't told a single lie.
'Someone tried to kill a candidate for the throne.' I look at the window, wondering if it's connected to the cult's movements.
This man saved her, but at the same time, it's strange. I saw his hands, without calluses. He has cuts and something has pierced his arms and legs, but it doesn't seem relevant. His muscles are also well-trained.
He has no gate, so he can't be a mage. He doesn't seem to be a curse sorcerer either. He doesn't have the wounds caused by practicing archery. Maybe he used something like a dagger.
"How did your gate end up like this?" Félix asks, and I just keep looking, waiting for his answer.
He stays silent for a few seconds, probably thinking about how to pass another lie as a truth. I don't believe him, no matter how many truths he's told; something inside me prevents me from trusting him.
'Calm down, Crusch Karsten.' I take a deep breath, thinking about what's happening to me. I don't usually act like this; it's too strange.
He stands up, walking towards my desk with his hands up.
"I have no intention of hurting anyone. In fact, I can't even if I wanted to." Marco looks at Wilhelm, who keeps a fixed gaze on him. "I really don't want to harm anyone."
Another truth that makes my insides boil.
"There's something I must say, and it will answer the question you asked, Miss Crusch." His gaze fixes on me, and with my nod, he lowers his arms, taking that strange device in his hands.
Wilhelm keeps his hand on his sword, while I prepare to react to whatever might happen.
"There's a reason for everything, and I'm willing to be honest with you all." He closes his eyes and opens his mouth, taking a deep breath. "This is the first time I see you in person; moreover, it's the first time I know you exist in reality."
My gaze stays fixed, unable to see the wind of the lie pass through his head. What he says is true, but now I understand even less what's happening. He opens his eyes, looking at the window calmly.
"This world is not something I knew existed." I open my eyes in surprise, seeing that my divine blessing doesn't work.
"Wait a moment." I point to Félix, asking her to come over. Cold sweat starts to cross my forehead. Félix approaches, and I whisper in her ear:
"Tell me a lie." Félix looks at me in surprise, but I really need it. Félix smiles at me and slowly whispers:
"The day before yesterday, I worked on the papers you asked for! Nya!" The wind of lies blows on Felix's forehead, and even though I want to wipe that smile off his face, I look again at where Marco is. "I already did it, so there's no problem."
A small vein appears on my hand, but I quickly hide it with my other hand.
'He took the opportunity to say that… I'll punish him later.'
Well, my authority works, so the only thing I can think of is that he has a divine blessing capable of interfering with authorities. He could also be someone from the Witch's Cult.
"Continue." I look at him intently, and he nods, smiling.
"I read about you in a book, one that contained a story I thought was fictional."
'But I don't feel any interference, it's different from when he used it on Reinhard.' I close my eyes for a few seconds, trying to digest his words.
"You read?" At my question, he nods, and with a thumb movement, that device lights up. He shows it, and despite it shining, I don't feel any magic coming from it. All I see is landscape, mountains, and trees like those I've seen in Kararagi.
I suppose it comes from there.
'Anastasia Hoshin?' The only person that comes to mind is her. Someone who could obtain such information is only someone with superior power. Her network of mercenaries is everywhere, so it wouldn't be completely impossible.
He looks at my expression and then sees the device, then shakes his head with his hand.
"I have nothing to do with Anastasia or any real person in this world." He smiles at me, while I can only keep a neutral expression.
I put my hands behind the desk, making a hand signal to calm myself.
"I've been honest since I started talking, I don't have any divine blessings." He nods, and I see he's telling the truth. "In fact, even if I had one, I wouldn't know how to use it."
Another truth.
"If you investigate me, you won't find anything about me, and not because I'm a spy; because I'm not." Marco places his hand on his chest. "I can swear to whoever you want; I'll even bet my life right now."
Marco looks at Wilhelm, then returns his gaze to me.
"I was teleported from another world to this one. I appeared in that square without knowing where I was, but then I recognized this world as something I had read about before." He maintains that smile, as if he were recounting the simplest thing in the world.
'I came from another world, believe me.' If it weren't for my divine blessing, I would have thrown him out long ago. Normally, if you're crazy, you can pass the truth off as lies, but I don't see that in him.
'...'
I keep watching, waiting for the wind of lies to tear this jester's head off.
"Lady Crusch, let's get this liar out of here! Nya!" Felix points at Marco, clearly annoyed by the lack of respect. "Stop disrespecting Lady Crusch by wasting her precious time."
Felix stands up, approaching that man at full speed. I keep watching, waiting to see what he will do. He smiles, and with a slight gesture, that device starts to emit a harmonic sound.
Felix is surprised and steps back, and Wilhelm brandishes his sword, placing it in front of Marco's neck.
"What do you think you're doing in front of my lady?" Wilhelm emits his killing intent, looking at Marco firmly.
He raises his arms, and the sound doesn't stop. It's not a loud sound; in fact, it's well-prepared and beautiful.
Despite having a sword at his neck, he doesn't seem afraid, as if he's experienced worse situations than this, as if he's used to murderous intentions.
"I know you can see the lies, it's impossible for your authority to fail." He smiles at me, as if each word he says is part of a script he prepared.
I didn't want to give him time to plan, so I told Wilhelm to bring him as soon as he woke up.
That means he planned everything while he was coming here.
But it seems he doesn't know everything.
"It can fail if the person in front of me believes they come from another world. You could perfectly be a lunatic who believes his claims," I respond firmly, but he doesn't even flinch.
I wanted to test him, but it doesn't seem to matter to him.
"You can't kill me," he says, but Wilhelm remains firm, not moving from his position. "If you kill me, then you will make an enemy of Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers. You are a duchess, but it's not worth risking trade relations for nobody, especially since you gave your word."
He's dangerous, this man is dangerous. He read us perfectly, played his cards impeccably. We can't harm him, not because of the candidate's word, but because of my trade relationship, as well as my honor as a duchess.
This is too strange, too unusual even for me.
"I come from another world, and in that world, I could read a possible future; the future of Emilia's faction." His smile turns into a serious expression, looking at me intently. "Unfortunately, you're not the protagonist of that story, but maybe you are in this one."
I understand his words less and less. I nod, and Wilhelm brings the sword closer, making a drop of blood fall from his neck. He remains calm, keeping his arms raised.
"First, remove that sound." I place my hand on my forehead, seriously thinking about how my divine blessing keeps saying this is true. He removes the noise, and finally, I feel the silence.
He keeps smiling; I really can't see through this person.
"There's something I'd like to talk to you about alone." He looks into my eyes, and then Felix stands up.
"You're crazy, Nya!" Felix shouts, and Wilhelm tightens his grip, exuding more killing intent towards him.
I slam the table, avoiding wasting more time. They look into my eyes, seeing that I'm not willing to give in. I really don't know what's happening, but it doesn't seem to be just a coincidence.
'Someone will appear and will help you achieve your goals,' I repeat to myself, and then we are left alone when Wilhelm closes the door behind him.
"I'd like to talk to you face to face." He urges me to sit on the sofa. I look at him for a few seconds, then stand up.
'Maybe I can see if my authority is being affected.'
Once I sit, he turns on that device again. It starts moving internally just by touching that glass. Then he displays some kind of moving image, and I see a completely different world.
'Are there people living in there?' I open my eyes, as I never considered that such a device with that power existed. 'No… it must be a transmission device like the ones we have. The problem is I've never seen one with such a large and clear image, besides…'
"That device…" He looks at me, stopping that world; all the people become static, the sound stops.
'That's something we don't have here.'
"It's a video. Imagine this device can record moments in time and then let you watch them. It's like drawing hundreds of pictures in incredible detail." His explanation is clear, and my heart calms down a bit.
Something like this doesn't exist in this world. Without a doubt, if it did, it would be extremely popular. I keep watching, marvelling at what it shows.
Strange buildings that reach the sky, sheets of metal that move on their own.
"I come from a world without magic, where everything achieved is due to human ingenuity." He looks me in the eyes with a proud smile. "I come from the world you want to create. A world where humans have the power to do whatever they want."
He turns off the device, and I just stare at him.
'So, he really is...' I sigh, thinking about the joke fate just played on me.
"You know, I wanted to say I came from another world just to you, but I'd like you to help me first." His smile disappears, and for the first time, I see fear in his expression.
I remain calm, with conflicting feelings. I want to know more, but at the same time, I don't want to waste my time.
"Why should I help you?" I ask, crossing my arms and legs, looking at him cautiously.
I swallow my mantra, and he just looks out the window.
"That book describes not only the present but the future." My eyes widen at his words, and he then makes an annoyed grimace. "This world has too many secrets, secrets I still don't know."
His gaze grows heavy, and his words sink into my mind, making me think of that illness that struck the royal family. The illness that took that person away from me.
"I'm as confused as you are, but I can't stop just because I'm full of doubts." His serious expression tells me he's being truthful, and there's a heaviness in the air around him. "Now that I know this reality exists, I have to move forward in a way that doesn't lead to its destruction beyond repair."
He presses his lips together for a moment, then continues speaking.
"You must have heard it before, Meteors that show the future, or a glimpse of it." I nod, because I have indeed heard of such things. "It's the same here, only this book is written up to a certain point, and that future needs to be maintained as much as possible."
What he's saying isn't completely absurd, but it's still hard for me to believe. Even with my divine blessing, I can't fully trust him.
"There are lines that move this world, there are many things we need to maintain if we want to continue in the future." He points to his chest. "We must avoid too many big causalities in the described future, or everything can be destroyed."
'Causalities?'
He sighs, realizing that I don't believe him at all.
"The book I'm telling you about is one that describes a story, but to me, it's a future that must exist no matter what." He clasps his hands. "I was supposed to go with Emilia's camp to maintain that future; I was brought here for a purpose, and as you can guess, only an entity of immense power could do that."
I think he's leading me to someone, and then something comes to mind. In an instant, I draw my sword from its sheath and put it to his neck, but he isn't surprised, he just smiles.
"If you already figured it out, then you must know that I'm not a member of the witch's cult, nor am I interested in the entity they worship." He clenches his hands tightly, and his expression changes to one of deep anger. "In fact, my destiny now is to fulfill a purpose I still don't know."
He looks away, but I see that behind his last word, the wind of lies is coming through.
"Maybe kill Satella, maybe something else. To be honest, I shouldn't even be here." I withdraw the sword, seeing that now he is telling the truth.
'Kill the Witch of Envy...' If what he says is true, it makes sense. What I wouldn't understand is why the Witch of Envy would bring someone to kill her. 'Especially a nobody with no powers.'
He seems to know something, but it's not the time to talk about it.
"The point is that we must protect certain parts of the future, there are things that must happen if we want to maintain order." He smiles, getting up and placing his hand on the window. "I don't know how you managed to interfere with the future, but somehow you did."
'The letters that came to me.' The real reason why I went to the capital, the real reason why I went to that place.
"The future described in that book is what should happen, any other path could lead to failure." His gaze is serious, and the air becomes dense. "The only way we can escape this future is by destroying a book in Roswaal L. Mathers' possession. That book controls the future we have in this world, and if it isn't fulfilled, he will destroy everything."
His words tell me he's serious, but I can't understand. 'What does Roswaal L. Mathers have to do with it?' All I know about him is that he's one of the richest people in the kingdom, in addition to his political and economic power.
But he has always been peaceful.
"There are many things to talk about, but right now, we have to overcome the first obstacle." Marco turns, looking me straight in the eyes, his expression serious, not joking about anything he said.
I look at him seriously, then point to the sky, indicating that I'm going to speak. He understands and sits back down.
"If the future has already changed with my interruption, shouldn't the actions in that book change?" If, as Marco says, the book should show the future, if his first future was to go with Emilia's camp, then the fact that he's here means the future has already been broken or replaced with another.
He puts his hand on his chin, then looks out the window again.
"I'd have to wait a few days to know and then take action, but I don't know how much margin there is." He looks at the horizon, and those words not directed at me feel so cold that even I am surprised.
He closes his eyes for a second, then looks back at me.
"I am nobody, and I don't have power right now. I don't even have your trust, nor do I really know this world." He lowers his head a bit, placing his arms on his legs and looking at the ground. "What I told you is true, maybe the best thing for me is to leave this place and go with that camp."
Then I feel a strange sensation, he looks at my sword, he looks at it so intently that it feels like he longs to possess it.
"Maybe it's not too late," he says, and I spontaneously hand him my weapon, eager to see what he's going to do.
He looks at it for a few seconds while I analyse what he's going to do. If he tries to attack me, I'll kill him instantly. After a few seconds, he sighs and returns it to me.
"Yesterday and today are the first times I've held a sword, it's a shame it's already too late." He gets up and extends his hand to me. "You can send me to Emilia's camp, right?"
I nod, but deep down something tells me I shouldn't. Letting him go is letting go of the destiny I dreamed of, letting him go could mean not achieving my goals. I must use him for my own benefit.
If he really came to another world and met me, then I must keep him for myself.
"I must go. I will help you as much as possible, but we must be rivals." He smiles slightly, but I remain firm.
I cross my arms, close my eyes, and point my face to the ground.
I don't want to let him go, but if what he says is true, his existence here will only bring problems. Even his death could do that. He was brought to this world by that entity, or at least that's what I want to believe.
Or maybe he was brought to this world by Od Lagna.
I don't know, and neither does he.
'To begin with, what makes me believe him apart from seeing that he's telling the truth?'
Her story is something I struggle to accept, just as I struggle with what he's shown me. He knows me, knows the candidates, seems to know things about us in incredible detail. Roswaal L. Mathers can't be an enemy of the kingdom, but if anyone possesses such a strange artifact, it would be him.
I don't want to accept it, but I really should.
I have someone who knows about the future, and besides, I really don't want him as an enemy. Even if he's a conman and manipulator, if I want to benefit from it, I need to make him feel secure about that destiny.
"Would it be possible to fulfill the destiny without you going?" At my question, he sits back down, crossing his arms.
I need to fully discover what that destiny is. If I've decided to believe him, then I must keep everything in mind.
"I must go with the candidate and manipulate her to be a puppet at my feet. That's the future Roswaal L. Mathers desires." Marco looks at me with a smile. "In the end, both Emilia and Roswaal's goal is the dragon."
I open my eyes in surprise, and he nods.
"Yes, Emilia wants to be a ruler to obtain dragon blood and free her people, while Roswaal's goal is a bit more interesting." He points to the sky, then runs his finger across his neck. "Roswaal wants to kill the dragon to revive or avenge his beloved."
I slam my hands on the table in front of me. Marco smiles and shrugs.
"How can he want to do that?!" I know it's a hypocritical attitude, but it's different to want to stop benefiting from killing a being that has protected us for so many years.
"He's crazy, really crazy." He starts laughing, and after stopping, he looks me in the eyes. "What do you want to do?"
His question leaves me doubting. Everything he said is true, without a doubt this person is serious. Even the information he has seems to be of great importance.
'This world hides secrets that need to be revealed.' Now I understand his words. I close my eyes again, while with my hand I make a sign of strength. I draw it, creating a mantra to give myself strength.
I need to understand more, but it's true that time is gold.
'Continue with my duty or take on more responsibility.' I put my hand to my mouth, devouring my mantra and giving myself the strength to decide.
"I want you to stay, Marco Luz." I open my eyes, looking at him intently. I am determined, if I want to move forward, I need to know very well how to protect this world without the need for the dragon.
For that, I need this person.
"If you want me to stay, then I'm going to need several things." He extends his hand to me. "I'm going to help you unite your camp with Emilia's, that way we can interfere without more problems. If you accept me, I promise to make you queen."
Arrogant words, but they don't really disgust me. What disgusts me is that they might be empty words to manipulate me. I take his hand, wondering if what I am doing is a good idea or not.
"I really don't trust you," I admit, and he smiles in response. "I hope you show me what you're made of."
He nods, and the deal is sealed.
I have brought a viper into my camp. Now I must be vigilant so that its venom doesn't end up harming me.
"Don't tell the others about what we talked about, the fewer people know about the future, the less likely it is that there will be changes in it."
It's true, if it's two against one, it's likely we'll do something. Including more people could make the situation more chaotic. As much as I trust Felix and Wilhelm, if it becomes a no-way-out situation, the whole kingdom will suffer.
He is a strange person, but at the same time, he uses his head.
"The future has already changed, now we must maintain it as much as possible," he says in a monotonous and uninterested voice. Then Marco points out his goal. "The first step is to protect the Irlam village."
After explaining to me what needs to happen, I am left thinking. We really need to gain the favour of his faction, the only way I can think of is by sending knights to help without it seeming like we are interacting with the faction.
If we want to give that sense of security, we must get his faction to join us. I feel like I accepted his words too quickly, that dream I had must have influenced me more than I wanted.
"Now that the future has changed, it may not happen the same way, but I am sure everything will converge for the event to happen." Change the future, but not change important events. "If that changes, then Roswaal will take actions to destroy the world, I don't know exactly what he can do, but I doubt he doesn't have methods to end everything."
Roswaal can be killed, but the situation isn't about whether Roswaal wants to destroy the world or not.
"He doesn't need to destroy the world; he just needs to destroy me. Take my arm, kill you guys, he just needs to make me re..."
His words pause, and after saying that he starts gasping. Cold sweat runs down his forehead, he clutches his chest tightly and almost seems like he just exercised or faced a death situation.
"Are you okay?" I lean in, looking at him concerned and trying to support him. He gives me a thumbs up, avoiding my help.
"As long as we do everything step by step, we'll be fine, and for that, there must be a mediator." He puts his hand on his chest, and now I understand his plan. "I'll leave for a few days to get the benefits I need."
If I send forces to protect him while he's there, he could stay until the attack happens. Then all the forces could support, and we would gain the favour of the marquis. That way we can start relations without breaking the treaty.
It will be between the marquis and the Karsten Family, not between Crusch and Emilia.
"What do you want to obtain?" I ask, curious about what he's going to ask for.
"You said my gate is blocked, right?" Marco clenches his fist, but his expression is a smiling one. Although I think I never said that he doesn't seem to know his condition. "That means all I have to do to use magic is unblock it, then I'll ask Roswaal to teach me magic. I've never used it, but I think I could if I try."
Learning magic from the best mage in the kingdom is undoubtedly something many people would envy.
"Besides, Emilia's great spirit also owes me a favour, so I'll ask him to teach me." His gaze becomes calm, as if he's thinking of something pleasant. "I'd also like to see someone, someone who lives their life in solitude. Maybe I'll stay a little less than a month, depending on how much time they offer me."
I really doubt they'll give him much time, considering he won't be a real ally to them, and it would be more of a favour for what he did.
But well, the actions are already laid out, now he must follow through.
I want to know how much of the future will happen, if I can trust his words.
If not, I'll kill him myself.