Chapter 108 – Accusation
"Why are you here, your excellency?" Asked Tessa stopping his new tirade of 'important' matters of the Kingdom and Northern region mid-sentence.
Archduke went silent for a moment looking at her with squinted eyes.
"To tell the truth, I do indeed have a pressing matter to discuss with both you and Duchess Vespertine. This ball just served as a nice pretext for the visit." He said, sighing. "However, leaving the venue right after your arrival would have been suspicious for the guests."
"In that case, we should just get it over with. I intended to have a nice time with my daughters and mate this evening." Said Tessa.
"This is not a discussion for this venue. Let us proceed to the more comfortable room and have a bit of privacy." Said Archduke standing up. Tessa lifted herself after him as well and this time the old man did not offer her a hand as the previous time, which made Tessa wonder if he had sensed something when Ugy tried his trick on him last time. When they turned to walk away, the guardian knight that stood by the Archduke's side at all times turned to walk with them. The strange man, that Archduke introduced to her earlier as Lord Belmont, also followed after them.
They exited the ballroom and walked to the hall entering the parlor, where Tessa noticed Cassandra was already waiting. Once Archduke entered the parlor behind her, the doors slammed shut, and the bright light of the magic circles lit the room.
"And how should I understand this?" Asked Tessa looking back at Archduke and then at her friend, feeling that the magic around her was moving sluggishly and she lost the feel of her connection with Noah.
"As a necessary precaution." Said Cassandra, standing outside the sealing magic circle trapping Tessa.
"Against what, Cass? Me? After all these.."
"Against your mate." Said Archduke walking outside the circle checking that everything was working fine. His guardian knight stood at the door, which was also sealed with a magic circle. Lord Belmont stood aside at the wall as if this all was not his concern.
"I don't believe this circle could be made in a hurry after Archduke showed up at your door. Which means it was prepared in advance." Said Tessa watching her friend looking back at her with a firm face.
"Yes. His excellency joined this plan just now, but I prepared this for you in advance."
"It wasn't hard for me to understand what would happen at this ball, when I got my hands on the information, that Duchess Vespertine is building a magic circle capable of sealing a Guardian. My presence here today is to prevent a situation where two Guardian-level beings would have a fallout." Said Archduke calmly.
"Why? What could happen, Cass, that you decided to betray our friendship like that?" Asked Tessa with a disappointed voice.
"I am doing this exactly for our friendship!" Said Cassandra with anger.
"Don't see how this could benefit our relationship." Said Tessa with her eyes squinted, staring into Cassandra's eyes.
"You will see, once the influence of whatever magic he put on you disappears. This circle is just to stop you from interfering." Answered Cassandra frowning.
"What bullshit are you spouting!?" Screamed Tessa. "Noah helped my family, saved my daughter's life. How dare you threaten…"
"How?" Asked Cassandra stopping Tessa's outburst.
"What?"
"How did he do it, Tessa? No one inside or outside the human realm could help you. How did he do it? I could have let it pass if it was you three simply biting him and then deciding to go separate ways. But just like I expected. The three of you don't feel the influence of challenge. Tell me, Tessa, how is this possible? What skill can do that?"
Tessa watched her friend with annoyance.
"For fucks sake, Cassandra! I AM NOT TAMED! We already discussed this! How could anyone tame me?! Who do you take me for? I know what his system is. I know all his skills. He has a skill that could help, but it is not 'Taming'! And I asked him to help me, Cass. Not him offering. I asked him for help."
I asked you a question, Tessa. How did he do it?" Said Cassandra clenching her fists.
"You have no right to know his skills. Even if it is you, Archduke. Any information on systems is private information, that no one has the right to make you divulge, be it you two or the king himself. You have no right to demand this!" Said Tessa.
"Yes, it may be so. But we don't really need to ask. We only need to know the workings and influence of the skill that 'could help you' as you said." Said Archduke standing in front of her with his arms crossed. "So tell me Duchess Threadweaver, why have you removed your earrings a few days ago?"
Tessa opened her mouth, but then closed it shut, while her expression changed to discomfort instead of anger.
"That…that is not what you think!" She said as if deflated.
"Why have you removed the Guardian mind protection item, Tessa? That is an easy question. The item of mind protection is bestowed to all Guardians and Labyrinth rulers to protect them from mind influence. What made you remove yours?"
"The bite mark challenge is our instincts…" Said Tessa looking at her friend pleadingly. "Cass, I know what it looks like. I know what skill it was, I knew the risks. Cass, I am not under the mind's influence. For fucks sake he is not using me!"
"So it is a mental skill. How can we be sure you are not under control? If you are under his skill influence, you could have been made to believe whatever the hell he wants you to.
"He is not a TAMER!" Said Tessa angrily.
"I checked all the records of our Kingdom, Duchess Threadweaver. There is only one skill in human knowledge that could have helped you three to overcome the instinct of Arachna's challenge and overcome the stage-passing condition that your daughter was in. Taming. Only when you are a tamed beast could you be living under the same roof without tearing each other apart after placing a true mate bite mark on the same individual. Only Taming could fool your instincts to make you believe that he is a worthy kin." Said, Archduke.
"You may say what you want, Tessa. But once you are free from his influence, you will thank me." Said Cassandra with a firm voice and started to walk toward the door.
"No! Don't touch him! If you harm him, I will never forgive you! I will not forgive you, Cassandra! Don't you dare touch, Noah!"
Cassandra came to the door and a knight that blocked the way stepped aside letting her through.
"Don't harm him!" Screamed Tessa into Cassandra's back before the door slammed shut behind her.
"This is necessary. We can not allow a Guardian to be under some unknown force influence." Said Archduke with a calm voice.
"This is all your doing, right?" Said Theresa turning to look at the Archduke with hatred in her eyes.
"Your friend is the one most worried for you…" Started to say, old man.
"Fuck you! Do you take me for a fool, old bastard?" Roared Tessa.
"Watch your words, monster!" Said the Knight at the door, placing his hand on the sword handle.
"Come here and make me." Said Theresa, glancing at him challenging. However, Archduke waved his hand, making his knight step back.
"I removed my earrings just a few days ago. She had no reason to believe I was influenced before that. This circle was prepared long before that. You were the one that made this bullshit in her mind. She never was the cunning type. You fooled her with your lies. What is it that you really want? What's your true motive for this?"
"Look at this from the kingdom's point of view, Lady Theresa. You, a desperate mother that could not find help for her daughters, suddenly had all your wishes come true. All your problems are solved, by an unknown entity. Even when all four kingdoms and the Cathedral were powerless to help you. And all of that thanks to some young noble that was considered a nobody just a month ago. A man that was supposed to be dead while adventuring in the weakest levels of the labyrinth, thousands of miles away from here. No one knows how he got here. No one knows why he came here. What we do know, however, is that he came from a region where recently a disastrous event, threatening the very existence of our first above-ground Labyrinth, has occurred. Quite a strange coincidence."
"I see. So that's what you're trying to do. Currying favor in front of the King. Earning yourself a good point in front of the Throne while disposing of a troublesome monster. Good plan. But shifting blame for what happened in Greenville town by blaming a Guardian, even troublesome as me will not pass unnoticed. What will you do once Cassandra kills my mate and I am not freed from any influence but tear at her to kill? What will you say when she understands, she was simply used by you? What will you do when Kingdom starts to question, how is it that not only have they not gained two potential new Guardians today, but instead lost two active Guardians including such an influential one like Cassandra? What are you going to say when all the Guardians close off from the kingdom suspecting it of betrayal? Who will the Royals blame when their Guardians start to defect to other kingdoms? You think you can just set me up with this crap and no one will question you." Said Tessa.
"No one will say anything when they see the proof." Said Archduke with a face like a dark cloud.
"Proof? What proof? That space magic of unnatural proportion was used in Greenville town and I know space magic? Dozens of Guardians know space magic. And guess what? I had my pseudo-core emptied ages ago. It had no power to do that as you want to make it look. All observers that were visiting me regularly will attest to that! You can't make the spirit beings lie! They will prove my innocence."
"How do you know about space magic used in Greenville? This is secret information." Asked Archduke.
"Secret information? Do you really think you could hide something of that proportion? All Guardians know what happened there, no matter how much you try to hide it. Do you think I would not think of this? That magic of such proportion could only be performed with the help of Labyrinth core or Pseudo core? Do you think all Guardians did not think about it? But they all know that it could have been any Guardian. Be it inside or from outside our Kingdom. Do you think they would believe that you, oh so luckily found the guilty one? Bullshit. We may be monsters, but we are ancient monsters. All of us have centuries of knowledge and experience to see through your crap. Many of us were Guardians when your grandma did not even spread her legs to your grandpa yet. Do you think they will believe in my guilt with such shaky proof? You are asking for trouble, you can't even imagine the consequences of, you old fool."
"McDaniels family is connected to the Dark association. We know that for sure." Said Lord Belmont that was silent this whole time.
"You had underground deals that we can prove as well. At least some of the potions and materials that you used to reduce the influence of the stage crossing condition of your daughter, were not bought from legal sources, which means you have a connection to Dark society as well."
Tessa turned to look at the man, listening to him in silence.
"The picture paints itself, Duchess. The heir of the McDaniels family disappeared right before the incident, with enough time to travel here. He has a companion beast as Duchess Vespertine can attest, which points him out as a tamer. Right after the incident, both your daughters were relieved of their problem, by biting the same person. Which as I remember could only be solved by biting a worthy kin, while he is a normal human. You and your daughters went against your very nature, not once but twice in this situation by the way. First crossing stage with not worthy kin and second by biting the same individual. And now we even have proof of you three being under mind influence. What we see here is a deal with the price for saving your daughters being an attack on Greenville town and your obedience. I believe we have quite strong proof of your conspiring with the dark society." Explained Lord Belmont.
"I see. Did you explain that to Cassandra before she decided to proceed with this plan? Did you tell her that what you accuse me of is not being tamed, but of betraying the kingdom of my own will before being tamed? That regardless of the outcome she will get from killing my mate, you intend to execute me today for treason. Did you mention this to her? Because once she gets wind of that, you will not just lose a Guardian, she will burn this region to the ground." Said Tessa.
"Will she risk her household for you?" Asked Lord Belmont
"You, fucking bet she will idiot. You better be ready for this. She may believe I was tamed. But she will never believe that I in my clear mind have done something like that. And don't think it will end with her. Once she goes all out, other Guardians will follow. You will burn this Kingdom with your own hands." Said Tessa with a scowl.
Lord Belmont looked at Archduke with worry in his eyes.
"And just to make you all understand how deep in the shit you two are here. No one will believe your accusation at all when they know that you accuse the man that saved the Greenville town and all the adventurers of perpetrating that attack."
Lord Belmont's head snapped to her at that.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Cassandra told you that he had a companion beast. But has she told you that this companion beast was a giant alpha wolf monster?" Said Tessa with a smirk.
"Hold on…Noah…You saying he is the…"
"Poison slime creator. The one that you all coveted so much. How would the Guardians of the kingdom react when they find out that you did all this because of your greed for his slime-creating ability? Not only you attacked him in Greenville town to steal his ability, but when you found out where he hides you also set up a Guardian protecting him."
"We did not attack him in Greenville town. He was…" Said Lord Belmont with worry.
"Attacked the day before you arrived there? Do you think everyone will believe that? Even now they think you hide him somewhere. Once they hear of this though… I wonder how the Cathedral would react when they hear that one of the greatest talents that was found on the brink of the new demon war has been lost because of your greed." Said Tessa.
"You just said he is not a tamer. But now trying to convince that Tamer prodigy of Greenville town is your mate." Said, Archduke.
"How many Tamers can make a slime like that?" Asked Tessa with a smirk making both Lord Belmont and Archduke look at each other.
"Are you saying this was not tamer's ability that created the slimes?"
"Bravo. You are making progress." Spit out, Tessa.
"Stop her." Said Archduke looking at his guardian knight standing at the door. He turned to open the door, but a loud scream made him whirl around.
Both Lord Belmont and Archduke looked in fear at Theresa that fell on her knees clutching at her heart, screaming in agony.
It looks like they were too late.