The Simulacrum
~Chapter 170~ Part 1

Yesterday was an abject, unmitigated mess. I was pretty sure that nobody in the know would challenge that assessment, but it had to be said that in my own, personal what-is-this-I-don't-even scale, it was only middling at best.

I mean, sure. We had a huge diplomatic incident on our hands concerning the Assembly, the revelations about the Conduit of the Grimoire and the origins of the Magi, and a public attack on School grounds conducted by Bel himself, but it wasn't that bad. I didn't get an icicle lodged in my stomach, I didn't nearly lose my right hand to a corrupted Japanese sword, no dragons tried to breathe me out of existence, and I wasn't forced to retcon reality as a whole. At worst, I was made a little woozy by a spell and then ate cookies with eldritch star-god-people-things from outside our universe. So yeah, it wasn't that bad.

…

Bloody hell. My messed-up scale for these things was showing again, wasn't it?

Shaking my head, I tried my best to ignore the topic and hunkered down in front of my PC again, redoubling my search-engine bothering effort by throwing more keywords at the browser. It was Saturday, so there was no school to worry about. Of course, there were tons of other things to do in the fallout of the recent events, but I called in the 'I'm exhausted, give me a break' card, and it allowed me to weasel myself out of this morning's emergency Draconic Council meeting.

I had more important things to consider, anyway.

"Something related to swallows, maybe?"

"Swallows?" My stray whispers prompted a curious question from the girl behind me, dressed in a casual white sweater and skinny jeans, and she leaned over my shoulder to take a better look at the screen. "What are you researching?"

I didn't even notice that the princess was in the room until now. I was pretty sure that she went downstairs with Judy a while back, but I had no idea when she came back. If anything, that just showed that while my body was no longer asleep and I wasn't as hopelessly scatterbrained as yesterday, I still wasn't back to one hundred percent either.

"Birds," I answered her previous question, and seeing that Elly's lips were just about to twist into a displeased pout, I hastily clarified, "You remember what I told you about the Emergents, right?"

"After we woke up. Sure."

Okay, pout avoided. Now, for the explanation.

"Since I made direct contact with them, I was thinking about coming up with new names for them."

"Isn't that kind of rude?"

"They don't seem to mind," I told her with a shrug and pointed at the rows of bird images on the screen. "Emergent names are like a waterfall of information at the best of times, but you can kind of boil down some of their core characteristics into simple words, and they seem to like that. Maybe it's considered affectionate?" I shook my head and quickly moved on. "Never mind that. The point is that I'm planning to give them new names, because calling them 'The Boy' and 'The Man' can get confusing after a while."

"I understand," she said, but the look in her eyes told me she just accepted the weirdness of my explanation at face value and moved on. "So? Who are you trying to name?"

"The Girl." Elly kept looking at me expectantly, so I expounded the point a little. "You've seen her once, right? Twin-tailed lass in a frilly dress who's also a planet with glowing yellow winds and rainbow-coloured orbital rings."

"Yes, I remember," she responded promptly, and I was filled with awe over her incredible adaptability, not even batting an eye at such things anymore. "She also spoke in this strange, high-pitched voice, right?"

"I conceptualize that as birdsong."

"Ah, I see that now!" She sounded genuinely impressed, then glanced at the screen. "So that's why you're looking at birds?"

"That's the long and short of it, but I'm mostly just searching for inspiration."

"It has to be a name that encompasses all that, right?" She let out a distressed hum and leaned even closer, her chin practically resting on my shoulder. "Uuu… This is a toughie."

I had to agree with her. I'd spent the better part of the night workshopping various ideas in the dark, but I only managed to come up with a few decent candidates. I could blame it on my brain still being a bit out of whack, but I had a feeling that what I was attempting to do here was bloody difficult at the best of times.

This raised the obvious question: how did I name the Emergents beforehand? I tried to recapture the thought process I had at the time, but it felt more… How should I put this…? 'Instinctive' isn't exactly the right word, but it's the closest thing I could think of. I just looked at the humanoid being made of fangs and claws and the words 'Predator Moon' just popped into my mind. The Crowned Coalescence was pretty much the same, and as for the others…

…

When did I name them? It felt like I always called them by those monikers, but I couldn't quite recall when and how it started. It was probably from one of those early times when I accidentally slipped into the not-dark not-room after losing consciousness for one reason or another. Like that time when I first heard about the Simulacrum, even though I had no idea what the word meant back then.

Anyhow, the point was that coming up with these names based on in-the-moment gut feelings was much easier than trying to do the same consciously, but since I decided to do it, I'd do it anyway, come hell or high water. I just had to find some good inspiration, and—

"Oriole!"

The princess's sudden exclamation nearly made me jump out of my seat, but I managed to rein in the impulse and remain seated.

"What?"

"Oriole," she stated again, one hand on her hip and another pointing at the bottom right of my monitor. "Think about it: it's a songbird, it's yellow, and the word kind of sounds like 'Orion'!" Seeing that I didn't get it, she raised her hands in front of her chest and started gesticulating, as if showcasing two different items. "You know? The constellation. Like 'Orion's belt'! Orion, Oriole!"

"That's… actually not bad," I admitted after some thinking, resulting in a delighted grin from my girlfriend that soon morphed into one of those ridiculously cute smug smirks when I added, "Thanks for the idea."

"You're very much welcome!" Her declaration was followed by a long moment of silence, then a startled 'Oh!' as she put her hands on her hips. "I almost forgot why I came upstairs! Your mom wants to talk to you."

She was clearly referring to Dame Morgana. It took a while, but by this point the Dunning Family Project was so entrenched that pretty much everyone started referring to the senior Knights as my mother and father, including my girlfriends. It was fine, though it did make me feel like the odd man out.

"She wants to see me?" I reflexively glanced up at the clock on the wall and let out a shallow hum. "Right. It's past ten. It's about time I show my face downstairs."

Saying so, I turned off the PC and got up from my chair. Elly didn't waste a second and immediately linked arms with me. It happened with such regularity that I started to suspect it was a Pavlovian reflex, but I didn't mind. The two of us left the room and headed down the stairs, and as we walked, my mind wandered back to the Emergents for the last time.

Putting the whole naming-business aside, I told the girls about my encounter with them first thing in the morning. Elly was a bit confused about my description of the events, while Judy was busy pulling my ear and scolding me for carelessly making contact like that, but it was just a formality, and they both listened intently to my words afterwards. I tried to faithfully convey everything, even the meta small-talk with The Man, except for one detail.

One didn't have to be a genius to figure out that I was referring to The Woman and her odd reaction to me, but I tried to downplay our exchange without being too evasive about it, as that would've only raised Judy's suspicions, bringing me back to square one. There wasn't much of an alternative though; I told her about the main-character-pretty Shamash matriarch right away in order to avoid any potential misunderstandings, but older-than-they-look Abyssal gothic vampire ladies were something she could deal with in the context of the Simulacrum's framework. If she got worked up and tried to plan her anti-harem countermeasures against a freaking Emergent of all people, I was genuinely afraid that her head would explode. Figuratively, of course.

But speaking of my lovely assistant, she walked out of the kitchen just as we reached the living room. Her hair wasn't long enough for a proper ponytail, but she still tied it up with one of her favourite hair ribbons, and she was wearing a pink apron over her casual clothes, giving her an extra-wholesome and girly atmosphere.

"You're late."

Aaand then she immediately cracked the image by being extra-deadpan. Though again, deadpan Judy was also cute, so it wasn't a big deal.

"Sorry! I got distracted by thinking about space birds!" the princess responded at once, and my other girlfriend imperceptibly tilted her head to the side.

"That's a rare sentence."

"And one that somehow still makes sense in context," I noted with just a hint of a smile and glanced around. "So? Where's Morgana?"

"She'll be with us shortly, but first…" Judy walked over to me and unceremoniously pulled me towards my trusty (if slightly battered) comfy chair. As soon as she realized her intentions, the princess played along, and the two of them not only got me seated, but even put a blanket onto my lap, and only then did my dear assistant let out a satisfied hum and turn towards the kitchen. "He's set."

Needless to say, I was curious what this whole setup was about, but I didn't have to wait long to discover it, as Dame Morgana soon exited the kitchen. She was holding a rectangular silver tray with a small bowl and a mug on it, and when our eyes met, her lips bent into a gentle smile.

"This is the first time I've tried something like this, but I hope you accept this."

She then placed the tray onto my lap, so I could take a better look.

"Porridge and… chamomile tea?"

"Baby steps," Judy declared resolutely, and I finally put two and two together.

I picked up the spoon with a curt "Thank you," and gave it a try. Everyone in the room held their breath, and while the porridge was admittedly a little too runny and sweet for my tastes, I wasn't nearly tone-deaf enough to say that out loud.

"It's good. Was this really your first try?"

"In truth, it was the third attempt at—"

"It's the end result that counts!" the princess cut Morgana off before she could incriminate herself, and I had a feeling that getting this single bowl of comfort food probably took more combined effort than a proper lunch.

To say that Morgana was new to cooking would've been an understatement, but just as Arnwald was doing his best to serve as the father figure of our family unit, she wasn't sparing any effort either. The fact that even the Fauns were more adept at housework and cooking than her was probably also better left unsaid, but as Judy put it, there was progress. Also, insert something about how it was the thought that counted here.

I also gave the chamomile tea a try, and it was pretty good. If I had to guess, my money would've been on Judy preparing this one. Though again, it was much harder to mess up, so maybe I was overthinking thins. In any case, Dame Morgana continued to watch over me with a satisfied expression, and it was only when I finished half the bowl that I noticed something.

"The house is a bit too quiet. Where's everyone else?"

"Arnwald left in your stead to attend the emergency meeting," Morgana told me, her motherly mien instantly giving way to a more professional persona. "As for Penelope and Neige, they've spent the night in Tajana's room. I haven't seen them today."

That was curious, but before I could ask about the whereabouts of the Abyssal spymaster, we were all startled by the front door opening and the subject of my would-be inquiry effectively staggering into the living room. Talk about perfect timing.

"Good morning…"

Tajana's speech was a bit slurred, but then she forcefully straightened her back and cleared her throat in an attempt to collect herself. She was wearing a black and grey business casual ensemble with a long skirt and her two-toned hair in a messy bun, and based on the circles under her eyes, she didn't sleep much last night.

"Hello, Tajana. When did you leave?" my dear assistant asked off-the-cuff, and she only answered once she shuffled inside and dropped onto her usual spot on the couch.

"I didn't. Roland made me stay up all night," she answered casually while stretching, only to freeze up and yelp, "N-N-Not that way! We were working! We didn't do anything else this time!"

"This time?" Morgana echoed her, and the Abyssal woman shrank back under her gaze.

"You spent the night at his place?" Judy pressed her bluntly, and she vehemently shook her head.

"No! We were at the Draconian headquarters! We wouldn't be doing anything indecent there!"

"Indecent?" Morgana repeated after her again, making her turn even redder, and as much as I was all for silly shenanigans like this, I wasn't in the mood this morning.

"We're going in circles. What were you two doing?"

"It wasn't just the two of us!" she insisted, and after taking a few seconds to gather her wits, she finally sat up straight and told us, "There was an unofficial discussion about a potential conflict with the Assembly, and I was invited."

"Really?" Elly blurted out incredulously, and even though she tried to cover her mouth, it was too late.

"I'm a spymaster!" Tajana snapped and crossed her arms. "J-Just because I'm not in my element right now, you better don't underestimate me. I have years of experience with organizing intelligence reports and threat assessments."

"That wasn't what I meant! I was just surprised that…" Elly began to apologize, yet my attention was drawn elsewhere.

In the corner of my eyes, I caught some movement, and when I glanced over, I couldn't help but blink. Penny, dressed in her nightgown, was… How should I put this? She was sneaking around, but she wasn't 'actually' moving stealthily. It was more like she was miming some old cartoon where a thief or nefarious villain type was snooping around with exaggerated movements.

More importantly though, her entire body was covered with a familiar orange sheen, and it was giving off quite a bit of the colourless light of magic I was already used to seeing all the time. This particular effect was something I'd seen on the Fauns quite a lot, and so it didn't take me too long to figure out that she was using Snowy's camouflage Sigil at the moment.

It was still long enough for our eyes to inevitably meet. It made her stop in her tracks, and I didn't know what to do for a long beat. Should I call her out? But she must've been pretty confident in the invisibility effect to come out looking like that, so wouldn't that just embarrass her? That would make me look like a bully, and while it was every big brother's solemn duty to tease their little sisters, it had to be in the right context, and this didn't feel like it. I was also admittedly a bit curious about what she was doing, so I made a snap decision, and looked past her, pretending to be just casually looking around before returning to my porridge.

I still kept an eye on her in the corner of my vision, and after a long pause, she let out a relieved sigh and flashed an ear-to-ear grin.

"It works!" she exclaimed towards the stairs, and while I couldn't quite see it from where I was sitting, the faint magical glow in the vicinity told me that Snowy was probably hiding there and watching.

"… and that's why everyone wanted to hear my opinion on the matter," Tajana finished up her exchange with the princess and was looking at me with a hint of a smirk, as if the fact that Roland and the rest of the Ordo Draconis personnel present at the Dracis mansion asked for her input was some kind of great victory for her.

"So? What's the situation?" I prompted her while also keeping an eye on my elated Knightly sister prancing around in the living room, with nobody the wiser about it.

"W-Well, it's a complex and highly volatile one. We received unofficial confirmation about another arch-mage coming to Critias next week, but in my personal opinion, the Assembly itself won't make any hasty moves yet."

"Why do you think that?" Judy asked next, yet even as she did so, her eyes kept scanning the room. Did she realize Penny was playing around, or only that I noticed something, I wondered.

Either way, my redhead sister looked positively impish as she circled the couch and began waving her hands in front of Tajana's face. She remained completely unaware of it and continued to share her conjectures with us.

"Simply put, the Assembly lacks experience when it comes to dealing with other organizations in the World of Mystics. They know how to manage internal affairs, such as rebellious Schools, by sanctions and using their overwhelming numerical advantage to suppress them, but their only external competitors until now were the disorganized Draconians and the clandestine Celestials, neither of which had a proper diplomatic core."

I tried my best to keep my poker face and listen to her explanation, but it was hard to do that while Penny was giving Judy bunny-ears with her fingers.

"Wouldn't that just make it more likely that they would resort to military action?" my dear assistant posited, unaware of my sister's mischief.

"It would, if not for three factors," Tajana answered briskly and raised three fingers. "First of all, since the native School and its arch-mages support you, they don't have local forces they could use to suppress you. Secondly, you already opened official channels, including non-aggression and trade agreements with… what are they called again? The enchanters?"

"The Artificer Lodges," I interjected, and she nodded along. Meanwhile, Penny was just about to move on to Morgana, but then abruptly changed her target and approached Elly instead. Maybe for the better, because there was a beeping sound coming from the kitchen, and our on-paper mother left the room to answer the call.

Yes, we had a landline phone in the kitchen. It was an artefact from the early days of the scenario, and even though everyone had smartphones now, I never got around to disconnecting it.

More importantly, Tajana nodded along and showed two fingers.

"That's right. They are the second reason. Since they're a semi-independent society within the organization, any explicit actions against you would cause internal strife within the Assembly itself. Finally…" She curled a finger, so only her index was showing. "Milady's friend, who's now called the 'conduit'…" Her words trailed off into uncertainty, but then she reasserted herself by wagging her finger. "I'm not an expert in this matter, but I do understand that the position is held in religious reverence, and I can operate with that. Simply put, so long as she's on the island, and loyal to you, it effectively reduces the chances of overt military action to zero."

"Then what are they going to do?" Elly asked, unaware of the fact that Penny was making faces in front of her. Of course, she got no reaction, so her attention soon shifted to me. Well, crap.

"Not everyone agreed with my assessment," the young spymaster responded a touch sulkily and let her finger down. "However, in my professional opinion, they will opt for a more conservative approach. First, they'll attempt to bring her legitimacy into question under the guise of making sure there's no foul play involved, and then use that as an excuse to move more personnel onto the island. The process may take a long time, and it's…"

She continued on, but I couldn't pay attention to her, because I had to make sure my face wouldn't move a muscle even as my Knightly sister leaned over and stuck out her tongue at me. Seeing that I did not react, she then started rolling her eyes and pulling on the corners of her mouth to make weird faces, and… damn. I should've called her out when I had the chance. If I revealed that I could see her now, it would not only be awkward, it would look like I was the one playing a prank on her instead of the other way around. But if I didn't call her out, then there was a chance she would keep doing this, and I wouldn't be able to pay attention to the important political discussion and stuff around me, which also wasn't ideal.

What was I supposed to do in this situation…?

"Leonard!" The answer came in the form of Dame Morgana appearing in the kitchen entrance. "Arnwald is on the line. Bel of the Abyss disrupted the Draconic Council meeting. Your orders?"

"Oh, thank god," I blurted out, simultaneously standing up, handing my empty tray over to Judy, and startling Penny so much she nearly fell on her butt. It was only then that I realized my faux pas and cleared my throat. "I mean, it's a good thing that he and the others were there. Tell him I'll join them shortly."

And so, Morgana nodded, my girlfriends were apprehensive, Penny scampered away, and I couldn't help but wonder if future-me timed this on purpose. Either way, it was time to raise the curtain on the biggest play this island had ever seen, and while I would've liked to at least digest my porridge first, the show had to go on…