The Simulacrum
~Chapter 170~ Part 4

The emergency conference of the Draconic Council and co. concluded after a few short hours, but it didn't mean the day was over, and another meeting was already taking place in my office. The one in the underground base, I mean, and while I called it a meeting, it was more of a…

"You must reconsider!" Arnwald insisted, standing next to me with his arms crossed and his eyes thundering.

"Listen to him, Brother Leonard," Naoren backed him up on my other side, one looking not one iota less intense.

They weren't the only ones in the room with me; far from it. We had Mountain Girl and Yseult standing a bit behind the Feilong Patriarch, all of the male Knights were clustered around Sir Eagle, Lord Barnabas and Gowan followed us here too, along with Sahi (though I was pretty sure she was only here for the show), and then there was the entire Praetorian guard, with Jaakobah and the twins (for some reason) at the forefront. Smack dab in the middle of all that, I was sitting at my desk and trying my best to act nonchalant in the crossfire of glaring, pleading, and confounded gazes. It was almost like an intervention.

"The Draconic Council already voted and gave me free rein," I pointed out while absently shuffling the documents on my table, and it made Naoren pinch the bridge of his nose with this thumb and forefinger.

"True, but only because emotions were running high, and I don't think anyone considered that when you said you would personally offer help to the Ashurs of the Abyss, you meant it in the literal sense of the word."

"I'm not going to go back on my words," I stated emphatically and stopped fidgeting with the papers. "It's something only I can do, anyway."

"Is that truly the case, or are you driven by hubris?" Yseult levelled an unexpected question at me, and everyone's gazes focused on her at once. "Don't look at me like that! You're all thinking the same thing!"

Her words were followed by a long beat of stunned silence, but nobody argued back. Instead, Arnwald cleared his throat to get my attention, and as soon as I looked him in the eye, he started pleading with me.

"My Liege… No, Leonard. I understand your frustration. Bel of the Abyss made a fool of us all, but you can't let your anger goad you into making a rash decision like this."

"I'm not angry though," I pointed out as I linked my fingers on the table. "And it's not exactly a rash decision either. The Abyssals nobles requested this a while ago, so I had lots of time to think it through."

"Och, c'moan, Leonard!" Duncan chimed in from behind him, looking more irritated than anything. "Juist drap th' act 'n' admit ye 'greed fur ye wur pissed 'n' wanted tae git even wi' that fuckin' bampot!"

He wanted to say more, but he was silenced by Roland tapping on his shoulder.

"Duncan, we're in public company. Watch the language."

"Leid mah bahookie! Why aren't ye saying anythin' tae him 'stead o' fash me?" the big guy growled back, but Roland only glanced at me with a world-weary expression and shook his head.

"Leave it, Duncan," Agrawain added in a quiet voice. "You know Leonard. He won't admit anything, and he's stubborn as a mule."

"Brothers? Could you please stay quiet?" Arnwald hissed at the men behind him. "You're not helping us convince him like this."

While that was unfolding, Naoren continued to fidget with his glasses, and since the Knights weren't talking to me at the moment, he used the opportunity to interject.

"Brother Leonard, I implore you, at least take some bodyguards with you."

"Rinne agrees!" Mountain Girl spoke up next, looking positively eager. "Rinne will follow in Leonard-dono's shadow!"

The Feilong patriarch's expression clouded for a moment, only to turn startled when I responded with a firm, "No, you won't."

"But… But Rinne is sworn to protect Leonard-dono!"

"True, but it's irrelevant," I told her flatly, then pointed a palm at her before she could argue. "The Abyss is dangerous, and I'll have my hands full with Bel. I can't guarantee your safety."

"Isn't that the bodyguard's job?" Yseult asked provocatively, followed by another question of a similar tone. "Also, if it's so dangerous, wouldn't that make going in alone all the more foolish?"

"No, because I have lots of cards up my sleeve to take care of myself, so I'm safer alone."

My argument didn't exactly convince them, but before they could formulate a new argument, it was Jaakobah's turn to speak up.

"I presume that means the Praetorian Guard will also stay behind."

"Yes," I confirmed with a nod. "You'll do more good looking after Deus."

There was a small grimace on the edge of the man's lips, but after meeting his eyes for a few seconds, he quickly capitulated.

"If those are the Lord Archon's orders, then we shall obey."

He followed that with a salute, mirrored by the rest of the Celestials in the room, including the kids.

"'Ey! Dinnae juist fold lik' that!" Duncan barked out, but the Praetorian Guards didn't react.

In the meantime, seeing that he lost a big chunk of potential backers for his arguments, Arnwald looked around the room and zeroed in on the Magi in the corner.

"Lord arch-mage? Could you please try to reason with him?" he implored, but the dark-skinned Magi shook his head.

"I wish I could, but it appears that Leonard isn't willing to listen to interpersonal pleas, and I lack the authority to make any official demands." He glanced at the stout artificer by his side. Gowan was holding a fancy pocket watch in his hand, and after checking it twice, he wordlessly nodded at Barnabas. "Fortunately, Lord Endymonion is already in the way, and hopefully he can—"

As per the rule of comedic timing dictated, it was exactly this moment when the door of my office was swung open so hard it nearly hit Sahi in the nose.

"Leo! What were you thin… king?" the class rep exclaimed as she burst into the room, full of indignation, only to immediately deflate the moment she realized there were something like twenty people in here. "Ah! My apologies! I didn't know that…" Her awkwardness only lasted for a few seconds though, and as soon as our eyes met, the flames in her glare were rekindled and she uttered a curt, "Please excuse me," before marching up to my desk.

"Hi, Ammy. Did you come over with your grandfather?"

"Don't 'Hi, Ammy' me!" she hissed at me and firmly put her hands on the desk, nearly knocking over a pile of unsigned documents. "Yesterday was bad enough, then we had a group of Abyssals showing up in the School out of nowhere, and just when I thought it was finally over, I heard that you promised to go into the Abyss after Bel! All alone! What were you thinking?!"

"Technically, I'm going in there to rescue a kid from prison, not to catch Bel, but—"

"Don't try to change the subject!" For emphasis, she tapped on the desk with her palms again, and this time she did knock those papers over. "I know you. You were just caught up in the heat of the moment and now you're trying to retroactively make it sound like what you did was rational, when in truth, you just want to get back at Bel of the Abyss."

"Hah! 'Xactly whit ah said!" Duncan commented on the side, but it only earned him a squinting glare from Arnwald.

"Listen, Leo," Ammy continued, and for further emphasis, she even tweaked her glasses a bit. That meant she raised one of her hands, allowing me to pick up and rearrange the papers she just knocked over, and my display of nonchalance only made her glasses-tweakery even more insistent. "You know this is a bad idea. We all know it. Don't do it."

"Sorry, class rep, but I already promised. In public," I pointed out, any by this point she was gripping the frame of her glasses so hard, I was afraid she was going to break them.

"You do realize that Judy's going to kill you, right?"

"Don't be overdramatic. She'll understand."

My level-headed answer only made her madder, but then Sir Minotaur chimed in again.

"Penny-gurl is aff tae be mighty miffed wi' ye tae, ye ken?"

"I think she might be angrier about Leonard not taking her along to fight Bel," Agrawain noted absently, and the big guy shrugged.

"'T'is the same difference."

"Okay, we really need to get this misunderstanding resolved," I raised my voice, making everyone perk up. "I'm not going to the Abyss to pick a fight with Bel. I probably won't even meet him, and even if I do, getting the Ashur kid out of custody will take priority."

"In spite of your insistence, you have yet to decisively explain why it is required for you to attend to this matter personally," a new voice interjected, drawing our attention to the doorway, where Lord Grandpa, wearing his usual robe-over-khaki-business-suit ensemble casually walked in like he owned the place. "Please pardon the intrusion, but since the door was left open, I have unwittingly overheard the tail end of your conversation."

"Right!" Ammy capitalized on the momentum and planted her hands on the desk once more, almost knocking over the stack I just finished arranging again. "Do you have to be the one to do this?"

"Yes," I answered with a poker face, but then the old arch-mage reached her side and they proceeded to continue their offensive in tandem.

"Is that true?" he asked, one brow raised high. "Is there truly no one else who could perform this deed?" When I didn't reply right away, Lord Grandpa inclined his head and launched into a sudden non-sequitur. "When we first met, on that fateful day, you were but a peculiar, indecipherable young man acting in strange and unpredictable ways I could scarcely comprehend. You would boldly stand your ground against authority and carry the consequences of your actions on your shoulders without hesitation. Yet, in just a few short months, times have changed. You are no longer a sole man, but a leader of men, and with that, comes greater responsibility."

"Listen to grandfather," Ammy insisted with uncharacteristic vehemence. "You're the leader of the Ordo Draconis, the Third Speaker, not to mention the Archon of Elysium! No one's expecting you to do this personally, on your lonesome!"

"Except for the Abyssal envoys, evidently," Yseult muttered in the back, prompting a couple of annoyed grimaces around the room.

As for me, I was a bit irked by the fact that I got the same argument I used on Tracas during our first meeting at the restaurant thrown back at me like this, but there wasn't much I could do about it.

"You're not listening…"

I tried to interject, but Lord Grandpa beat me to the punch.

"I have held administrative and executive power within the Assembly for longer than you have been alive," he started, already sounding a bit preachy, but then he suddenly pivoted and continued with, "I am certain that you are convinced that you are well within your rights to pursue this course of action, yet I must remind you that Critias is under my jurisdiction, and we are at the precipice of a crucial junction. With the return of the Conduit of the Grimoire…" He stopped for a moment to put a hand on the class rep's back, momentarily startling her. "… as well as the stability of the World of Mystics. Lord Marzanna, along with an investigative task force, may arrive in Timaeus as early as next week, unforeseen circumstances notwithstanding. Under these circumstances, I am obliged to object to your plans with the full weight and authority of my office."

"R-Right! You have to look at the big picture!" Ammy added on, though this time she sounded a bit awkward. Probably because Lord Grandpa was still patting her back in public.

I waited to see if they had anything else to say, then exhaled a long breath and locked gazes with the arch-mage.

"Can I take this as an official protest from the Critias School of Conjuration?"

"Indeed. With everything that implies," he said in a level voice, meeting my stare tit for tat.

Tensions were rising… for a split second, when I uttered, "Doesn't matter," in my deadpannest of voices.

"Leonard!"/"Brother Leonard!"/"Leo!" Arnwald, Naoren, and Ammy cried out in unison, but I immediately raised a finger and didn't let them gather any steam.

"Stop. I meant that." I waited for them to get over the first shock before I let my hand down. "Listen, everyone. I understand you, but this is non-negotiable. It has to be done, and I'm the only one who can do it."

"Are you?" Yseult tried to provoke me, and I faced her head-on.

"Yes. Or is there anyone else in this room who can go into the Abyss, break someone out of prison, and get out of the Abyss?" I didn't wait for them to even try to argue and pointed at myself. "You've seen what I can do. You've also seen that Bel is getting bolder over time, and more unpredictable. We need to push back, and we need the Abyssal nobles to keep his forces in check."

"But what if something happens to you?" Ammy pushed back. "It would lead to all-out war!"

"Class rep. We are at war already." I let that sink in, then eased the mood a bit with, "Seriously though; you know more about what I can do than pretty much anyone else in this room. You should be the least worried here."

"That's not how it works."

Her grumble didn't have her previous bite, so I was getting ready to focus on her grandfather again, when…

"Get out of the way! I need to talk with him!" Another newcomer squeezed into the already overcrowded office, and the Praetorian Guards moved at once to accommodate her. "Ah! There you are!"

Ignoring the duo standing right in front of the desk, Angie… No, wait. Her eyes were a bright amber-yellow, so that was Deus. Anyway, she was in her casual clothes, and she looked a bit sweaty, so I figured she rushed over here in a hurry.

"Are you also here to dissuade me?" I asked, half serious, but she looked at me like she had no idea what I was talking about.

"Dissuade you about what? Listen, Polemos, that doesn't matter! We have a big problem!"

"… I'm listening."

She crossed her arms and let out an infuriated grunt, much to the onlookers' mild surprise, then exclaimed, "Those bastards stole the girl's bow!"

"… By 'those bastards', I imagine you mean the Axis of Evil."

"Yes, them!" She let out another huff, then added, "As much as I loathe Bel, I have to admit, at least he's self-aware. But that's not important! They stole her bow! Our bow!"

"How?" I looked over at Jaakobah and added, meaningfully, "I was told there was no fighting in the neighbourhood."

Before the Prefect could respond, Deus let the cat out of the bag by openly telling me, "It's because the girl took it off while taking a shower with the boy, and then those bas—" All of a sudden, there was a soft flash of magical light that made the class rep twitch, and Angie's eyes switched back to blue. "Grandpa! That's private!" she moaned, but then another flash later her eyes went back to yellow. "Fine, the details aren't important. She didn't have it on her at the time, and then by the time everything was over, it was gone. Of course, the girl didn't want to tell you about it, because you're 'busy' today." She rolled her eyes and muttered something along the lines of 'When is he not busy…?', but then quickly returned to the previous line of thought. "Anyhow, this cannot stand! That bow wasn't just an antique with sentimental value, but our main weapon of choice! That accursed Bel and his minions are taunting us! We can't let this continue any longer! We must do something!"

"Well, I'm planning to go to the Abyss to cause some chaos."

"Is that why everyone's gathered here?" Deus looked around the room and let out a decidedly unladylike chortle. "Haha! Good! Give that bastard a dose of his own medicine!" Her body language abruptly shifted, along with her eye colour, and she folded her arms again. "But… isn't that dangerous?" A moment later, she was back to Deus mode, and let out another chuckle. "Heh. Look at her, worrying about you! We're talking about Polemos here! I'm almost feeling sorry for those wretches in the Abyss; they won't even know what hit them!" Another switch later, Angie gave up on thinking and shrugged. "If you say so, Grandpa. I gotta go, I left Josh in the lounge. Let's meet there once you're done, okay?"

She didn't even wait for me to answer, and like a whirlwind, she left as quickly as she appeared, leaving everyone a bit stumped.

"You've heard her…" I started, then quickly corrected it to, "Them. There's nothing to worry about."

"I'm still not convinced," Arnwald griped, and the rest also seemed to share his sentiment.

"Just trust me, okay?" I pleaded, trying to sound as sincere as possible. "I understand your worries, but as I said, only I can do this, and the longer I wait, the more dangerous Bel will become. Not to mention, we have all of you on the island." I paused while slowly sweeping my gaze across the room. "I'll be gone only for a short while, and so I'm confident you're going to keep everything under control."

"I still have a bad feeling about this," Ammy whispered, purposefully loud enough to make sure I could hear her, so I flashed a wide smile to reassure both her and the rest.

"Don't say that. I'm sure everything's going to work out just fine."

I said that, but then I had to forcefully still my face so that I wouldn't cringe. Did that could as jinxing, I wondered.

…

But then again, if everything went according to plan, things wouldn't be working out just fine, at least from an outside perspective. If so, then wouldn't a jinx like that be entirely appropriate for the situation at hand? Have we really reached the point where tempting fate like that would be useful? Judy will have a field day with this, won't she? That, or an aneurysm.