elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 149M
You re welcome, Miss Claire.
Oh, do what you want! Otto said, fed up. He pulled out a lunch of his own and began eating.
Did you make your lunch yourself? I asked.
Yeah. Got a problem with that?
Not at all. I just thought it looked well made.
Not really. This stuff s pretty whatever, he said as he thrust a fork into a rolled omelet and took a bite.
I m not so sure I d call making rolled omelets whatever said Claire.
Huh? Omelets are as whatever as it gets. You just add seasoning and heat it, Otto objected.
But my omelets always turn out strangely crunchy even before I season them
What are you wait, do you not even know how to crack eggs right?! he exclaimed.
Nice retort, Otto!
I heard you come from a family of soldiers, I said. Does that include your parents, Otto?
Huh? Why do you care?
I was just wondering if that s why you make lunch yourself.
Yeah, I guess. No one else has the time to make it.
This was an unexpected side of Otto. Our first impression of him had been terrible, but maybe we could actually get along.
Is your family just your parents? No siblings? I continued.
Why re you pelting me with all these questions?!
Nobody said you couldn t ask me questions back. Ask away!
Ugh. Otto scratched his head. I have an older sister, I guess.
Really? What s she like? Claire asked. Does she attend the Academy as well?
Nah, she s already graduated. She s training to join the Imperial Army now. His tone dropped at the end. Was something up with his sister?
So your older sister s going to become a soldier as well? Claire asked.
I guess. Mom and Dad were against it, but she ignored them. Wouldn t listen to me either
You don t want her to become a soldier? Claire asked.
Well, duh. It s dangerous.
Indeed, Claire said. The empire is always at war with some country or another. She ll be sent to the battlefield one day
One day, my ass! he suddenly yelled. Confused, Claire and I looked at each other. She hasn t even been assigned anywhere yet, but she still
She what? Claire asked, but Otto seemed to have come to his senses and stopped.
Nothing. Forget about it, he said.
Otto, please, let us help you, Claire said.
I said forget about it!
Otto stood, slamming his hands on his desk. The classroom went silent.
Hm? What s this? I said. Something had fluttered out of his desk when he slammed it. With no particular ill will, I picked it up.
Give that back! Otto shouted as he snatched the paper out of my hand. Did you see it?
Yeah. Sorry, I said.
Rae? Claire asked, confused.
His eyes turned bloodshot. This wasn t good.
Let s move to a different location, I suggested. We need to have a nice, long talk.
Tch.
What in the world is going on with you two? Claire said.
You should come along too, Miss Claire. You okay with that, Otto?
Whatever.
The three of us put away our half-eaten lunches and relocated to the ever-unpopular courtyard.
I sat down on a bench. All right, start explaining, Otto. What made you plan such a thing?
What thing? Don t leave me in the dark here, Claire said, confused.
Otto remained silent, so I answered in his stead. Otto is planning to assassinate Dorothea.

***

There s a group of those who support Philine within the army.
After persistent badgering from Claire and me, Otto gradually began to talk.
Like a faction? Claire asked.
Nothing that grand. Just a small number of people at the military training camp who idolize her.
Huh? Idolize? she said.
Isn t this that one thing Philine mentioned, Miss Claire? I cut in. You know, about how some people in the army respect her for helping them?
Ohh, yes. She did say something like that. Back when we had been brainstorming plans to change the empire, Philine had recounted the time she saved a group of non-commissioned officers and soldiers from an instructor who was overworking them, thus earning their respect.
Yeah, that sounds about right, Otto confirmed. They keep passing down the story of what she did over at the military training camp. That place is mentally and physically grueling, and it s kind of the only thing giving them hope. Eventually, a group formed with the intent of supporting her. One of the non-commissioned officers Philine directly helped was a senior member whom my sister respected. Before long, she too became a devotee of Philine.
I see but what does any of that have to do with wanting to assassinate Her Majesty Dorothea? Claire asked. I was dying to know as well.
He said, You know how Philine got exiled? Well, that sent her supporters at the military training camp nuts. And then there was that rumor of her being assassinated. I m sure you heard it.
We did. But it s just a rumor, isn t it? Claire asked.
Dunno, but her supporters sure don t think so. They blame Her Majesty Dorothea for Philine s death, saying it wouldn t have happened if she hadn t exiled her. There s also the fact that she overlooked you two foreigners, which is a whole nother can of worms.
Ah, right I muttered. As far as those soldiers devoted to Philine were concerned, Dorothea might as well have ordered Philine s death herself. The fact that Dorothea pardoned a couple of foreigners at the same time only added fuel to the fire as, from what I could gather, those soldiers were fairly nationalist.
Otto continued. Because of all that, the group s thinking of starting a coup d tat.
A c-coup d tat?! I exclaimed. That had come completely out left field. I was expecting them to maybe protest or submit a formal complaint, but overthrowing the government? You re kidding.
That s reckless! Claire exclaimed. I don t know how many people they have, but surely they realize they would be up against the world s greatest army as well as Her Majesty Dorothea herself, right?
It s reckless, all right, and they know it. They don t plan to succeed, Otto explained.
Then why? Claire asked.
Y know why people become soldiers?
Huh? Claire said, surprised by the sudden change in topic. Um because they want to protect their country?
Yeah. There s also some who do it just cause their family s been doing it for years, or for the money, or whatever. But deep down, everybody s doing it because they want to defend their country. Nobody d put up with the grueling training for that.
I imagined as much, Claire said.
But what do you do when that same country goes to hell, and the elites at the top don t have the slightest inclination of fixing it? Or worse, they kill those that try?
Claire could say nothing to this.
This coup is their message. An appeal from a bunch of guys wanting to change the sorry state of this country, Otto said. His sister and her comrades didn t expect success in the slightest. They simply wanted Dorothea to know they were serious, even at the cost of their lives.
I doubt Her Majesty Dorothea would care, said Claire. Their deaths will be meaningless.
Honestly, I think so too, he said.
Then tell your sister that, Otto. Don t waste your life on this coup, Claire insisted.
The heck? I ain t a part of the coup.
Huh?
That was unexpected. I had been certain he and his sister were working together.
Then why did you have a rough blueprint of the Imperial Castle with guard shifts in your desk? I asked. You even had arrows pointing out an infiltration route.
How d you figure out that much? he asked.
The two of us worked security for the pope s visit, Claire answered.
Just from that? Man, what a mess this turned out to be Otto scratched his head. I found a suicide note my sister wrote for the family.
O-oh Claire said.
I noticed she was being weird when she stopped by home a week ago. Like, acting all nice even though she usually ignored me. So I sneaked into her room after she went back to the military training camp and found the note in her desk.
I couldn t imagine how distressed he must have been. It had to have been horrifying to find a family member s suicide note.
She wrote, There s something important I gotta do. I ll be crossing over first, but you gotta live on, Otto. Can you believe the nerve? He clenched his fists and hung his head. Maybe he was crying; I couldn t tell. He d done nothing but complain about her so far, but from what I could tell
You love your sister, don t you, Otto? I said.
Wh-what?! Oh, shut up, he said.
Oh, yeah. One hundred percent. My bad habit of joking around when things turned serious had reared its ugly head again, but I earnestly believed Otto cared deeply for his sister. Whether he had feelings for her romantically or as family was lost on me, but he had said he wasn t a nutjob with nothing but love on their mind like me, so it was probably just familial love.
So essentially, you re planning to kill Her Majesty Dorothea before your sister tries to? Claire asked.
Got a problem with that?
I do. It s suicide, she said.
I know that already! I don t need you to tell me! And yet he had planned it. He probably couldn t bring himself to do nothing.
We should consult with Father, Claire suggested.
Yes, I replied after a moment s hesitation. Master Dole might come up with a good plan.
You re going to help me? Otto said, nonplussed. I understood his surprise. We stood to gain nothing from this. But even so
We won t assist with any assassination plots, but we can t very well do nothing while a classmate needs our help, Claire said.

You re welcome, Miss Claire.

Oh, do what you want! Otto said, fed up. He pulled out a lunch of his own and began eating.

Did you make your lunch yourself? I asked.

Yeah. Got a problem with that?

Not at all. I just thought it looked well made.

Not really. This stuff s pretty whatever, he said as he thrust a fork into a rolled omelet and took a bite.

I m not so sure I d call making rolled omelets whatever said Claire.

Huh? Omelets are as whatever as it gets. You just add seasoning and heat it, Otto objected.

But my omelets always turn out strangely crunchy even before I season them

What are you wait, do you not even know how to crack eggs right?! he exclaimed.

Nice retort, Otto!

I heard you come from a family of soldiers, I said. Does that include your parents, Otto?

Huh? Why do you care?

I was just wondering if that s why you make lunch yourself.

Yeah, I guess. No one else has the time to make it.

This was an unexpected side of Otto. Our first impression of him had been terrible, but maybe we could actually get along.

Is your family just your parents? No siblings? I continued.

Why re you pelting me with all these questions?!

Nobody said you couldn t ask me questions back. Ask away!

Ugh. Otto scratched his head. I have an older sister, I guess.

Really? What s she like? Claire asked. Does she attend the Academy as well?

Nah, she s already graduated. She s training to join the Imperial Army now. His tone dropped at the end. Was something up with his sister?

So your older sister s going to become a soldier as well? Claire asked.

I guess. Mom and Dad were against it, but she ignored them. Wouldn t listen to me either

You don t want her to become a soldier? Claire asked.

Well, duh. It s dangerous.

Indeed, Claire said. The empire is always at war with some country or another. She ll be sent to the battlefield one day

One day, my ass! he suddenly yelled. Confused, Claire and I looked at each other. She hasn t even been assigned anywhere yet, but she still

She what? Claire asked, but Otto seemed to have come to his senses and stopped.

Nothing. Forget about it, he said.

Otto, please, let us help you, Claire said.

I said forget about it!

Otto stood, slamming his hands on his desk. The classroom went silent.

Hm? What s this? I said. Something had fluttered out of his desk when he slammed it. With no particular ill will, I picked it up.

Give that back! Otto shouted as he snatched the paper out of my hand. Did you see it?

Yeah. Sorry, I said.

Rae? Claire asked, confused.

His eyes turned bloodshot. This wasn t good.

Let s move to a different location, I suggested. We need to have a nice, long talk.

Tch.

What in the world is going on with you two? Claire said.

You should come along too, Miss Claire. You okay with that, Otto?

Whatever.

The three of us put away our half-eaten lunches and relocated to the ever-unpopular courtyard.

I sat down on a bench. All right, start explaining, Otto. What made you plan such a thing?

What thing? Don t leave me in the dark here, Claire said, confused.

Otto remained silent, so I answered in his stead. Otto is planning to assassinate Dorothea.

***

There s a group of those who support Philine within the army.

After persistent badgering from Claire and me, Otto gradually began to talk.

Like a faction? Claire asked.

Nothing that grand. Just a small number of people at the military training camp who idolize her.

Huh? Idolize? she said.

Isn t this that one thing Philine mentioned, Miss Claire? I cut in. You know, about how some people in the army respect her for helping them?

Ohh, yes. She did say something like that. Back when we had been brainstorming plans to change the empire, Philine had recounted the time she saved a group of non-commissioned officers and soldiers from an instructor who was overworking them, thus earning their respect.

Yeah, that sounds about right, Otto confirmed. They keep passing down the story of what she did over at the military training camp. That place is mentally and physically grueling, and it s kind of the only thing giving them hope. Eventually, a group formed with the intent of supporting her. One of the non-commissioned officers Philine directly helped was a senior member whom my sister respected. Before long, she too became a devotee of Philine.

I see but what does any of that have to do with wanting to assassinate Her Majesty Dorothea? Claire asked. I was dying to know as well.

He said, You know how Philine got exiled? Well, that sent her supporters at the military training camp nuts. And then there was that rumor of her being assassinated. I m sure you heard it.

We did. But it s just a rumor, isn t it? Claire asked.

Dunno, but her supporters sure don t think so. They blame Her Majesty Dorothea for Philine s death, saying it wouldn t have happened if she hadn t exiled her. There s also the fact that she overlooked you two foreigners, which is a whole nother can of worms.

Ah, right I muttered. As far as those soldiers devoted to Philine were concerned, Dorothea might as well have ordered Philine s death herself. The fact that Dorothea pardoned a couple of foreigners at the same time only added fuel to the fire as, from what I could gather, those soldiers were fairly nationalist.

Otto continued. Because of all that, the group s thinking of starting a coup d tat.

A c-coup d tat?! I exclaimed. That had come completely out left field. I was expecting them to maybe protest or submit a formal complaint, but overthrowing the government? You re kidding.

That s reckless! Claire exclaimed. I don t know how many people they have, but surely they realize they would be up against the world s greatest army as well as Her Majesty Dorothea herself, right?

It s reckless, all right, and they know it. They don t plan to succeed, Otto explained.

Then why? Claire asked.

Y know why people become soldiers?

Huh? Claire said, surprised by the sudden change in topic. Um because they want to protect their country?

Yeah. There s also some who do it just cause their family s been doing it for years, or for the money, or whatever. But deep down, everybody s doing it because they want to defend their country. Nobody d put up with the grueling training for that.

I imagined as much, Claire said.

But what do you do when that same country goes to hell, and the elites at the top don t have the slightest inclination of fixing it? Or worse, they kill those that try?

Claire could say nothing to this.

This coup is their message. An appeal from a bunch of guys wanting to change the sorry state of this country, Otto said. His sister and her comrades didn t expect success in the slightest. They simply wanted Dorothea to know they were serious, even at the cost of their lives.

I doubt Her Majesty Dorothea would care, said Claire. Their deaths will be meaningless.

Honestly, I think so too, he said.

Then tell your sister that, Otto. Don t waste your life on this coup, Claire insisted.

The heck? I ain t a part of the coup.

Huh?

That was unexpected. I had been certain he and his sister were working together.

Then why did you have a rough blueprint of the Imperial Castle with guard shifts in your desk? I asked. You even had arrows pointing out an infiltration route.

How d you figure out that much? he asked.

The two of us worked security for the pope s visit, Claire answered.

Just from that? Man, what a mess this turned out to be Otto scratched his head. I found a suicide note my sister wrote for the family.

O-oh Claire said.

I noticed she was being weird when she stopped by home a week ago. Like, acting all nice even though she usually ignored me. So I sneaked into her room after she went back to the military training camp and found the note in her desk.

I couldn t imagine how distressed he must have been. It had to have been horrifying to find a family member s suicide note.

She wrote, There s something important I gotta do. I ll be crossing over first, but you gotta live on, Otto. Can you believe the nerve? He clenched his fists and hung his head. Maybe he was crying; I couldn t tell. He d done nothing but complain about her so far, but from what I could tell

You love your sister, don t you, Otto? I said.

Wh-what?! Oh, shut up, he said.

Oh, yeah. One hundred percent. My bad habit of joking around when things turned serious had reared its ugly head again, but I earnestly believed Otto cared deeply for his sister. Whether he had feelings for her romantically or as family was lost on me, but he had said he wasn t a nutjob with nothing but love on their mind like me, so it was probably just familial love.

So essentially, you re planning to kill Her Majesty Dorothea before your sister tries to? Claire asked.

Got a problem with that?

I do. It s suicide, she said.

I know that already! I don t need you to tell me! And yet he had planned it. He probably couldn t bring himself to do nothing.

We should consult with Father, Claire suggested.

Yes, I replied after a moment s hesitation. Master Dole might come up with a good plan.

You re going to help me? Otto said, nonplussed. I understood his surprise. We stood to gain nothing from this. But even so

We won t assist with any assassination plots, but we can t very well do nothing while a classmate needs our help, Claire said.