elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 149M
I tried to punch you before, though.
Did you? I only recall you making a fool of yourself.
Sh-shut up! He blushed like an abashed child. I had been older in my past life, so part of me saw Otto as a young, immature boy.
Do you know when the coup is meant to take place? Claire asked.
You know that summit coming soon? It ll be the same day, he said.
That doesn t leave us a lot of time. Rae, let s take a half-day to return to the dorm and form a plan.
Good idea.
Should I do anything? Otto asked enthusiastically.
Nothing, for the time being. Take particular care not to do anything rash, unless you want to ruin everything, Claire said.
Ngh
Just leave things to us and wait. We ll make sure your sister stays safe, she continued.
All right. I m counting on you.
We d succeeded in preventing Otto from doing anything reckless. Now we just had to deal with Philine s supporters.
The bell signaling the end of lunchtime rang.
Can you tell the teacher we left early? Claire asked Otto.
Yeah.
Let s hurry home, Rae.
Let s.
Jeez, Claire was truly too sweet-natured for her own good. But that was exactly what I loved about her.

***

A coup d tat
After returning from the Academy, we went to Dole s lodgings and told him everything we d heard from Otto. His apartment was slightly smaller than ours, with only a kitchen, a living and dining room, and a bedroom. The furniture was plain, valuing function over form especially the sort of form an ex-noble would be used to.
The three of us sat around a table with full teacups in front of us. Dole was wide-eyed with shock at first, but he gradually grew despondent.
More young lives will be lost at this rate, he said.
Can you lend us any wisdom, Master Dole?
Please, call me Father-in-Law, Rae.
You re quite particular over something so trivial, Father-in-Law.
There s nothing trivial about it.
The two of us bantered, but I could tell his smile didn t reach his eyes. Dole made me uncomfortable when he acted like this. It meant he was thinking up something grim something I wouldn t like. It didn t help that he was often justified too.
Where are May and Aleah? he asked.
They re playing in their room, Claire answered. Don t worry, the guards you hired are with them.
Good. Any price for my granddaughters.
After the kidnapping incident, Dole had hired guards for the twins. Both were women, former bodyguards of Dole s from back when he was a noble, so he could attest to their skill. They looked like nothing more than shrewd career women to me, but apparently, they were both experts in hand-to-hand combat as well as magic. Of course, that meant their services cost a pretty penny, but Dole generously paid for it all out of the salary he had come to earn after returning to the political scene.
I actually knew one of the women, but that s a topic best saved for later.
They truly are a big help, I said. I couldn t help but wonder why he was so interested in confirming May and Aleah s whereabouts all of a sudden. Was he about to say something he didn t want them to hear? I had a bad feeling about this
Claire, Rae, he said.
Yes, Father?
Did you come up with a good idea?
The two of us urged him on hopefully. But those hopes were soon dashed.
Give up on Otto s sister and the rest, he said.
Give up? What do you mean?! Claire exclaimed.
Just that. Don t try to save them. Let them attempt their coup.
How could you say such a thing?! Claire looked at her father with disbelief, as though she were regarding a stranger. You want us to do nothing as they die?!
That s not how I d phrase it. I m saying we should respect their wishes, he said.
That s the same thing! I won t accept such a reason! Explain yourself! Claire pressed him, raising her voice.
I felt the same way she did but I d also had a feeling it would end this way from the very moment she suggested asking Dole for help.
The coup d tat is the empire s problem, he said. It s not something we should concern ourselves with. Surely you understand it s not our place to intervene in another country s politics?
But
Most importantly, Claire, the coup will be beneficial to Bauer. Dole stroked his moustache. His usual gentle expression was gone, replaced by the impersonal one he reserved for work. A chill ran down my spine.
Wha do you realize people will die, Father?! Enraged, Claire stood slamming her hands on the table as she did so.
Please calm down, Miss Claire, I said.
Not you too, Rae! How can I be calm when
Please, Miss Claire. I sympathize with you so much, it hurts. But let s hear him out. We re the ones who came to him, remember?
Gah! Claire, with a fierce look of indignation, relented and sat down. Her anger still raged, but she couldn t forgo civility. She scowled at Dole as the discussion resumed.
By beneficial, I assume you mean politically? I asked Dole.
Exactly. He nodded, then took a sip of his tea. Perhaps hoping to calm Claire, he took ample pause before continuing. We don t know the scale of the coup, nor how it will affect Dorothea, but it is a coup nonetheless. It will be a blow to the empire, and an opening for us.
He spoke in a frighteningly matter-of-fact tone. I was reminded of the time he d insistently defended the nobility to Claire.
Think about it: The coup will happen on the day of the summit. With so many foreign leaders present, the empire will have to take responsibility, no matter how easily the attempt is suppressed. That is a powerful diplomatic advantage to have. A faint smile rose to his face. His explanation was clear: Bauer s prosperity came first, even at the cost of lives.
You would use the lives of those youths as political bargaining chips?! Claire asked, incredulously.
They are not my people. And if we do not strike the empire while we can, it will be the lives of our people instead.
That s that s ! Claire couldn t accept it. She knew, however, that if she were to weigh the lives of Bauer s youths against the empire s, the scales would not be even. But that didn t excuse doing nothing as people died. Not to Claire.
Seeing his daughter so worked up, Dole sighed understandingly and looked her in the eyes. Claire, you re too arrogant.
I am? Are you sure you don t mean yourself, who sees human beings as mere pawns? she seethed.
Since when have you been mighty enough to save everyone? he asked.
Wh-what I That was all it took to leave Claire at a loss for words. She hadn t intended to think so highly of her own ability, but that only made it all the more painful a realization.
Dole didn t relent. Man is not God. We must choose the few we can save. I won t disavow having ideals, but you must realize they are nothing more than that, ideals. You cannot escape reality.
Claire could say nothing in return.
Or what? Did being called the hero of the revolution make you think you actually were one? he asked, a clear malice in his mocking tone.
Claire snapped. Her face twisted with rage as she raised her hand. Dole didn t so much as blink, calmly watching his daughter move.
All right, that s enough. A hand caught Claire s before it could strike Dole. A hand that wasn t mine.
Bill
Master William?!
Hey, Dole. Hey, Claire. It s been a while. That casual voice felt entirely out of place in this tense situation. The speaker was a man in the prime of his life who had seemingly appeared out of thin air. I was about to pull out my wand when a woman next to him stopped me.
Hey, Rae. It s been, what, how long since the cook-off?
Lene? Then this must be
Yup.
Lene, now a citizen of the Alpes, appeared to be attending to this man. I connected the dots and realized who he was.
You must be Rae Taylor, said the man. I ve heard a lot about you Though you look more normal than I thought you would.
O-oh, really? I said.
Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. Well, you can probably already guess. With that, the man gracefully put his hand over his chest and nonchalantly said, I m William. I may not look it, but I m actually the King of the Alpes. Feel free to call me Bill.

***

This isn t your place to interfere, Bill, Dole said sternly.
William countered with a tactful smile, playing with what I assumed to be naturally curly hair as his olive-brown eyes calmly surveyed Dole. His build and height were similar to Dole s, but he had a different air. Dole s was that of a shrewd politician, while William had the loose aura of a pick-up artist or a swindler.
You re too serious, Dole, and too clever for your own good. You re so clever, you ve gone full circle back to foolish, he said.
Don t patronize me. We re discussing something serious here, Dole replied.
Hey, I know. I can be serious too, although nobody ever believes me for some reason. Aha ha ha! he laughed.
How do the two know each other? I asked Lene.
Master Dole studied abroad in the Alpes when he was younger, she said.
According to her, the two had hit it off right away. They d both been gifted students looking for someone they could debate with as an equal and quickly recognized each other as a once in a lifetime rival. Their bond had lasted for almost twenty years now.
You re trying to play the villain for Claire s ideals, aren t you, Dole? William asked teasingly.
Dole glared at him.
What do you mean, Master Bill? Claire inquired, surprised.
He s trying to protect you and your lofty ideals. He knows you can t succeed based on ideals alone, so he s trying to be kind by shooting you down instead.
Father ? Claire looked over, but Dole awkwardly averted his eyes. It appeared William was spot on.
Dole s number one priority was, without a doubt, Bauer. He wouldn t hesitate to sacrifice his daughter in pursuit of a better future for his country that much had been made clear during the Bauer Revolution. But that didn t mean he didn t love his daughter. He just loved her in his own way, even if the way he expressed it wasn t the clearest.
Why, Father? You could have told me from the start. You didn t need to insult me. I would have listened, Claire said.

I tried to punch you before, though.

Did you? I only recall you making a fool of yourself.

Sh-shut up! He blushed like an abashed child. I had been older in my past life, so part of me saw Otto as a young, immature boy.

Do you know when the coup is meant to take place? Claire asked.

You know that summit coming soon? It ll be the same day, he said.

That doesn t leave us a lot of time. Rae, let s take a half-day to return to the dorm and form a plan.

Good idea.

Should I do anything? Otto asked enthusiastically.

Nothing, for the time being. Take particular care not to do anything rash, unless you want to ruin everything, Claire said.

Ngh

Just leave things to us and wait. We ll make sure your sister stays safe, she continued.

All right. I m counting on you.

We d succeeded in preventing Otto from doing anything reckless. Now we just had to deal with Philine s supporters.

The bell signaling the end of lunchtime rang.

Can you tell the teacher we left early? Claire asked Otto.

Yeah.

Let s hurry home, Rae.

Let s.

Jeez, Claire was truly too sweet-natured for her own good. But that was exactly what I loved about her.

***

A coup d tat

After returning from the Academy, we went to Dole s lodgings and told him everything we d heard from Otto. His apartment was slightly smaller than ours, with only a kitchen, a living and dining room, and a bedroom. The furniture was plain, valuing function over form especially the sort of form an ex-noble would be used to.

The three of us sat around a table with full teacups in front of us. Dole was wide-eyed with shock at first, but he gradually grew despondent.

More young lives will be lost at this rate, he said.

Can you lend us any wisdom, Master Dole?

Please, call me Father-in-Law, Rae.

You re quite particular over something so trivial, Father-in-Law.

There s nothing trivial about it.

The two of us bantered, but I could tell his smile didn t reach his eyes. Dole made me uncomfortable when he acted like this. It meant he was thinking up something grim something I wouldn t like. It didn t help that he was often justified too.

Where are May and Aleah? he asked.

They re playing in their room, Claire answered. Don t worry, the guards you hired are with them.

Good. Any price for my granddaughters.

After the kidnapping incident, Dole had hired guards for the twins. Both were women, former bodyguards of Dole s from back when he was a noble, so he could attest to their skill. They looked like nothing more than shrewd career women to me, but apparently, they were both experts in hand-to-hand combat as well as magic. Of course, that meant their services cost a pretty penny, but Dole generously paid for it all out of the salary he had come to earn after returning to the political scene.

I actually knew one of the women, but that s a topic best saved for later.

They truly are a big help, I said. I couldn t help but wonder why he was so interested in confirming May and Aleah s whereabouts all of a sudden. Was he about to say something he didn t want them to hear? I had a bad feeling about this

Claire, Rae, he said.

Yes, Father?

Did you come up with a good idea?

The two of us urged him on hopefully. But those hopes were soon dashed.

Give up on Otto s sister and the rest, he said.

Give up? What do you mean?! Claire exclaimed.

Just that. Don t try to save them. Let them attempt their coup.

How could you say such a thing?! Claire looked at her father with disbelief, as though she were regarding a stranger. You want us to do nothing as they die?!

That s not how I d phrase it. I m saying we should respect their wishes, he said.

That s the same thing! I won t accept such a reason! Explain yourself! Claire pressed him, raising her voice.

I felt the same way she did but I d also had a feeling it would end this way from the very moment she suggested asking Dole for help.

The coup d tat is the empire s problem, he said. It s not something we should concern ourselves with. Surely you understand it s not our place to intervene in another country s politics?

But

Most importantly, Claire, the coup will be beneficial to Bauer. Dole stroked his moustache. His usual gentle expression was gone, replaced by the impersonal one he reserved for work. A chill ran down my spine.

Wha do you realize people will die, Father?! Enraged, Claire stood slamming her hands on the table as she did so.

Please calm down, Miss Claire, I said.

Not you too, Rae! How can I be calm when

Please, Miss Claire. I sympathize with you so much, it hurts. But let s hear him out. We re the ones who came to him, remember?

Gah! Claire, with a fierce look of indignation, relented and sat down. Her anger still raged, but she couldn t forgo civility. She scowled at Dole as the discussion resumed.

By beneficial, I assume you mean politically? I asked Dole.

Exactly. He nodded, then took a sip of his tea. Perhaps hoping to calm Claire, he took ample pause before continuing. We don t know the scale of the coup, nor how it will affect Dorothea, but it is a coup nonetheless. It will be a blow to the empire, and an opening for us.

He spoke in a frighteningly matter-of-fact tone. I was reminded of the time he d insistently defended the nobility to Claire.

Think about it: The coup will happen on the day of the summit. With so many foreign leaders present, the empire will have to take responsibility, no matter how easily the attempt is suppressed. That is a powerful diplomatic advantage to have. A faint smile rose to his face. His explanation was clear: Bauer s prosperity came first, even at the cost of lives.

You would use the lives of those youths as political bargaining chips?! Claire asked, incredulously.

They are not my people. And if we do not strike the empire while we can, it will be the lives of our people instead.

That s that s ! Claire couldn t accept it. She knew, however, that if she were to weigh the lives of Bauer s youths against the empire s, the scales would not be even. But that didn t excuse doing nothing as people died. Not to Claire.

Seeing his daughter so worked up, Dole sighed understandingly and looked her in the eyes. Claire, you re too arrogant.

I am? Are you sure you don t mean yourself, who sees human beings as mere pawns? she seethed.

Since when have you been mighty enough to save everyone? he asked.

Wh-what I That was all it took to leave Claire at a loss for words. She hadn t intended to think so highly of her own ability, but that only made it all the more painful a realization.

Dole didn t relent. Man is not God. We must choose the few we can save. I won t disavow having ideals, but you must realize they are nothing more than that, ideals. You cannot escape reality.

Claire could say nothing in return.

Or what? Did being called the hero of the revolution make you think you actually were one? he asked, a clear malice in his mocking tone.

Claire snapped. Her face twisted with rage as she raised her hand. Dole didn t so much as blink, calmly watching his daughter move.

All right, that s enough. A hand caught Claire s before it could strike Dole. A hand that wasn t mine.

Bill

Master William?!

Hey, Dole. Hey, Claire. It s been a while. That casual voice felt entirely out of place in this tense situation. The speaker was a man in the prime of his life who had seemingly appeared out of thin air. I was about to pull out my wand when a woman next to him stopped me.

Hey, Rae. It s been, what, how long since the cook-off?

Lene? Then this must be

Yup.

Lene, now a citizen of the Alpes, appeared to be attending to this man. I connected the dots and realized who he was.

You must be Rae Taylor, said the man. I ve heard a lot about you Though you look more normal than I thought you would.

O-oh, really? I said.

Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. Well, you can probably already guess. With that, the man gracefully put his hand over his chest and nonchalantly said, I m William. I may not look it, but I m actually the King of the Alpes. Feel free to call me Bill.

***

This isn t your place to interfere, Bill, Dole said sternly.

William countered with a tactful smile, playing with what I assumed to be naturally curly hair as his olive-brown eyes calmly surveyed Dole. His build and height were similar to Dole s, but he had a different air. Dole s was that of a shrewd politician, while William had the loose aura of a pick-up artist or a swindler.

You re too serious, Dole, and too clever for your own good. You re so clever, you ve gone full circle back to foolish, he said.

Don t patronize me. We re discussing something serious here, Dole replied.

Hey, I know. I can be serious too, although nobody ever believes me for some reason. Aha ha ha! he laughed.

How do the two know each other? I asked Lene.

Master Dole studied abroad in the Alpes when he was younger, she said.

According to her, the two had hit it off right away. They d both been gifted students looking for someone they could debate with as an equal and quickly recognized each other as a once in a lifetime rival. Their bond had lasted for almost twenty years now.

You re trying to play the villain for Claire s ideals, aren t you, Dole? William asked teasingly.

Dole glared at him.

What do you mean, Master Bill? Claire inquired, surprised.

He s trying to protect you and your lofty ideals. He knows you can t succeed based on ideals alone, so he s trying to be kind by shooting you down instead.

Father ? Claire looked over, but Dole awkwardly averted his eyes. It appeared William was spot on.

Dole s number one priority was, without a doubt, Bauer. He wouldn t hesitate to sacrifice his daughter in pursuit of a better future for his country that much had been made clear during the Bauer Revolution. But that didn t mean he didn t love his daughter. He just loved her in his own way, even if the way he expressed it wasn t the clearest.

Why, Father? You could have told me from the start. You didn t need to insult me. I would have listened, Claire said.