Chapter 3: Conqueror in Making
"I choose my own path. Not as a puppet or as your follower," Arcueid answered firmly.
"Oh... What should it be?" Zelretch was intrigued by Arcueid's choice and took an interest in the details of it.
If other people were asking her that question, she would have had no interest in explaining what she had in mind. However, considering this old man's goodwill that he had shown so far, she didn't mind giving him some details.
But before that...
"I've heard I have a sister. Do you know her, old man?"
"Don't call me old man; call me grandpa. Just think of me as your grandfather." Though he was being rejected, Zelretch didn't give up on his adoption plan. One reason was paternal instinct, and the other was that he didn't feel right leaving a newborn alone in this cruel world.
"Do you want to take refuge with her? I suggest you don't. In every timeline I've seen, you didn't get along with her very well," Zelretch suggested.
"That's another naïve me you're talking about, old man. I apologize for not calling you grandpa. I'm not used to it." Arcueid knew what Zelretch was talking about, another version of her in a parallel world that had no individual will or knowledge about the world. She was merely a blank slate, created by Crimson Moon, ready to fulfill her father's will when she was resurrected.
To be precise, her existence was only used as a tool and weapon by her clansmen and her father.
"And I don't want to take refuge with her. I want her to fight for my cause. As my sister."
"If she wants to fight against me, I'll give her that fight. In premise, all outsiders that desire our throne shall out first."
"Interesting... Interesting...! Hahaha! How long has this old man laughed in the last year? Indeed, your plan is interesting, Princess," Zelretch laughed unabashedly when he heard Arcueid's plan to cooperate with her sister while eliminating all competitors.
Ruthless and efficient, indeed.
He didn't object to it, as it was a matter of course to eliminate anyone who claimed what rightfully belonged to them. He was not a pedantic person.
He had an open mind, despite disliking violence and war. Moreover, his act of killing Crimson Moon and sowing chaos among their unity had already revealed one of his true natures: the end justifies the means.
Under Crimson Moon's rule, the Dead Apostle was not divided as it is now but achieved true unification. However, except for Crimson Moon, they didn't like being ruled by others, even if they were her descendants. They only worshipped and were loyal to their monarch, not to each other.
The end justifies the means.
Their monarch's death meant humanity had breathing time to stand on their own feet before the resurrection of Crimson Moon arrived.
As long as humans are saved, that's all that mattered.
"Shall we meet your sister, then?"
"No. I want to hear about her first before we meet her. I want to know her as an individual. Her personality. And her character."
"I don't want to meet my sister and know nothing about her."
"Are you willing to fulfill the request of willful me, old man?"
"Will do." Zelretch nodded.
He explained that Altrouge Brunestud was a failed experiment compared to Arcueid and had an inferiority complex that made their relationship worse in a parallel world. However, their relationship had not escalated to the point of life or death. It was more of a competition to prove who was superior between them.
If Altrouge truly wanted her death, she would have used Primate Murder from the start. The same applied to the version of Arcueid in the parallel world. If she wanted her sister dead, she could have dropped the moon on Altrouge Brunestud's head.
So, despite being weakened by the civil war, they didn't have the desire to kill each other. They held back their power to prevent accidentally killing their own siblings.
In this timeline, both of them shouldn't know about each other's existence until some of their clansmen discovered Arcueid's existence in the moon, precisely in the Millennium Castle that was erected there. Her identical face, resembling Crimson Moon, was enough for them to draw the conclusion that she was Crimson Moon's heir, known as the White Princess.
Her naivety in the parallel world made them aware that she was unfit to rule and was only meant to be used as a weapon and tool by her clansmen. So, they put her in a deep slumber when she was no longer needed, even going as far as erasing her memories so she wouldn't be aware.
Although Zelretch found it odd that Arcueid matured so quickly and became aware of who she was and her position, he didn't dwell too much on it.
He had encountered many odd things in the parallel world, like Morgan le Fay being Gaia's daughter rather than King Uther, and Nero being Beast 666, not to mention parody versions of them in the Carnival Phantasm timeline. So, he wouldn't delve too much into it.
Zelretch had to admit to Arcueid that he didn't know much about her sister. She was too unpredictable and lunatic, much like her father. It was difficult for him to understand a lunatic, so he suggested that she find out for herself. He only shared what he knew about her.
However, there was one last thing he told Arcueid about her sister. Despite their deteriorating relationship, her sister cared greatly about her. They shared some common traits, being used and discarded by their own clansmen when they were no longer needed.
That was the reason her sister had cut her hair short and kept it safe instead of throwing it away. As long as she was weakened by the civil war, she would no longer be used as a tool by her clansmen.
She could sleep peacefully in the Millennium Castle without having to worry about the complicated politics within the Dead Apostle. Her sister, Altrouge, would take care of the rest.
"Before you meet your sister, how about starting to gather your own followers? I know who you can trust in this situation. They will be a great help to you."
"After all, if you want to cooperate with your sister as equals, you need your own army," Zelretch suggested.
"Who will it be, old man?" Arcueid wanted to hear the details of Zelretch's suggestion and asked about the individuals he was talking about.
"Merem Solomon and Gransurg Blackmore."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone