“What is it, Col? Did you finally wake up to reality?” Katerine asked me, her voice severe and sarcastic at the same time.

I fought against my urge to try to strangle her, which would never work in first place.

“Yes, I did. I want to help you.” I just muttered, knowing that would at least show I had a bit of knowledge.

In the original game, both Color and Passion are unbelievably blind to things. They can’t see what’s in front of them.

“With what power?” She asked me. Her expression was not one of sarcasm or arrogance, she just stated the truth with an expressionless tone.

“I’ll make sure it’s easier for you to bring the twins to power.” I proposed.

“That’s already pretty easy on its own, especially with my husband being Produke Passion. I need something else…” she started saying.

“I can’t do that.” I just stated. Which brings us to square one.

What is she talking about? Let me explain. The two twins are two enormously powerful beings in this moment, stronger than those who gave birth to them. What does that imply?

Well, just that their mother cannot control them. That’s what she tries to do once she realizes that giving them too much influence leads to two criminal and terrible beings.

Or well, one may think just one with the differences between Ossyria and Lyrin being so clear.

That person would be wrong.

This dialogue wasn’t useless at all — that’s what I thought to myself as I exited the dimly lit room where me and Katerine had talked — after all, I closed the lamp.

Such extraordinary items they have in this world, right?

It’s not necessary that I act very fast with my plan, but I definitely need to get some support from the lower nobles. The main issue was the fact that, if the game goes by its original outcome, it’ll not be that amazing. 

-=-

The next day I was up early. 

Nobody would really realize I was gone until I left the castle where we lived (except the maids maybe, but just maybe), so I simply didn’t tell anyone about it and left.

The best power I have for now is that I know my family members’ true personalities, which helps avoid a murder to a limit.

After all, Zainburghs are particularly… murder inclined. Especially in the base game. Perhaps it’s time to explain.

In a month, Ossyria will die by Katerine’s hands.

That is a really bad thing both for the family and for me. So, it needs to be avoided.

How? It’s rather simple.

I’ll show you.

First thing first, I need a few items that I can acquire.

Then, I’ll just have to push Katerine into killing Ossyria.

If I take part, everything is going to be majorly different. You’ll see.

“Fish! Fish! Fresh fish at my stand!”

“Need a map? Need a book for your travels? Come to my stand!”

“Here at my stand we have the most exotic pets you’ve seen!”

As I passed through the different stands at the ovecrowded Zainburgh market, I felt as if I knew the streets by heart.

I just felt like it, though. You can’t blame me for getting lost, in the game with an internal map it’s definitely easier!

“There we are.”

I said to myself as I reached a Witch’s Hut in the middle of the street.

Witches are rare to find now, you’ll only see a few in the most populated streets.

That’s because they were originally highly useful for their magic power and loved in this world, but at some point they felt as if they were overworked by humans and  wanted to create an independent organization.

How did that end up? Most of them got exterminated by the king. Such a thing happened around eighteen years ago.

Did you also know that a similar event will happen in three years’ time? Because they’re preparing a few insurrections.

Lovely. Let’s use that exorbitant magic power as long as it’s possible for us to do so, shall we?

It didn’t take long to see, between all of the lower bourgeoisie’s stands that weren’t taller than two metres, a huge castle-looking house with a capital title in front of me.

“ THE MAGIC HUT “

She really couldn’t make it more obvious, nice marketing. If you’re wondering why I haven’t asked my own lovely mother, naturally I can’t.

As I entered the shop and the door closed behind me, I saw a person that looked very similar to my mother.

Not to be racist, but all the witches are the same just like humans in this world. That’s called being lazy designers.

“My greetings.” I say.

“Hello, wait… you’re Katerine’s disabled son. Why did you come here if you’re magicless?”

This purple-haired, old but still rather beautiful madame asked me with a curious smile rather than an arrogant one.

“Oh right.” The witch said. 

“My name is Liliana Veris. I am a witch, if you haven’t noticed. My personal goal is to collect as much money as possible. You’ve come to a magic shop and you’re magicless, that seems like a bad idea to me.”

I have heard of this character, actually. Very little is told about her from the wiki, plus she is alive at the beginning of the game and only dies during the Second Great Witch Rebellion.

If you haven’t realized so far, most witches die during that event. It’s pretty terrible if you ask me.

Still, I was not a witch enjoyer during the game and I won’t be now. 

Liliana, in particular, has this shop until that event in the game. After her death, this place is abandoned and becomes a S Tier Item Shop during the lategame. I wonder if I should try to murder her for the new items sooner or later.

Oh, this isn’t a game. Don’t think that would work like expected.

“Will you tell my mother?” I ask. It’s rather obvious that witches know each other, they’ve been a rather closed company for long.

“Depends on what you’re buying.” She answered curtly. Not a surprise. 

“You only care about money, don’t you?” I asked with a laugh.

“Of course I do.”

“Perfect. I’ll send you a million coins in five months.” I said. “Keep it a secret until then.”

Her eyes were suddenly glowing in happiness and avidity.

“Seriously?! That’s better than I thought!” She exclaimed.

Of course, she’s not going to get anything. Five months are more than enough time for me.

“I need this promise tag, then.” I asked her.

She nodded.

Alright, let it be clear, this item is disgustingly overpowered. Why?

It’s simple.

It keeps a promise that one makes willingly. If the promise is failed, the person dies if they’re weaker than the tag, which is very strong.

How will I use it?

Well, naturally, to get some strong allies.

“I’ll pay this in five months, is that fine for you? Quintuple the price.”

That was my proposal. Take the bait, won’t you?

And, once again, the joyous face of an idiot.

“Naturally! You could’ve said that first!”

“Haha, right…”

Mom won’t know anyways, nor can this person tell her.

-=-

Just five hours later, I went to another place of great importance.

The house of the Nebris noble family.

The way in which this kingdom works is by having many noble families take different amount of lands, one inside the other.

In this way there’s both competition between the nobles allowing the worthiest to grow, and there’s not a solid opposition to the king. Some nice stuff.

The house I was going to visit was of the Nebris counts, who have a great portion of Zainburgh’s farmlands. Dad’s only competitors, if I can be honest.

Still, they’re pretty useful. Not only because they have a strong military force, but most importantly because they’re feared.

Interestingly enough, everything is linked to the same important event of eighteen years ago. During the First Great Witch Rebellion, the Count of Nebris, Achaia Nebris, was one of the most determining forces who helped the king.

Achaia was only a commoner back then, now his family is nobility. He still believes it is unfair that he has been given so little and that he is no duke.

The same applies for his son, because an apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree.

What does that imply? Obviously, the fact that these people are just waiting for my excuses.

So, I’ll give them what they want.

And some more.

I just noticed that, until now, I’ve never really described the places I’ve been to!

I think it’s definitely time to begin.

If the Zainburgh castle is a beautiful scenery under the night sky, the Nebris one is a rather ugly scenery under the clouds.

I’ll leave it at that.

It’s not a matter of aesthetics, but it’s a detail that I’ve noticed from playing multiple games. When a commoner becomes important, they’ll get castles emulating the noble ones.

That doesn’t often work, though. In this case, it’s redundant and straight up ugly because it’s too decorated.

Still, I am not an art critic, I just have to enter the castle and talk.