Why would she need my blood...? Viviane was perplexed. She hadn’t shot a single arrow yet, devoting all of her focus and attention to mastering the power of the Lake that she was channeling through her knight. 

For some reason, she found its power to be amplified compared to usual. Perhaps it was because of her proximity to Merlynne, or perhaps it was simply because she had grown stronger. Either way, its almost torrential flood of strength required a great deal of focus to properly maintain, and that focus now threatened to drift away as she found herself confused by Amelia’s words.

Medrauta was the first to feel the effects of Viviane’s ebbing concentration. Though it was slight, she felt a fraction of her strength slip away as she parried Amelia’s latest blow. She shuffled away from her opponent, opting to take a more defensive posture until Viviane sorted out whatever she was dealing with.

“You’re wondering why I need your blood, aren’t you?” Amelia smirked, directing her words to Viviane. “All that time you spent browsing those books in the shield towers... You must have seen it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Viviane said carefully, knowing that Amelia was trying to unbalance her and destroy what was left of her focus. While Medrauta was capable of fighting Amelia even without the power of the Lake, she would be hard-pressed to keep up with the witch if she lost the ability to suppress Amelia’s regeneration.

“Oh, you know... The reason behind the Versal Curse bestowed upon the Emperor by Aluvsha himself. The very reason why the church continues to suppress same-sex marriages even to this very day.” Amelia shrugged.

Viviane’s eyes narrowed. Through her perusal of the books within the shield towers, she had learned a great deal of the history that had been suppressed by the church. The majority of the knowledge she acquired was nothing short of blasphemy in the eyes of the clergy, but it was information that had given her much insight into the true foundations of the empire.

Among the many things that she learned, Viviane had come across something particularly interesting. The truth behind the church’s suppression of same-sex marriages was not due to tradition, but rather a result of Soleil’s greatest shame which caused the entire world to change within the span of a night.

Before Soleil’s fall, all couples were capable of conceiving children so long as their love for each other was pure and true. This was the sole mercy Aluvsha had afforded the humans who managed to survive under the ruinous rule of the Witch Queen. It was only after Aluvsha struck Soleil with the Versal Curse that conception became impossible between all couples until they were married.

More than just a simple ceremony, marriages across the continent had to be officiated by a proper member of the clergy, invoking Aluvsha’s will and binding the two lovers for life. It was a ritual that expressed the greatest devotion and allowed them to conceive children, regardless of their sex.

Indeed, it was for this reason that the empire’s clergy refused to perform the ritual of marriage for same-sex couples, standing by Aluvsha’s decision to punish Soleil’s choices by forcibly changing her into a man through the Versal Curse.

As interesting as these bits of history were, Viviane had absolutely no idea what they had to do with her blood or Amelia’s ritual, for that matter.

“Ah.” Amelia nodded, realizing that Viviane likely hadn’t drawn the proper conclusions merely from reading the material in the shield towers. After all, they were records of history and not particularly explicit when describing the nature of the relationship between Soleil and the Witch Queen. “I’m surprised you didn’t know about it. Soleil and the Witch Queen had a child. A cursed child, but one who continued to live nevertheless.”

“...So what?”

“‘So what’, she says!” Amelia laughed, mimicking Viviane’s clueless voice. “The child was made to bear the burden originally meant for Caliburn, Aluvsha’s most powerful divine weapon. You still don’t get it? The ritual beneath Revelo Castle. You remember it, don’t you? It’s a shame Bastiche and his knight had to go, but their sacrifices were necessary for this very moment.”

The ritual... Viviane recalled the fight. It was the very first time she had been pulled to the Lake. The very first time she met Merlynne and realized the hidden power she was entitled to. More importantly, it was the ritual that had assumedly triggered the rise of Amelia’s Spire. As for the catalyst of that ritual...

“That’s right.” Amelia said as Viviane’s eyes lit up in revelation. “It was your blood that allowed my Spire to rise and your blood that shall birth the Witch Queen’s body anew. Descendant of Soleil’s illegitimate child, the blood of the Witch Queen runs through your veins, Viviane Aspera di Castellia. You are just as much of a witch as I am.”

“What...? That... That can’t be possible...!” Viviane stammered, shaking her head vehemently. There was absolutely no way that was true. After all, if it was, she would not only be royalty, but a witch as well. Her eyes fell to the glowing Crest on the back of her right hand. It was the unmistakable mark of a noblewoman, but one could not be both a noble and a witch at the same time.

“Don’t listen to her, Viviane!” Medrauta exclaimed. “This is what witches do! They confuse you with their words and entice you to their side!”

“...She speaks the truth, Child of Eventide.” Merlynne rasped, her voice weak but still audible from behind Viviane. “We knew. We all knew... The reason why the Round Table looked down on you in the absence of your father... The reason why your mother was never allowed to join the Imperial Order despite her accomplishments... It was all because of her lineage... and yours.”

“...Is that... all it really was? What a relief.” Viviane sighed, her words surprising everyone present. “I thought I had done something wrong to upset everyone... I was so worried I’d somehow earned the ire of the Round Table, but if that’s all it was, then I’m glad.”

Merlynne was the first to recover. Despite her condition, she managed a laugh. “...It’s a relief, is it? How interesting, Child of Eventide... Anyone else would have... reacted in anger.”

“How does it feel, Medrauta?” Amelia addressed the knight with a smirk. “Are you disappointed? As a Paladin, you must be seething now that you know your lover was a witch all along. Tell me, what is it that you plan to do? Will you slay her along with me, or will you repeat Soleil’s mistake and carry on that accursed bloodline?”

Medrauta held Amelia’s arrogant gaze for several seconds, staring back at the black-haired witch with unmasked hatred. It was true that witches were the mortal enemies of the Paladins, but that did not mean Medrauta was duty-bound to slay Viviane.

Medrauta’s cerulean eyes slid away from Amelia’s crimson, turning around to look at Viviane. The noblewoman’s resplendent golden hair and brilliant golden eyes that shone like twin suns were unbelievably radiant. She stared back at Medrauta with an anxious gaze, Viviane’s delicate hands clutching the center of her chest.

Repeat Soleil’s mistake, huh...? Medrauta pursed her lips, considering Amelia’s statement. She knew it was a phrase meant to unbalance her, but for some reason, she found great solace in those scheming words. She turned her gaze away from Viviane, facing Amelia resolutely. The mistake that I won’t repeat... Is my mother’s.

“...Vivi isn’t a witch.” Medrauta said clearly and firmly.

“Oh? Can you truly say that despite her lineage? She bears the most noble blood of all witches as the sole descendant of the Witch Queen herself. She’s a witch through and through.”

“Don’t insult the woman I love.” Medrauta spat. “Who she’s descended from, whatever blood runs through her veins, none of it matters. She laughs, she smiles, and most of all... She loves. She’s nothing like the scheming witch you are.”

Behind Medrauta, a tinge of bright pink touched Viviane’s cheeks as she listened to her knight’s words. Though she was relieved that the Round Table’s mistreatment of her stemmed from her lineage, she had worried about what Medrauta would think. 

With the silver-haired knight being a Paladin, Viviane thought there was a chance Medrauta might renounce their relationship, but in truth, she had nothing to worry about. Even from the beginning, Medrauta had been the only one who never cared about her origins. Whether she was a witch or not, Medrauta would love her unconditionally, and that was the only thing she needed.

Thank you, Medrauta. Viviane closed her eyes and released a deep breath. At last, she had regained the focus needed to channel the full power of the Lake through her knight. Her golden eyes were set and resolute, ready to finish this fight once and for all.

“...Yes, I suppose she’s a little too clueless to scheme.” Amelia laughed. “It’s a shame, really. It seems history plans to repeat itself. But I do wonder... What would you look like after being inflicted with the Versal Curse?”

“I guess none of us will ever know,” Medrauta said, beginning to advance once more now that she felt Viviane’s concentration return. “I don’t plan on dealing with Aluvsha’s bullshit after I’m done with yours.”

“...Is that so?” Amelia smiled as she turned her gaze upwards, looking up at the sphere of black mana that produced an eternal and starless night sky above the top of the Spire. “I suppose we’ll simply have to find out.”

Medrauta leapt forward, swinging her bright silver sword in a deadly cut aimed at Amelia’s neck. The high-pitched sound of clashing steel echoed through the air once more as the witch parried her attack. 

As if in response to the noise, the pale blue flames of the floating lanterns flickered once and dimmed. The sphere of darkness above emitted a faint red glow as a lone crimson orb floated into the air from behind the throne, illuminating the area like a pale red moon.

“...What the hell are you doing?”

“It’s about time, don’t you think?” Amelia smirked as she saw confusion flicker across Medrauta’s eyes. “The ritual starts now.”