When they were told that they'd get to view some of Emile's memories, Robert was very interested to see what lied within Emile's mind. Ever curious, he wanted to see what kind of world his brother came from originally, and he'd hoped to catch a glimpse at what his life was like. His mother's words, and the stripping of his guaranteed inheritance, had left an impact on him, and he decided to reevaluate his feelings towards Emile. While he was still not entirely comfortable with him, Robert was no longer hostile towards Emile. After all, his mother was right, Emile did not ask to be here, and he never took anyone's place. He was simply a man who'd been thrust into a strange world for no discernible reason, and it was unfair for Robert to take out frustration on him for something that was not his doing.
After Emile decided to show those who would watch, what he described as one of his worst days in the war, he'd cautioned both the adults and the children that what they were about to witness was not going to be pleasant. Robert was no fool, and he understood, at least partially, the nature of war and how dangerous and gruesome it could get. Both his parents, especially Amanda, had tried their best to instruct him in the realities of war as part of his education and training for Knighthood. So going into this, he scoffed at the notion that whatever Emile had been through could truly be so horrible that it would require him to leave the room. After all, his mother had been to war, fought enemies, came back alive, and she said he could stay. Amanda was a well-known hero of the Empire, and someone who knew the battlefield better than most, so if she said it would be fine for Robert and the other children to witness the reality of war, then surely it couldn't be that bad, could it? Those were the thoughts that Robert had at the start of Emile's memory, but shortly after, his false notions were quickly dashed by the horror that he witnessed.
*BLECK* *BLARG*
After fleeing from the living room, Robert vomited profusely in the outdoor garden. The scenes he'd witnessed had shaken him to the core, and his entire body felt heavy after witnessing the brutal reality that Emile had endured. Men died left and right, and death was so quick and common that it defied all expectations. To him, war was supposed to be more than just barbarism and bloodshed, and his mother always taught him that it should never be seen as a game. So while he knew it was not a pleasant thing, his distorted view of reality caused serious cognitive dissonance.
{W-War is supposed to be Noble, honorable, filled with glory and...and.... that was anything but!} Robert tried to get hold of his thoughts as one of the maids consoled him. {There was nothing to be proud of in that! That was nothing more than men being lead to the slaughter! Is... Is that all war is?!? Is there truly nothing redeeming about it?!?}
"Sir Robert, are you ok?" The maid brought some water and a rag to clean him up. His mouth was covered in vomit, and he was sweating profusely. "That must have been shocking to see, so please sit down and try to calm yourself." She'd never seen him this worked up, and while she didn't know the specifics of what went down, she knew enough.
"I'm fine, Milese, but thank you." Robert took the towel and cleaned his lips. He could taste the vomit in his mouth as he sat down.
{Those men died so quickly, and it was as if their lives didn't matter! Each was nothing more than fodder to be used and thrown away. The way Emile described things... it was as if their leadership was happy to send thousands to die for nothing!} Robert shook his head. {What kind of hell was that? That wasn't war... War is suppose to be Noble and fought by men of honor for glory!}
"T-That can't possibly be war. Mother always told me that war is..." He thought back to his Mother's words and teachings, and only now did he realize that she never used the words Noble or Glory in her discussions with him. She did emphasize honor in battle, but that was only in regards to treating your enemies with respect, and ensuring that he would never do anything that would bring himself or his family dishonor, such as killing innocent people or those who'd surrendered.
"S-She knew..." Robert said quietly, as realization dawned on him. "Those stories I read, and the ones the other Knights would tell to my father, and to me.... Battlefields of glory and stories of Noble warriors going to battle to save everyone... were they nothing more than fairy tales? Is war nothing more than mindless bloodshed like that?" He asked himself as he sat in the garden.
After a few minutes, he requested to be alone, and the maid reluctantly left his side. He had a lot to think about, and the revelation that war wasn't a Noble endeavor shook him to his very core. The idea of marching to battle for glory was something that had always inspired him, and was part of the reason he wanted to follow is mother's footsteps and be a Knight, but now he wasn't so sure if that's what he wanted to do anymore. As he contemplated these new thoughts, time began to fly by as he sat in the garden, and it wasn't until nearly thirty minutes later that he was interrupted from his contemplation.
"Are you just going to sit out here and mope, brother?" Millela asked. Her face was still pale as she walked into the garden. “Because that's not a very good use of your time, Robert.” She tried playing cool, but Robert could see her body was shaking slightly.
{So even the stoic Millela can act like a shaken child. I guess that's a good thing at least...} (Robert)
"Are they done?" Robert looked up at his sister, who was staring at him.
"Yes. Things have finished up, and Mother and Father are discussing important matters with Albert." Millela stood in front of him. "It seems that Emile will have a busy future ahead of him, and we mustn't allow ourselves to be left behind. We'll have to make sure that Mother and Father see that we bring value to his house, and I won't allow them to think that I'm worthless for even a moment.” She huffed. Even at this young age, she had a quite the large ego and a hefty amount of pride. Lawerance always joked that she got it from Amanda, which usually caused her to roll her eyes.
"You wish to compete with him?" Robert didn't understand what she was getting at. "He's a Spirit Host and has so much knowledge and power. There's no way we can compete with something like that! It's just not possible..." He shook his head.
{A Spirit Host is above everyone else. They're born with far stronger magic than normal people, and their Partners make them incredibly versatile. It's just not possible for us to compete with Emile, and since he has all this knowledge we can't hope to beat him academically either.} (Robert)
"If that's the mentality you have, Robert. Then I'd recommend informing Mother that you do not wish to succeed her as head of the family right now." Millela smirked. “Such a weak man has no place leading this house, and I know I wouldn't want you in charge if you shrink away from the first sign of difficulty.” They were fighting words deliberately designed to anger Robert, and that's exactly what they did.
"What?!?" Robert stood up in anger at his sister's provocation. "And what's that supposed to mean?!?"
{Where do you get off speaking to me like that?!?} (Robert)
She rolled her eyes at his comments. "I mean that a Knight should never have such a defeatist mindset. That you've already thrown in the towel before the fight has begun means you are unfit to lead. Its as simple as that." Her simple and curt explanation only angered him further.
"How is it defeatist to understand the basic difference between us and him?!? Surely you aren't suggesting we can best him or Cher in magical ability? I know you aren't foolish enough to think something like that!" Robert didn't understand why his sister was saying such provocative and rude things to him. She should know as well as him the difference between them and a Spirit Host.
"No, I don't think that's possible, and I admit that it is highly unlikely that we will ever be magically stronger than him." Millela answered with a nod. "But that does not mean we should give up entirely. Magical power is important, and Cher's ability to generate strange weapons is powerful. But that does not mean that Emile can do everything, now does it?"
{This foolish brother of mine really is a fool. If he isn't careful, I WILL take this family right out from under him.} Millela got along well enough with her brother, but she wanted to succeed her Mother, and when she found out the seat was up for grabs, she was very excited. Her brother's stupidity had given her the opportunity she wanted, and she wasn't about to let it slip through her fingers.
"He was a Soldier, a General, and a Doctor." Robert retorted. "That sounds like a lot to me!"
"It is a lot." Millela nodded. "But Emile isn't perfect, and he lacks knowledge about this world." She continued. "He might have us beat in certain areas, but we can both succeed elsewhere. Its not as if he knows everything, and he is likely no better than us at other areas." She pointed out that his knowledge was limited to only specific fields, and that they could just branch out into places where he couldn't or wouldn't compete.
"We're a Knight family, Millela! What else can we be but warriors!" Robert thought his sister was going to abandon the family legacy. “To throw that away would be to insult Mother, and all those who came before us!” He was proud of his family history, and would be furious of his sister wanted to abandon that for material gain.
"You are correct. We are warriors, Robert, and I have no interest in or intention to abandon that part of my heritage." Millela nodded. "But does that have to be the only thing we can do?" She asked him.
"What do you mean? What else can we be?" Robert was still confused, which only annoyed Millela.
Thinking for a moment, Millela was originally going to answer him, but before her lips could move, something inside told her not to give him any further information. It only made sense that she not help her competition, as while she already had some ideas for what to do in the future, there was no reason to help Robert. They were competing for the title of Knight Lord after all, and she was gunning for not just her Mother's Knight title, but something much higher.
{I love you dear brother, but I see no reason to undermine my own goals. If you don't wish to be left in the dust, then you'd best come to understand things as I have. Otherwise, you'll amount to nothing.} (Millela)
"That, my dear brother, will be for you to discover on your own." Millela gave a fake smile. "I have already figured out a way to escape the shadow of a Spirit Host, and now you need to do it as well." She'd spent the last week talking with Emile about his world, and some of the things he'd told her had gotten the young girl interested.
{I enjoy the idea of being a Knight, and I won't ever abandon that path completely. But when Emile described to me the vast quantity of wealth people in his world had, the amazing technology his people possessed, and the tales of those who controlled and developed such things. It was at that moment that I KNEW what I wanted to be and what I needed to do.} Millela laughed in her mind. {Emile said something about commoners rising to become the wealthiest and most influential people in their nation, and I like the sound of that. What was that term he used again? The Industrial Revolution? Or what is Capitalism? Either way, the tales of money and power that he told me that flowed from them... Who needs power and prowess on the battlefield when you can control everything behind the scenes with a bit of coin?} From a young age, it was clear that Millela was a bit more intelligent than other children, and while Robert had above average intelligence, his was nothing compared to Millela. Even at the age of six, she spoke and thought like a mature adult, and she had the whit and foresight of someone much older. Amanda had once joked that perhaps she was a reborn individual like Emile, but that was not actually the case. Millela was a girl entirely of this world, though she could be said to be anything but normal, and her intellect was far higher than even her parents knew.
"You don't know either." Robert huffed. "You're just trying to mess with me. I bet you're just bluffing to get a rise out of me, and I'm not falling for it!"
"Think that if you will, but don't be surprised when you end up as little more than a man standing in the shadow of your brother and sister." Millela giggled. "If that happens, then I'll make sure to come visit you every once and a while. Perhaps I'll toss you a few coins if you do tricks!"
"You really are just like Mother." Robert sighed. His sister had inherited/learned his Mother's bad habits, and one of them was picking on people. Lawerance had endured this throughout his time with Amanda, but considered it one of the reasons he loved her. "I hope you know that most men aren't going to like a woman who teases them constantly. At this rate, you might end up being some spinster." He figured this might be enough to break that usually stoic exterior.
"If you're worried about my marital prospects, I think I'll be fine." Millela laughed. “I doubt I'll wind up old and alone with nothing but cats and wine.” She recalled her father mention that something similar happened to one of his aunts.
{Though cats are nice, and they are very fluffy. So having some around would be nice. Its just too bad that father is allergic to them.} (Millela)
"Yeah, maybe some Noble will take pity on you?" Robert grinned. "I guess you are kinda cute, so perhaps you'll be able to become their third or fourth wife." This comment did not please Millela, who stopped laughing and stepped on his foot causing him to yell in pain.
"I will accept no such degrading position!" Millela yelled loudly, something she rarely did. "If I am to be anything, then I will be the one who has the wives, not one of them!" Being little more than some Noble's Wife did not sit well with the girl who had aspirations of being an industrial titan on the level of Carnegie or Rockefeller.
It took a moment for Robert to realize that his sister probably didn't mean that she was literally going to have a harem of women around her, as his first comment was going to be to tell her that such a thing would be impossible. However, he quickly understood that she was most likely speaking metaphorically and chose not to retort on that point. "Oh yeah?" Robert scoffed at her words. "Then I can't wait till that day! Just don't hold your breath, since you might turn blue in the face before you reach such a goal!"
{Ohhh! This fool! Then I suppose I'll just have to make him eat his words and show him just who he's dealing with!} (Millela)
Ha, the capitalist little sh*t starts, she’s gonna need a beating in a couple years when she thinks that she can do everything with money