The Simulacrum

~Chapter 156~ Part 4

Judy and Eris. That was a combination I didn't expect (or frankly, want) to see, but since the milk's already spilt, I figured I might as well observe where it flows first, ready to jump in to mop everything up in case things start to get messy.

Fanciful analogies aside, I made myself comfortable and focused my full attention on the two of them. Walking silently side by side, they made their way over to a slightly less visible spot, probably because they (or at the very least my dear assistant) must've realized that having an argument in front of the restrooms sounded too much like a scene from a high school drama.

They stopped under the shade of one of the many trees at the edge of the beach (maybe a poplar; I wasn't good with my trees, but they kind of looked poplar-ish) and faced each other with the kind of intensity straight out of a wild west showdown at noon. It didn't last long, because Savir's lips soon bent into a self-assured smirk and she adopted a carefree, almost snooty posture.

"Judy Sennoma," she started. She spoke slowly, enunciating every syllable as if tasting them, her countenance reminding me of a cat that just found a new toy.

Judy, on the other hand, was as deadpan as usual and responded with a flat, "Yes, I'm aware of my own name."

"It would be strange if you weren't, but the same couldn't be said about everyone. Not until recently, that is." Savir's smile widened further, barely managing to maintain a veneer of amicability. "Eleanor Dracis. Amelia Rhearn. Neige Liliam Inanna. Even the embodiment of Deus, Angeline Dionne, are pieces that were already present on our chessboard, even if we weren't quite aware of their significance ahead of time. But you…" She raised an intrigued brow at my dear assistant, "You are quite different, my dear."

"I'm not your dear, but please continue," she jabbed back, her poker face not even wavering. It only put Savir on the backfoot for a moment though, as she quickly reasserted herself.

"Before my recent, erm, promotion, I have naturally spent time and resources on investigating our dear Polemos's—"

"He's not your dear either, but once again, continue," Judy cut in, causing Savir's brows to twitch.

"Right. As I was saying, I scrutinised his background and everything surrounding him, and I stumbled upon a curious anomaly. That is, you." She paused for dramatic flair. "You're a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a…"

"Vest?"

"… What?"

"Never mind, go on," Judy shrugged, and… Ouch, Dormouse.

This is a woman who has a hard time telling her foot apart from her mouth. Did you seriously expect her to get that reference? I was astonished that she even got the original Churchill quote mostly right. That was already pretty impressive around these parts.

Getting visibly irritated, Savir huffed and crossed her arms.

"Judy Sennoma. Your father is a chief inspector of the capital region of the Critias Police. Your mother is a traditional housewife. No siblings, no cousins, no outstanding familial relations. No history of being involved, either directly or indirectly with the World of Mystics, whatsoever. And yet, without any prior indication, your name suddenly shows up closely associated with a certain Leonard Dunning. First known as the Chimera Slayer of Critias, then as the King of the Oathbreakers, and finally as none other than Polemos, the Second True Archon of Elysium."

"Yes, these are all things we're both aware of," Judy pointed out a tad impatiently. "Are you getting to the point? Because I have places to be."

"You…!" Eris barely managed to stop herself from grimacing, but somehow still forced a friendly smile onto her face. "I'm just outlining the general circumstances. For you see, it makes sense for everyone else to gather around Polemos. Even his more… questionable company, such as the Abyssal girl by his side, is coherent with the way such things are. Greatness always begets a following, and as such, it is perfectly sensible for him to attract people of great import around him. Polemos is like a great ocean stream, drawing in and gathering the mighty boats floating on the surface, inexorably carrying them forward with his grand flow. I can't help but wonder how a small paper boat like yourself ended up in such an illustrious fleet without being crushed by their wake so far. It's truly fascinating."

Savir concluded her spiel with an amused chuckle, while my girlfriend remained completely expressionless. No, if anything, she looked mildly annoyed, but she probably couldn't see that.

"So if I get this right, you called me over just to share the fancy analogy you came up with."

"Oh, not at all, it's but a…"

"Warning, yes, I've got it," Judy cut her short again, followed by a shallow sigh. "You're trying to circumspectly tell me that you have investigated my background, that I have no backing, and then use that fact to plant a seed of doubt in my head about my qualifications to stay by the Chief's side. Does it go any deeper than that? Is there an angle I'm not seeing?" Savir only blinked at her, apparently not used to having her schemes thrown back into her face that bluntly, and seeing her reaction, my lovely assistant rolled her eyes. "The Chief was right. You people really are both childish and rather ineffectual. I guess it makes sense; if you were actually more than a mild inconvenience, he wouldn't have allowed you to stay around in any remotely influential position."

I could practically hear Savir's friendly façade cracking under the strain, but she somehow managed to squeeze her words without sounding offended. That's a politician for you, I figured.

"Don't be so cynical. You're just overthinking my genuine words of advice. I'm simply remarking on the uniqueness of your situation, without any ill will."

"Oh, and now you're doing reverse psychology," Judy noted, thoroughly unimpressed. "But fine. Since you've come to 'warn' me, out of the kindness of your heart, I feel that as an upstanding citizen, it's important that I return the favor in kind."

"What do you mean by that?"

Judy didn't answer right away. Instead, she changed her posture, straightened her back, and looked the ex-director right in the eyes.

"Eris Savir," she started, both her face and her voice as deadpan as usual, yet also somehow heavy and unyielding at the same time. "Age forty-one, height 167cm, weight 55kg. Born in Migdál Haluourgos to Vasileos Savir and Erigone Agathon. You joined the Cult of Deus as a Rhasodes in the Chorus of Haluourgos at age fourteen and made connections within the Orthodoxy. By age twenty, you rose to the rank of Hiereia, and using your connections, you got closely involved with numerous Directors, a list that's too long to recite right now.

At age twenty-seven, due to a series of botched ploys, you nearly lost your position as a Hiereia, but thanks to pulling some strings and ongoing internal strife between the Orthodoxy and the Reformists, you were installed as the right-hand woman of the then-acting Matriarch of the Church of Deus as part of a compromise. When she retired, you took her position at the age of thirty-two, the youngest Matriarch in six hundred years, and using your political connections, you have remained in that position to this day.

Because the Chief let you.

You like to secretly listen to contemporary jazz, you favor cheap Italian sweet white wine over red ones but don't want others to know about this, you have a rabbit-shaped mole on your left butt cheek, you had a magical nose-job, the records of which you've tried to completely erase after the fact, and back at your parent's home in Migdál Haluourgos, you have a pet goldfish named Wanda. She's cute, and her aquarium is tended by an assigned specialist who feeds her and cleans the water regularly while you're away."

When finished, Judy paused and waited for the flabbergasted woman to gather her wits, but only so that she could interrupt her again the moment she tried to open her mouth.

"The Chief has a terribly soft heart. It's one of the reasons I love him so much, but the facts are the facts. This softness can sometimes make people think it's a weakness. It's not. He can simply afford to be soft because he's strong. Everything he built, it's so that he can absorb and shrug off the consequences without having to resort to more permanent and unpleasant methods. Unfortunately for you, I'm not strong. Therefore, I have to be hard." Judy leaned closer to the ex-director, and whispered, "Eris. I know everything about you. Every little ploy, every little back-alley deal, every little favor you did or took over the years. I know the name of the man you bribed to get your first job. I know the names of every one of your co-conspirators. I know whom you framed for your own benefit. I know whom you promoted out of nepotism. I know every corrupt, dirty little deed you've ever committed throughout your entire life."

"No, but… How are you…?"

"Eris," Judy spoke her name again, this time softly, as if speaking to a child. "Your assessment of me was surprisingly accurate. A paper boat cannot survive the waves out in the ocean, so I had to find my own way. And I did. I own your Celestial Intelligence Network now, and I hold its entire database in here." She paused to tap on her temple. "So, here's my warning to you, in return to yours: mistake me for a soft target, or try to approach my Chief ever again, and I will destroy you. I will drag you down, scatter all of your little secrets under the sun, and just watch as the vultures pick your bones clean before you'd even have a chance to recognize what just happened to you. Did I make myself clear?"

Savir, still shocked by the sudden shift in the tone of the conversation, opened and closed her mouth a few times like a fish out of water. Judy must've considered that good enough, as she stepped back, and the oppressive atmosphere around them disappeared like mist in the wind.

"Good. I'm glad we had this conversation. Now, if you excuse me, I have a prior appointment with a bowl of ice cream with my name on it. I wish you a nice day."

And with those words, my dear assistant turned on her heels, leaving the frozen ex-director staring at her back with a mixture of incomprehension, rage, and just a tiny little hint of abject horror. As for me, all I could say was…

"Wow…"

"Leo! Hey, Earth to Leo!"

On top of that, I just realized that a certain someone was calling out to me, so I returned to my body and turned to Josh. He was walking towards me while waving his shield, and let out a relieved noise when I finally looked his way.

"What?"

He let his arm down and scoffed at me.

"Finally! Why were you zoning out like that?" He suddenly shook his head. "Wait, never mind that. Listen, this sword is weird. When I try to use it with Celestial—"

"Hold on," I cut in with a palm raised. "Is it anything dangerous, detrimental, and/or otherwise interfering with your training?"

"… No, not really. It's just really weird that—"

"Sorry Josh, I really am, but as much as I would love to troubleshoot your problems with your new weapon, if it's not super-important, I'm afraid it has to wait. Now then, if you excuse me, I have to go and kiss my girlfriend. Keep training until I'm back, and then we'll sort things out afterwards."

"But…" Before he could finish, I already turned around and Phased away, with only the echoes of a grumbled "Weirdo," in my ears.

Didn't care. I was too busy being smitten all over again.