Chapter 91: Interruption

"U-uh...h-hey, Celia. Can...can we talk?" Remarked Raven as he knocked on Celia's open door, startling her.

He cringed slightly as his voice cracked at the end, his expression quite visibly tense and anxious.

"H-huh? Oh, um...hey, R-Raven. Y-yeah, sure...come in," She nodded, as she sat up with a nervous look on her face.

Raven walked into her room, failing to notice that Ravella had followed him, despite his senses, as she covertly peered in through the open doorway curiously.

"Come on, you can do this bro, you've got this! Go for it!" She cheered him on internally.

"S-so, uh...what's up? What did you want to talk about?" Celia asked him, fidgeting slightly as her gaze darted about.

"W-well, I...I, uh...," He trailed off shakily, before taking a deep breath and slowing exhaling, composing himself before meeting her gaze and stating, "Alright, here goes. I wanted to say-..."

"Hello!? Guys!? Where is everyone!? We've got a serious situation and-...hm? Oh, hey, Ravella. What're you doing?" Suddenly came Colt's voice, interrupting Raven.

"H-huh? I, uh..."

"W-wait, what's going on?" Inquired Celia in bemusement.

"Oh, good, you're both here. Lexia, go find Aster and Tacitus, tell them what's going on, I'll tell these three while you're at it," Remarked Colt, as he stepped in front of the doorway.

"Yeah, alright," She nodded, before heading off to find the other two.

"Did something happen while you two were out hunting?" Raven asked Colt, both frustrated and relieved at the interruption, as his nerves had begun to spiral.

"Uh-huh, sure did. The Knights and Inquisitors showed up, including the Commander. They said they want to talk to us," Colt informed him.

"Huh? No way, that has got to be a trap, surely," Frowned Ravella warily.

"That's what we thought too...but then she gave us her Relic Armament to prove that she isn't here to fight. I seriously doubt she'd risk her weapon like that over a bluff," Replied Colt thoughtfully.

"Okay, that is really weird," Responded Celia with a perplexed look on her face.

"Yeah...considering the fact that we killed the King in front of all the Queens, the Crown Princess and the First Prince, I figured the bounties on our heads would balloon up and the Knights would come after us more ruthlessly than ever before. I can't imagine what it is they would want to talk to us about," Nodded Raven in agreement, before glancing at the doorway as footsteps echoed out.

Lexia came back into sight, holding Jules' sword in her arms, with Tacitus and Aster trailing behind her.

"I just brought them up to speed on what happened. So, now that we're all aware of the situation...what should we do?" Inquired Lexia, before they all glanced at Aster.

"Good question...this sword is definitely her Relic Armament, no doubt about that. Plus, based on our past interactions with her, she doesn't seem like the type who'd opt for such a sneaky and deceitful approach, she's more likely to go for a direct approach. I say we go and hear her out...if it does turn out to be a trap, we're strong enough to break through. Plus, without her sword, she won't be as much of a threat as she usually would be," Pointed out Aster, after mulling it over for a bit.

"As suspicious of this whole thing as I am, I'd prefer to err on the side of caution...but, and as much as I hate to admit it, I agree with Aster. If we don't go, they'll just comb through the rest of the forest until they find our hideout, and after how hard we worked to build this place, I'd rather it not end up as a battle site and get destroyed," Sighed Tacitus in response.

"Okay, then it's decided. Let's head to where they are and speak to her," Nodded Aster, before putting Jules' sword into his Storage Ring.

"Where exactly are they, anyway?" Inquired Raven, glancing at Lexia and Colt.

"Not too far. I think we were about a couple kilometers to the east of the hideout when they showed up," Answered Colt, after a brief pause.

"Yeah, I'd say that's more or less accurate," Added Lexia with a nod.

Tacitus then took out a few of the one-kilometer Teleport Spells, before the seven of them headed out of the hideout and teleported twice to the east of their hideout.

Raven then sharpened his sense of smell, while also focusing on his ability to detect Mana, before picking up their scents a couple hundred meters ahead.

The group then headed that way on foot, a slight sense of tension around them as they steadily made their way forward.

It wasn't much longer before the squad of Knights and Inquisitors came into sight, Jules stepping forward with a smile as The Irregulars approached.

"Looks like you decided to come back, I'm glad. Now, then, I'll get right to the point...I'd like all of you to join the Knight Order," She remarked bluntly, surprising them.

"I'm sorry, what? Are...are you serious? Huh...well, sorry to disappoint, but we decl-...," Began Aster without hesitation.

"Hold on...before you answer, hear me out and let me finish. With my father, the previous King, having met an untimely demise at the hands of the Undead King, we-..."

"Huh? You do know that we're the ones who-...," Spoke up Ravella, before Raven placed a hand on her shoulder and cut her off, realizing what Jules was doing.

"Ahem, back to what I was saying. With the previous King dead, and the Crown Princess having assumed the throne as the new Queen of the Kingdom of Persona, a lot of changes are about to take place. One such change will be the abolishment of the law that those with Irregular Magic are to be executed. Furthermore, due to your contribution in the battle against the Undead King, the Queen is willing to offer Royal pardons to all seven of you...on the condition that you agree to stop attacking the churches and corrupt Nobles," She informed them.

"Yeah, no, that's not going to happen. Do you have any idea how many innocent people have suffered because of the church and Nobility? If we stop now, things will just go back to the way they were, all our efforts and everything we've accomplished will be undone," Frowned Celia in response.

"That aside, there's no way the Nobility will accept this. We're the most wanted criminals in the entire nation, we've killed members of several high ranked Noble houses already. Do you really think those Noble houses will let that go?" Inquired Raven with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, yes, there are plenty of Nobles who will undoubtedly oppose this. That said, there are plenty who are in support of it, including a number of the Duchal and Count houses. In fact, three of them submitted reports stating that they witnessed two of you saving several citizens from the undead army, and they voiced their opposal to eliminating you."

"Huh, I forgot about that. I can't believe they really did it though," Recalled Colt in surprise.

"That's not all...while the Nobility is divided on this matter, it's a different story with the Commoners, who make up the majority of our population. The positive impression towards your group is effectively unanimous among the Commoners, thanks to how many of them have had their lives improved following your attacks on those who oppressed them...not that I condone your methods, of course, but if nothing else, I acknowledge the results you've achieved," Said Jules, before continuing, "The Queen and the Pope are working hard to change the nation for the better. Rest assured, your accomplishments won't go to waste. Quite the contrary, we'll build off them and make the most of your efforts...with the former King no longer around to protect the corrupt Nobility, we can carry out unimpeded investigations and uncover the crimes they've committed, we have no intention of letting them get away with taking advantage of their influence and positions of power."

"What about the other Royals? Your siblings, and not to mention the former King's Queen consorts," Spoke up Aster.

"There's no need for concern with any of them. None of my siblings are opposed to this, and the former Queens won't be a problem either. I feel bad saying this, since one of them is my mother, but...after he became King, my father made a deliberate effort to pick women who, frankly, weren't particularly intelligent or ambitious, to be his Queens, in order to minimize any defiance or opposition.

None of the three of them have any interest in getting involved in the nation's politics, so they couldn't care less either way about this matter. Now, then, let's get back on track," Remarked Jules, before continuing, "We'll give you a week to think it over, and during that time, both the Knights and Inquisitors have been strictly forbidden from attacking you. If you decide to accept our offer, come to the Capital at midday exactly a week from today. However, if you decide to continue your attacks on the church and Nobility, we'll be left with no choice but to eliminate you.

And I'd really prefer if it didn't have to come to that...we have a common interest here, we both want to change the nation for the better. Wouldn't it be a lot more effective if we worked together to accomplish that? The Knight Order will be much stronger if you join, which will allow us to protect and defend Persona much more ably. And you'll no longer be criminals, forced to live in hiding.

And you'll have access to a lot more resources and manpower to help you in your quest to improve life for Commoners in the nation. Not to mention, I believe it would be a lot more effective to publicly expose the crimes of the corrupt Nobility and sentence them accordingly, rather than simply killing them, wouldn't you agree?"

"I'll admit, you make some good points...," Muttered Aster, a conflicted look on his face.

"Well, you have a week to think it over. I'll be awaiting your decision. Alright, that's everything I wanted to say...so we'll take our leave now, I hope to see you in a week with a favorable response," She replied, before she and the other Knights, along with the Inquisitors, linked up with the Teleporter and vanished from sight.

"Well, shit...I have no idea what we should do," Sighed Lexia with a grimace.

"I do still have some doubts, but a part of me feels inclined to believe her...when we killed the King, the First Princess seemed to only be pretending to protect him. She totally stepped aside when we were about to kill him, and then just let it happen," Recalled Ravella thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that's true. If the Knights seriously do intend to go after the corrupt elements in the church and Nobility, there wouldn't be much point to fighting against them any further," Added Raven with a nod.

"Still, it won't be anywhere near that easy...a lot of people in positions of power will oppose this. What a pain, there's way too much to consider," Groaned Tacitus in response.

"Well, we do have a week to think things through. So, let's carefully go over and weigh our options, and then-...," Began Aster, before trailing off in surprise as Jules suddenly reappeared with the Teleporter, a sheepish look on her face.

"U-uh, hi again. I, um...c-could I get my sword back, please?"