Hesitantly, but firmly, Vita took the hand before her.
“Hah! You’d better teach me well, then, if you don’t want me to tell on you,” she said. “And mind you, my objective is still to surpass Iris. Even before my family said anything, I never liked her as a woman—nor her enormous assets, for that matter. I’ll keep applying myself and become the strongest knight there is!”
“Ha ha ha, wonderful! That’s the spirit! If you become strong and rise to the top within your house, why, that’ll solve all our problems, now, won’t it?”
The pact was sealed. Two souls, previously fallen to darkness, had begun to walk a different path in life thanks to a certain man.
Whether that was a good thing remained to be seen—perhaps it would lead them both to ruin.
Still, Vita chuckled at Hypno, who laughed brightly in return. With heartfelt smiles, they began the arduous task of breaking free from the fetters that bound them.
Thus did House Kaambl’s authority begin to waver. And it was all thanks to Crow.
Oh, and speaking of Crow...
Aaaaaaaah! What do I do, what do I do?! I thought it was all staged! I didn’t think I was actually suggesting to overthrow a noble family! Auuuugh! he said to himself, agonizing in his bed at the local inn.
Everything he’d said and done had been because he’d assumed it’d all been a prank by the commander, whom he thought he’d yet to meet!
I’m screwed! I’m so, so screwed! he panicked. Not that it would do him any good at this point.
Knowing he couldn’t claim it had all been a misunderstanding, Crow thought, Oh, I know! This is all a dream! When I wake up, none of that will have happened! Okay, g’night!
And so, spouting nonsense, he half-heartedly settled on escapism to solve his problems, then drifted into unconsciousness and started snoozing, the absolute bastard.
“I just need to sleep it all off!” Crow told himself. “Then it’ll all go away!”
(Spoiler: it did not go away.)