["To the glory of the true Aurelia. To the death of the rot in the king's palace."]
"-The House of The Risen Sun."
Nickelson rubbed his shaved stubble, looking at the scene, narrowing his tired eyes.
"These guys again?"
"Can't they give us a break..." The guards around him spoke.
"C-captain Nickelson!" A shout was heard, turning Nickelson's head away from the scene. A guard was hurriedly stepping towards him.
A young guard stopping a foot away, saluting as he stood upright.
"Sir! I'm Gary—" Nickelson raised his palm lax, stopping him.
"Easy, boy. I know who you are. Hicks'... 'son-in-law'. We've met before."
"Y-yes sir! Just keeping my manners, sir!" Gary cleared his throat, "I'm his replacement for the week." Gary said, shoulders lowering, his voice dropping slightly.
"Just keeping my manners~..."
"I'm so honorable sir, notice me~" The other guards mocked.
Nickelson sighed, "Alright... Were you briefed?"
"About this case or... I-in general?" Gary blinked.
Nickelson took a deep, deep breath.
"In general. About the job you'll be doing for this next week." Nickelson replied firmly.
"Stick close to you, sir! A-and note everything I see!"
"....." Nickelson rubbed his eyes.
'Curse that bastard, making me entertain this Otherworlder... He said he was good with numbers and details. I'll give him this day only. I don't have time to play.'
He then looked at the earnest 'Gary' as he looked up at him.
"Just go over there, and ask the guards what happened. They'll fill you in. Give me a detailed report of what happened. I need to go over and calm those ᵈᵃᵐⁿᵉᵈ nobles..." He spat as he looked away.
"W-what did you just say, sir—"
"NOTHING. Give me a detailed report later!"
He clicked his tongue as he walked away from Sato, heading towards the crowd that surrounded the crime-scene, held back by the guards making a perimeter.
'I've never been a guard before...' Sato thought as he looked at his uniform and shining armor, 'But... Wearing this armor. I feel... Like I can do anything. Like I really am... Gary the Royal Guard. Is this what they call Enclothed Cognition phenomenon—'
"It's Captain Nickelson! SIR, WHEN WILL THEY BE CAUGHT!?" Someone yelled. Sato snapped his head to the crowd.
"My children are scared!"
"Captain, what if it was your daughter at risk!? You wouldn't shut up like this!"
"IT HAS to be those peasants in the outer wall, right!?"
"We should just burn them all!"
The crowd cheered and jeered as they made room for the towering Captain as he walked. Ignoring all of them. Saying nothing as he looked ahead.
Sato gulped as he looked at Nickelson walking away, fading into the distance.
"... I guess I better get to it..." He gulped once more, looking at the crime scene, approaching the group of guards surrounding it.
'I'm Gary now. Focus.' He slapped his cheeks.
'Alright.'
'He said to bring him a detailed report... But... Oh, God...' Gary thought, feeling dizzy as he looked:
A man nailed to a big cross. All his limbs are cut.
Gary looked away, focusing his sight down, on the guards that stood below it.
'I'm Gary now... I'm Gary now! Go and question them,' he thought. Expecting more resistance. But walking towards them felt natural to Gary.
"Uhm... I, need to report everything so..."
The two guards turned slowly to face Gary, giving him an amused smirk.
"Ah, the greenhorn?"
"I don't know, it might be too much for your majesty. Might not be so honorable... pffft." The two chuckled.
"How..." Gary pressed his lips together, "Dare you laugh..!? At something like this!?"
And in just a moment after he said those words, like a switch of a light, one the guards' expression turned sour. While the other kept smirking, relaxed.
"Hey, you shit," One of the guards who grew annoyed stomped his way toward Gary, who stood his ground, glaring back "I don't give a fuck about who you are, but you don't get to say shit about the way we do things like some—"
"Easy, Franc." A gentle palm placed on the guard's shoulder, "That's just how greenhorns are. You know that." The other guard said, his eyes half-lidded, "If you start fighting here, you'll get suspended."
"FUCK, Don't tell me that," Franc shook his arm off, "You love him so much, why don't you two fucking make out," He said, stomping his way out of there.
The guard sighed as he looked at Gary, who was still wary of him, "Don't mind Franc. He had a long day. You're the Captain's advisor for now?"
"Yes... My name is Gary." Gary lowered his chin, looking at the guard warily.
"Ohhh, come on, don't be like that," The guard, "So we laughed at a dead guy. What of it?"
"It's... Unethical! He's been.. Carved like an animal!" Gary immediately spat, earning several chuckles from the guards around him.
"...." The guard scratched the back of his head.
"Just where'd you come from, again?" He finally asked.
"O-outer wall. I was stationed there."
"Ahh… Outer wall, are ya'..."
"... Y-yes?"
'My cover story... Stick to it.'
"Outer guards don't get to see lots of murders, don't they?" He asked.
Gary looked away momentarily, few seconds pass as he considers what to say,
"T-they happen. We deal with that, too. And never laugh when something this... Atrocious happens! Are inner city guards just rotte—"
"Right, right." The guard waved his palm before Gary, interrupting him.
"Anyway, come'ere. You need some details for your report, right? I'll give you alllll the details you want."
The guards in the background smiled as Gary nodded, approaching next to the friendly guard as he pointed upwards at the cross.
"So, first thing you'll want to note," the guard said, his tone casual, almost instructional, "is that they cut the limbs off while he was still alive. See how the stumps are cauterized? That's not accidental. They heated the blade first. Keeps them from bleeding out too fast."
Gary's stomach tightened. He forced himself to look up at the cross, at the stumps where arms and legs should be.
"And those?" The guard pointed at the tangled mass hanging from the victim's split torso.
"Those are his organs. They opened him up from sternum to pelvis—one clean cut, probably a ceremonial blade—then pulled everything out. Intestines, liver, kidneys, all of it. See how they're knotted together? That's their signature. They braid them. Takes about fifteen minutes if you're skilled."
Gary felt his vision blur slightly. The world seemed to tilt.
"Now, the really interesting part," the guard continued, his voice almost cheerful now, "is the face. See how it's missing? They didn't just cut it off—they peeled it. Started at the hairline, worked their way down. You can tell because the muscle underneath is intact. Clean work, really. Professional."
Gary's throat constricted. Bile rose hot and acidic.
"Oh, and the eyes—don't miss the eyes. They're in his mouth. Shoved them in there before they sewed his lips shut. The House of the Risen Sun likes that detail. Symbolic, I guess. 'Can't see the truth' or some horseshit."
Gary's hand shot to his mouth. His knees buckled slightly.
"You getting all this for your report?" The guard asked, glancing down at him with a smile. "I can go slower if you need."
"I—" Gary choked, stumbling backward.
"One more thing," the guard called after him, pointing back up. "See that brownish staining around the groin area? That's where they—"
Gary doubled over and vomited violently beside the cross, his hands braced against his knees. The contents of his stomach splattered onto the cobblestones.
The guards erupted in laughter.
"There it is!"
"Told you he wouldn't last five minutes!"
"Outer wall pussy!"
"Hey, hey—don't contaminate the scene, your majesty!" one of them called mockingly.
The friendly guard chuckled, shaking his head as he walked over and patted Gary's heaving back.
"First time's always the hardest, kid. You'll get used to it—" Gary spat, hurriedly slapping the guard's arm away.
"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" Gary shouted, the civillians gasping from afar.
"FUCKING MONSTERS! ALL OF YOU!!" He screamed.
The guards all just chuckled and laughed as Gary turned around and ran away.
'I... This is some bullshit..!'
--- LATER ---
The war room was stuffed with expensive perfume.
Nickelson stood at the head of the long table, surrounded by nobles in silk and velvet, their faces indifferent, and angry.
Maps of the inner city sprawled across the table, marked with red circles where the House of the Risen Sun had struck.
"—containment is our priority," Nickelson was saying, his voice measured despite the exhaustion in his eyes. "We're coordinating with the Inquisitors to predict their next target. That is it for this matter. Next up is the Otherworlders—"The door burst open.
Sato stumbled in, still pale, his uniform stained. Every head turned toward him.
"Captain!" Sato's voice cracked. "Captain, I need to speak with you—"
"Not now," Nickelson said flatly, turning back to the nobles.
"It's about your guards, sir! They're... they're...!" Sato stepped further into the room, his hands shaking.
"They're laughing at corpses! Making *jokes* while that man's *organs* are hanging from a cross! They forced me to look at—at everything, described it like it was *entertainment*—"One of the nobles scoffed.
"Is this really the time?"
"To barge into a noblemen meeting..!! The audacity!"
"Is this how you train your guards, Captain?"
"Young man, we are in the middle of—"
"They're SICK!" Sato shouted over them. "They need to be disciplined! Suspended! How can you just let them—"
"ENOUGH."
Nickelson's voice cut through the room like a blade. The nobles fell silent. Sato froze.
Nickelson's jaw was clenched so tight a vein pulsed at his temple. He took one slow breath through his nose, then turned to the nobles with a strained smile.
"My apologies. Please excuse us for a moment."
"Captain, really, this is highly irregular—"
"One. Moment." Nickelson crossed the room in three long strides, grabbed Sato by the upper arm, and dragged him out into the corridor. The door slammed behind them with enough force to rattle the frame.
Sato tried to pull away.
"Sir, I'm trying to—" Nickelson slammed him against the wall.
Not violently. But firmly enough that Sato's back hit the stone and his breath caught.
"Shut. Your mouth, Otherworlder." Nickelson's voice was low, a faint growl in his words.
"And listen very carefully, because I am going to say this once."
Sato's eyes widened.
"Do you have ANY idea what you just did in there?" Nickelson leaned in close.
"Those nobles fund our operations. They approve our budgets. They decide whether we get new recruits, new equipment, whether we even HAVE jobs next quarter. And you just barged in like a child throwing a tantrum about your feelings."
"But sir, your guards—"
"I don't CARE about your moral crisis right now!" Nickelson's voice rose, then dropped again.
"You want to complain? You want to cry about how mean the other guards were? You do it AFTER I'm done securing the resources we need to catch the people who DID THIS."
Sato's throat worked.
"They... they were laughing... At that poor man...! He was mutilated while still alive...!!"
A few moments of silence. Nickelson raised his hand, which trembled as he curled into a fist. His face was steaming as he clenched his teeth.
Sato hid his face away as he closed his eyes shut.
And then…
An exhale.
"So?" Nickelson let out softly.
Sato blinked, lowering his guard as he looked up at the Captain again.
"W-...what?"
"So?" Nickelson repeated. "They laughed. And?"
"They… I-it's wrong! It's disrespectful! That man died horribly and they're treating it like—"
"WHAT. OF IT. BOY!?" Nickelson released Sato's arm and stepped back, rubbing his face as he leaned on the opposite wall.
Sato gulped.
"T-that's just not—"
"Those 'monsters' you scream about…" Nickelson cut him off.
"They've seen more death in a week than you've seen in your entire life."
"B-... But sir… H... He... Was mutilated—"
"There's always someone mutilated." Nickelson interjected, folding his arms.
Sato blinked.
"Always someone burnt. Cut up, sliced. I, for one, was thankful it was an adult this time."
'What…?' Sato blinked.
"The House of The Risen Sun would settle for anyone of nobility, especially. They don't discriminate between children and adults."
"But... To... Laugh...? To treat it like a show? To… not care? People who are supposed to protect everyone… Just… What about respect for the person who just died?" Sato asked.
Nickelson exhaled, rubbing his eyes as he looked down momentarily, before snapping his head upwards, looking down at Sato again.
"Have you seen fights in your life, boy? In your... 'Original' world?"
"Y-yes, Captain. I'm afraid to say... Many. The Otherworld is filled with prideful people who—"
"Do you get excited when you see them scuffle? Shocked?" Nickelson interrupted.
Sato then replayed the physical bullying he'd seen in his school.
"I... I used to, but not anymore... It... I'm afraid to say they became… Normal, I guess…"
Sato looked down, gulping again before looking up.
"But SIR! They're just brawls! A murder is different—"
"How?" Nickelson raised his eyebrow, "Both are violence. Just different levels of it."
Sato pressed his lips.
"A brawl is still two or more people actively trying to harm each other. And I don't care how it is in your world but here, many guards and even civilians laugh when they see an amateurish fist-fight to the death."
"Do you know why?" Nickelson asked.
'...'
A pause.
"Answer, boy. That wasn't a rhetorical question."
"N… B… Because it's…"
'Because this world is primitive. And barbaric…'
"... Normal here. Because it's apparently normal here." Sato said.
Nickelson pursed his lips.
'Not a complete buffoon, then.'
"Because it is... Routine." Nickelson exhaled as he added, his shoulders lowering.
Another moment of silence. Nickelson looked to the distance. Above himself and Sato - at the high ceiling of the palace.
"See a fist-fight enough times, you treat it differently than someone who saw it for the first time. See a noble as a commoner enough times, and you don't get as scared."
"Same for having sex,"
"Same for drinking ale or going into a dungeon. What would startle you at first, is now but an event that... happens."
"Same for death. To you it's horrible and a sign or moral failure. To them… It's just routine."
Sato looked down, squinting.
"So," Nickelson continued, more firmly now.
"If making jokes is what keeps them from collapsing… if laughing at a corpse is what stops them from screaming in rage or sullying the scene... They can laugh all they want. Do you understand me?"
"... Yes sir," Sato whispered.
"This is your first and last warning, Otherworlder," Nickelson said quietly.
"Next time you pull something like this, like interrupting a meeting and make a spectacle, I'm sending you back to the 'outer wall' permanently. Hicks can find someone else to vouch for."
"Yes sir."
"Now get yourself cleaned up. Go to the barracks, file your report and place it on my table, and stay out of my sight until tomorrow." Nickelson straightened his uniform.
"And if you're smart, you'll apologize to those guards before the shift ends."
He turned back toward the war room. The door closed behind him.
Sato stood alone in the corridor, staring at nothing.
'I went immediately to him. But he somehow knew I needed to apologize to the guards… I wonder if he realized how I acted to them.'
He thought about the guard's smile. The casual tone as he described braided organs.
'First time's always the hardest, kid. You'll get used to it.'
---
"My apologies, esteemed sirs." Nickelson's voice was measured as he returned to his position at the table. "Now, as I was saying—"
"NO."
Lord Hermsfuorth's fist slammed against the wood, rattling the ink bottles. "This MUST be addressed, Nickey!"
"Is this what's become of your Royal Guard?" Another noble leaned forward, jowls trembling with indignation. "Such disrespect—barging into a war council? That's punishable by death!"
"I quite agree with Hermsfuorth." The noble with the unkempt mustache stroked it gently, his lips pursed.
"To interrupt while we discuss matters of such importance... I'd be *delighted* to see his head roll."
Nickelson's jaw tightened. He clicked his tongue, barely audible.
"Since he's a mere guard," the first noble continued airily, "the gesture costs you nothing. Have it done by tomorrow, won't you, Nickey?"
All eyes turned to the Captain.
"And the fact you had to *leave* our council to discipline the brat—painfully, I hope—well." The mustachioed noble smiled. "His death would benefit us all, wouldn't it?"
Silence.
Then Nickelson bowed, his posture immaculate.
"My lords."
They waited.
"Surely you are acquainted with my advisor, Sir Hicks."
Several nobles exchanged glances. One audibly clicked his tongue.
"Tch. That shrewd bastard."
"A boot-licker who does as he pleases," another muttered.
"Though he is competent, I'll grant him that."
They all nodded begrudgingly.
"What of him?" Hermsfuorth demanded.
Nickelson straightened slightly, meeting their eyes.
"The young guard who interrupted our meeting... is his son-in-law." The nobles fell quiet.
One cleared his throat. Another drummed his fingers on the table.
"I would not hesitate to end his life," Nickelson continued, his voice even. "He insulted you, my lords. He violated the sanctity of this council. The offense is clear."
He paused.
"But I risk losing Sir Hicks' loyalty. And his... capabilities."
Nickelson's gaze swept the table.
"With your permission, I propose one thousand lashes as punishment instead. Enough to break his pride. Not enough to lose a useful connection."
The nobles exchanged looks.
"If he's married to Hicks' daughter..." one began slowly. "Then he must have noble blood himself."
"Proving his worth in the Guard, perhaps?" another offered.
"Ah!" Hermsfuorth's expression shifted. "I recall my own father sending me to serve for a week at that age. Character-building and all that. Such is youth—hot-blooded, impulsive."
The mustachioed noble nodded thoughtfully.
"And the murder that set him off... it *was* one of our own. A nobleman butchered like livestock." He straightened in his seat.
"Perhaps the boy was simply... overzealous in defending noble dignity."
"Yes, yes, quite right."
"Admirable, in a way."
"Still disgraceful, of course."
"But understandable."
Hermsfuorth waved a hand dismissively. "See that it doesn't happen again, Captain. We'll overlook this incident. Just this once. Slap the boy's wrist and let him off."
The others murmured agreement.
Nickelson's lip twitched—just once, barely perceptible—before he took a slow, controlled breath.
"You have my gratitude, my lords." He bowed again. "Now. Shall we return to..." He cleared his throat, "... the matter at hand?"
--- A DAY LATER ---
"I see..." Sir Hicks sighed as he stood before Nickelson in his office. "A shame. I truly believed he'd change your perspective, sir."
"You believed wrong, Hicks." Nickelson continued writing with his quill, not looking up.
"I told the boy it was his last chance... But then I had to grovel before those nobles to keep his head attached to his shoulders. I will not rescind my decision. He goes back with the rest of the Otherworlders."
"Very well, sir." Hicks answered without missing a beat.
"No more last-minute vouches. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir. Absolutely." Hicks nodded with a smile.
Nickelson's quill scratched across parchment. Hicks remained standing, unmoving.
After a full minute, Nickelson stopped writing. He looked up, leaning on his elbow.
"...It is not as you suspect, Hicks. Regarding that Otherworlder girl. So drop it."
"My, sir. I hadn't even asked you anything. What could you be referring to—"
"Don't fuck with me." Nickelson's voice went flat. "I've known you for over thirty years."
Silence.
"...That's why I can tell when you're angry. Don't be. It isn't what you think."
Another beat of silence stretched between them.
"Sir, have you read the report from Sato?"
"... No." Nickelson looked back down at his files, resuming his writing.
"I don't have time to nursemaid a rookie and spend the whole day correcting Otherworlder mistakes."
"Alright. A shame." Hicks bowed gracefully. "Have a good day, sir."
The door closed gently behind him.
Nickelson wrote.
And wrote.
And wrote.
"Tsk. Damn it all!" He slammed his quill down, glaring at the report Sato had left on his table the day before. He snatched it from the pile.
{Dear Captain, I've apologized to the guards. They took it well...}
Nickelson rolled his eyes.
"Who gives a damn—"
{Here's the report for the crime scene, as well as the headcount of the guards present, notable nobles who attended the mass around the crime scene, details regarding the corpse as well as who he was, and equipment used to examine...}
He continued reading.
And read.
And read.
He slapped the report on his desk with more force than necessary.
"Damn that bastard Hicks," he muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Could have started with the report..."
He stared at the pages a moment longer.
And even longer still.