Argrave felt that he had learned all he could about the time loop itself. The things that he had seen with [Minor Truesight], while lesser than what Anneliese mightve picked out, still confirmed to him without a shadow of a doubt the truth of this endless repetition. And even more than that, he finally found a path to confirming some hidden things. If Sophia was the cause of the loop, and the Heralds were harnessing her power to kill all those that spoke of the prince, then she, herself, would most likely be untouched by it. In other words, she was his best source of information.

I have to go now, Sophia. Argrave took the lens and hid it away in his dusters inside pocket. Well see each other again. But before I go, can I ask you something?

Okay, she nodded easily.

You remember Mr. Butler? Bogart? Argrave put his hands together. I saved him. Hes the reason why everyones panicking, running about everywhere.

Sophia went through uncountable emotions, and by the end of it all, only watched Argrave with her wide, uncertain red eyes.

All thats to say your father doesnt have power everywhere. Im as much a king as he is, and I want to help you. But to do that, I have to understand things. Can you tell me about your brother?

Sophia blinked her eyes and looked at the ground, then looked up suddenly in what looked like horrified revelation. Then Sir Ghost is King Charles? And you you came back from the dead to take revenge?

Argrave smiled at her. If thats what you want, Sophia. But most of all I want to help your brother, if I canhelp him as I helped Bogart. And I think youre the only one who can help me help him. Can you tell me his name? Can you tell me anything at all?

Sophia played with her hands, and the hem of her red dress for a long time in quiet. Argrave waited patiently. My big brothers name is Griffin. Hes one hour older than me. He likes knights, swords, blueberries, and snow. Hes After shed listed the mundane things, Argrave had little doubt that the more emotional memories were surfacing. What they did together, how they livedtheir arguments, shared triumphs.

He stopped daddy and the maids from punishing me when I made a mistake because Im stupid, she continued, suppressing her tears with practice a seven-year-old shouldnt have. And when daddy took us to the cellar, where those people were she started shivering badly. Griffin did everything daddy wanted me to, because I couldnt do it, because Im a baby. Then, to punish me, daddy would leave me in the cells overnight, with all of the her eyes went distant, but Argrave got the image. Her father left her among the recently torturedenduring their resentment, enduring the sight of their misery. To them, she was the daughter of the man that had tortured them. It wouldve been terrifying for anyone, let alone a small girl.

My brother was going to be the best knight in the whole world, stronger than daddy, and he was going to make sure we never had to do anything we didnt want to. But then the red knights came, a-a-and she trailed off as her shivering became more and more intense.

Argrave walked back over to Sophia and knelt down, tremendous guilt welling up from within for unearthing such memories. You dont have to say anymore, Sophia. Im sorry, he told her. Your brother sounds like an amazing person. Ill do my best to bring him back, just like Bogart. But youve got some things wrong. He shook his head. Youre not stupid at all. Youre one of the brightest girls Ive met. And youre no baby. Youre brave beyond imagining.

Sophia started to cry, finally. She seemed to be very self-conscious about making any noise. Argrave tried to reach for a pillow on the couch to offer her, but she fell onto his arm. He hesitated for a moment, but he felt if anyone deserved it, Sophia did. He held the broken girl carefully, even as his mind danced with uncertainty.

Theres too many coincidences for me to idly dismiss things. The boundless power within Sophia. The looping of time, reconstructing herself and all else. And the very thing we came here forGerechtigkeithas some connection to Sophia. I cant very well ask the Heralds how theyre related to Gerechtigkeit, and I doubt Sophia knows anything. As for the Heralds I dont know how Id find them, and given their power, I dont know how I could compel them to speak. He considered the possibilities. Maybe Griffin became Gerechtigkeit. Maybe the Heralds made himanother endless trap to empower themselves, much like Sophia is. Argrave felt as though he was near the truth, yet not quite grasping it.

But there was another part of Argrave that sang a little louder than his caution. Even before all of this, the Alchemist had confirmed that Sophia and Gerechtigkeit were linked. Argrave saw the path that led to her freedomall hed need to do was get his companions on the other side in their proper place, and they could both be freed without a doubt. He wasnt quite sure what that freedom entailed for this microcosm, but surely anything would be better than this. It was clear that Sophia hadnt masteredindeed, she wasnt even awareof her powers. If he got her out, they could spend their time answering the harder questions in safer lands, where people like Dario and Traugott couldnt hope to reach.

Argrave couldnt deny hed become somewhat personally attached to the idea. Sophia, though born a princess, never truly had any adult to rely on. To be punished physically for the smallest infractions, to be exposed to the most heinous crimes of humanity, to have her mother killed by her own father it was a wonder she hadnt gone insane. He wanted to bring her to safety, to a better life, where they could parse through the truth of it all.

S-sir Ghost said that you have to go! Sophia realized with a start after shed spent a good deal of time crying. Im sorry, Sir Ghost. I-I" she began to stammer, but Argrave patted her head lightly.

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Youve done nothing wrong. Never have. Ive got all the time in the world right now, and Ill figure things out. So Argrave rose to his feet. Dont you worry about a thing. Let me take care of it.

#####

After talking with Sophia, Argrave wrote down a detailed list of his plans. It bothered him that hed need to rewrite this every time he returned to the beginning of the loop, but at the same time, he did truly have all the time in the world. Or at the very least, a great deal of it.

Argrave got the first of many messages to his companions. And once he did, he realized the enormity of what he was doing.

The difference in their flow of time was frightening. Time advanced in intervals of five seconds for those hed left behind, but for Argrave, every loop took three hours. A single minute for them was thirty-six hours for him. An hour was ninety days. Twenty-four hours was nearly six years. He doubted that his companions would be that incompetent to leave him stranded for six years, but at the same time the prospect was so haunting that Argrave didnt dare calculate beyond the initial figures.

If Argrave harmed Sophiatruly harmed her, with the intent to killthe loop might reset. But Argrave resolved himself never to do that. It was the least that she deserved, having put up with what she had.

Still, his explanation to them would take, at the bare minimum, sixty seconds. Even if they understood and obeyed him absolutely and immediately, theyd need to find exactly what he asked, and execute it perfectly. Five, ten minutes? Twenty? Either way, hed undoubtedly be trapped in this little bubble for weeksand not normal weeks, either, but one where hed be conscious for all twenty-four hours in its seven days. Hed been fretting about lacking time to gather information, but the reality was that he shouldve been more concerned about how to fill up that time.

On the first couple runs, Argrave did his research. He went to each of the three power-mongersthe elder, the mayor, the silver-tongued priestess, and asked them all the questions he could muster. But the Heralds gave these cudgels of theirs no identitythey merely gave proof of power. They were crucial to the plan, and Argrave learned a great deal about them.

Thereafter, he learned everything about the castle and its denizens extremely intimately. He learned how to make people do what he wanted, or how to make them tick, or what drove them to be as they were. Even the king wasnt immune to Argraves scrutiny. And his scrutiny confirmed something obviousthe king wasnt mentally well. He made Orion look like the most well-adjusted human in the world, and he was sure Induen himself wouldve been a little taken aback by the depths of Normans deranged cruelty.

But after a point, Argrave realized hed learned everything that he needed. The three power-mongershe needed to gather them in the castle when the loop ended for his companions to deal with, but that one wasnt as difficult as it sounded. His intimate grasp of the people within the castle made it all too easy for him to walk around like a second king, ordering people about. They took him for a secret servant of the king, obeying him absolutely. And that was an easy role for him to play.

While Argrave might scour the city, searching for vague answers about the Heralds from each and every ornery citizen his endless treks through time not only frightened him, but enticed him. He kept his knowledge, his memories, but returned everything back to normal at the end. That was frightening, yes but also a tremendous opportunity. What for?

Why, experience.

Argrave could practice what Castro hadshortening the casting time of spells. He could create new permutations of spells using segmentation. He had no new spells to learn, but he could simply make them. But most important of all, Argrave could finally deal with a fatal weakness of hisone thatd reared its head in the fight with Emperor Ji Meng.

Argrave stared at the Good King Norman as he walked out into the training hall, looking around curiously. Finally, the red-eyed man settled his gaze on Argrave.

My servants told me of a man from the Heralds, come bearing a message, the king said, walking up. Yet you seem rather far from their kind. Spill your mind, or face a death unkind.

Argrave smiled. Congratulations, Good King Norman. Youve won the lottery.

The rhyming king didnt answer right awayeven the insane could grow confused. What?

Youre a shitty father, but a good fighter. So, Im going to kill two birds with one stone, you see. Im going to fight you, time and time again, until I can put you down with ease. His heart swirled with chaotic impulsiveness and sheer, unabashed nervousness as he stared this monstrous king down. And once you die well, Id like to see what happens to this place. Maybe the truth will come out. Im all out of leads, anyhow.

Argrave was many things, but a fighter he was not. Castro had proven that. Argrave preferred to ambush and destroy in one fell swoop, but failing that, he was just a tall guy with a little too much magic. Things were moving beyond the point where ambushing would suffice. Even Emperor Ji Meng had nearly killed him hand-to-hand, and this was with divine artifacts and the Domain of Law empowering him to be at his peak. Now, however, he had the time to actually learn things. Who better than a terrifying conqueror with strength and skill enough to kill him many times over?

My, my, the king said in wonder as he walked in slowly. I thought today was to be boring yet it seems today Ill be scoring. How very darling. Perhaps youre worthy of adoring

Argrave could take one hit thanks to the Inerrant Cloak, and had long ago strengthened himself with the Domain of Law. He had tested shamanic magic, and it still functionedhe could teleport away. But death, torturehe didnt care to experience either of those. If he did, perhaps he wouldnt escape from this loop alive. Or sane.

With Good King Norman as his foe, death seemed a very real possibility. And that gave him incentive to give it his all. For the future, for Sophia, for Anneliese and everyone else he held dearArgrave had to be more.

This is long overdue. Ill be putting you in your place, and making me worthy of mine, Argrave called out.

I love you more every second, darling. King Norman smiled wide, and filled his chest with air.