Grail War 0.5: The Harbinger Of Greed

A Calm Before The Storm

Pendragon walked through Marley as she wanted to learn about the world around her. She was planning something big for this country, but she had to keep this plan under wraps. If people found out, then she would definitely be executed. Pendragon turned to see Raphtalia walking alongside her, which she didn't expect at all.

"I thought that you were helping with the reconstruction efforts." She commented to Raphtalia, who simply smiled in response to her comment. "I enjoyed our conversations yesterday, so I decided to come and check up on you." Raphtalia replied, as Pendragon sighed. "Have you told anyone about what we discussed yesterday?" She asked Raphtalia, who shook her head. "Of course not! I'm a person who keeps her promises, Pendragon" Raphtalia replied, as Pendragon breathed a sigh of relief.

"So what are you planning to do here in Marley?" Raphtalia asked, as she sat on a bench with Pendragon, who remained silent for a few seconds, before she snapped her fingers, time stopping for everyone except for her and Raphtalia. "What just happened?" She asked, as Pendragon smiled. "That was the authority of Melancholy. During my part in the timeline, I gained the blessings of all 16 of the witches of sin, which means that I can use all of the sin authorities, albeit more inferior than their counterparts that are possessed by the real archbishops of sin. My father is the Sin Archbishop of Melancholy. Time manipulation is one of the most prominent abilities used by Kurumi's Archbishops." Pendragon explained, before she saw the fear in Raphtalia's eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I respect you a lot, Raphtalia. You're one of the only people that can truly understand me for who I am." Pendragon said, which calmed Raphtalia down.

"So what is your plan with Marley?" Raphtalia asked again, as Pendragon smiled. "I'm going to destroy this country, but I need your help to do so." Pendragon admitted, before she looked at Raphtalia, who seemed conflicted. "Take my hand. I want to do this with you. I promise that you will never suffer anymore." She said, as she waited for Raphtalia to respond.

"If I do this, then I will be throwing away all of my hard work...Are you sure that it's the right thing to do?" Raphtalia asked Pendragon, who nodded her head in response. After a few seconds, Raphtalia finally swallowed the lump in her throat, as she took Pendragon's hand, and time resumed once more.

"What do we do now?" Raphtalia asked, as Pendragon smiled. "Continue to masquerade as Tanya's servant, and I will continue to formulate a plan of attack." Pendragon replied, as she said goodbye to Raphtalia once again, as she prepared a plan to attack Marley, while Raphtalia continued to masquerade as the assistant of Tanya Degurechaff.

Meanwhile...

Jackson looked around as he regained the ability to move after time was abruptly stopped for seemingly everyone. "Strange...Did Kurumi use her authority of Melancholy?" Jackson thought to himself as he checked on Harmonia, who was still fast asleep after a day of being introduced to everyone that lived in the Scarlet Mansion. Jackson began to hover in the centre of the room as he began to meditate, trying to figure out the source of the usage of Time-Stop.

"So it was used by a woman called Pendragon? Is she another sin archbishop of Melancholy?" He thought to himself, as he summoned Rem into the room. "I need you to go to the country of Marley. A woman named Pendragon has caught my eye after she used the authority of Melancholy to freeze time for approximately 10 minutes. Can you go and investigate for me? I want to keep an eye on Harmonia." Jackson requested, as Rem nodded her head, before she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"You can count on me, Jackson-kun." Rem said, as she left the Scarlet Mansion with her flail ready to summon whenever she needed it.

Meanwhile...

"Lady Pendragon. Someone is sprinting towards the northern shores of Marley using ice magic to sprint on the water. Should I deal with them?" Raphtalia asked, as Pendragon shook her head. "Leave it to me, Raphtalia." Pendragon said, as she held her crutch in her hands, closing her eyes as she removed her disguise, revealing her true form to Raphtalia.

The armour was a jet black colour, and her hair was a long grey colour. Her eyes were a piercing and glowing yellow colour, and she had one noticeable scar over her left eye. The crutch started to change shape, as it transformed into a black and red blade. Raphtalia did not want to leave her side. She was now her servant, and she didn't want to betray Pendragon.

Pendragon made her way to the shores of Marley, as she noticed that there was a woman standing on the now frozen ocean, as she waited for Pendragon to approach her.

The battle for Marley was about to begin.

To be continued in chapter 3: The Demi-God Of Empathy...