“Laplace... I gave you everything. I taught you all the magic I could, right from an early age. Then I enhanced your body so you could wield it. And as a result, you acquired immortality—the very thing I so desperately sought as a Mage! You wouldn’t be the person you are today without me!” Maxwell roared. “One would think you’d show a little gratitude, but no—you always looked at me with nothing but resentment in your eyes! And you had such a rebellious attitude!”
“Uh huh...”
“I was wrong. I never should have let a woman wield power! That’s why you never learned to respect your father!”
“...Uh huh...”
Indeed, not only was Maxwell abandoned by his wife, but his beloved daughter treated him with barely-concealed contempt. For the life of him, he just couldn’t understand why. As the days wore on, his paranoia deepened... and eventually, he became convinced that it was their strength and intelligence that was to blame.
“I will create the perfect Bride—a powerful, loyal, obedient Bride. That has always been my dream... Hasn’t it, Laplace?”
“You’re sick...”
“To that end, I have crafted and incubated vessels of all kinds, all different races, all different bloodlines. I was told to spare no expense—we were at war, after all. As long as it served my country, I could do anything I wanted and get away with it! I was a hero!”
His expression was one of ecstasy as he confessed to his sins.
“For 300 years, I tried to recreate you—or rather, a more obedient version of you. But no matter what I did, it just didn’t work! Each one I made was nothing but a drastically inferior version of you, or your mother. And so now I’m convinced: for an immortal bride, I need your blood. I need the mana of the Dragon God!”
He chuckled.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long, long time.”
His lips curled into a smirk... and Tanya realized what was about to happen.
“Look out!”
But it was too late. A magic circle expanded beneath them.
“Nnngghhh...! What... spell is this...?!”
She fell to her knees as the strength faded from her body. Glancing around, she could see Laplace, Arianora, and Vis all topple to the ground, unable to stand. He’s... draining... our mana...!
Maxwell let out a maniacal laugh. “Heh heh... Hahahaha! Yes! Truth be told, all I needed was Laplace, but... I must say, you ladies are all fine specimens in your own right!”
He smiled to himself, entranced, as he gazed at a nearby measuring device. Meanwhile, the little girls in the tanks all around them—the “vessels”—began to grow in response to the mana funneled into them. Bubbles rose from their lips, as though they were starting to breathe.
“Wonderful... So many Brides, all brimming with the utmost respect for me! Sadly, I was forced to part ways with Arianora in order to win points with the royal family, but... No, I mustn’t let any of them have their own identity. That was where I went wrong with you, Laplace... I still regret the way you turned out.”
Tanya tried to challenge this... but her voice wouldn’t come. She couldn’t speak.
“If only I could have beaten it out of you, right from the start. That way you couldn’t resent me.”
In his mind, a proper woman was subservient above all else. Fuck that.
“But, seeing as I have such a fine collection of vessels here... once they awaken as Brides, I’ll do them all a favor and erase their identities. Then they’ll be perfect.” His lips curled in a sinister smile. “I’m going to make you all very happy.”
Then he strolled forward, grabbed Arianora by the arm, and dragged her out of the magic circle. She let out a piercing scream.
“With your intellect and mana capacity, you are my true masterpiece... How I regret letting you act as the princess.”
Vis gasped audibly. “Your Highness!” she shouted, reaching with all her might in Arianora’s direction.
“Hmph... You’ve outlived your usefulness, you mewling quim. Die!”
He delivered a hard kick to her stomach, then turned back to Arianora with a smile.
“Now then, let’s put you back into your tank. That way we can erase all those pesky memories and return you to a soulless vessel. Once I complete my army of loyal soldiers, we will have no further need of this country.”
His enraptured gaze wasn’t looking at her, but to something beyond.
“We can live somewhere quiet—on a distant mountaintop, perhaps. Yes, it’s high time the Court Grand Mage got to spend a peaceful life of retirement with his Brides and beloved daughter...”
Tanya shuddered. What she sensed from his smile was... affection. He sincerely believed that women—or perhaps all people excluding himself—were better off without an identity of their own.
“Dis...gusting...!” she spat, fighting against the nauseating sensation of mana being siphoned from her body.
At this, Maxwell’s expression clouded over. “Excuse me?”
“I said... you’re disgusting! You keep... talking about people like they’re... objects! Even your own... daughter!”
Maxwell laughed coldly. “Yes, well, objects don’t rebel.”
“Fuck you...!”
And then Tanya heaved herself to her feet.
She could feel her bones creaking as every joint in her body resisted. Truth be told, her mana levels were so low, she wanted nothing more than to collapse to the floor and pass out, as Vis and Arianora had. But no. She was going to stand up.
Meanwhile, Maxwell stared down at her. “Oho. Getting back up, are we?”
She glared at him. Just wait until I wipe that stupid smirk off your face.
There were so many little girls out there dreaming of adventure—she couldn’t let them down. She had to keep fighting for them. For Arianora.
“Tanya...!” Laplace wheezed, breathing heavily.
“Hi, Laplace,” Tanya grinned.
Judging from the way Laplace was sprawled out on the floor, she suspected that this particular spell was increasingly more effective on those with larger capacities for mana. But that was no excuse.
“Tell me, Great Sorceress... is that all you’ve got?” she declared.
At this, Laplace burst out laughing. Her smile was pure and unwavering.
Without her mana, she couldn’t levitate like she usually did, but nevertheless—
“Nnnrrgghh... Non... non... Tanya... You’d do well... not to underestimate me!”
—she pushed herself up onto her feet. On behalf of her younger self—who hadn’t been strong enough to stand up to him—she was going to make a stand.
“We’re not in trouble yet! This isn’t even my final form... I still have 530,000 more phases to go!”