The tradition of wearing white cloaks originates from a story five hundred years ago, in the Vespano tale 《The Princess Wars》.

  Legend goes that during the [Siege of Shirohime], the First Princess of Vespana was trapped in a crumbling fort for weeks on end, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

  During the siege's most desperate moment, her enemies sent a wagon of rge white fgs to mock her, urging her to hang them on the castle walls as a sign of surrender.

  "Oh! But this is perfect to keep the rain and wind out!"

  Saying thus, she ordered the st of her followers to cut the fgs into full-bodied cloaks, with herself donning one to repce her tattered tunic.

  For three days and nights, The First defended the castle's breach by herself. The sight of the lone princess fshing white bde in the pouring rain roused the survivors within the fort, themselves donning white cloaks, fighting alongside The First until the final breakthrough.

  "The survivors of Shirohime would ter call themselves "Valoriists", and this faction is where [Trono Palido] inherits its traditions from!"

  When Val-sama finishes recounting this tale, the synchronized spinning also stops, the enchanted cloak bowing as low as Val-sama, not unlike a pair of performers getting ready to exit the stage. When Val-sama rises from her bow, she gives us a wobbly smile, a little dazed from all the spinning right round!

  "Hey! Careful!!" Madi-san catches Val-sama's falling elbow just in time, preventing her from toppling her over onto the ground!

  "... oops, got a little excited again~"

  If there's one thing I have noticed about our golden-haired friend... Val-sama certainly is the... excitable person. A normal person should have stopped spinning the moment she feels giddy, but Val-sama went on and on until the story finished. What is this? A veetuba's pride? Val-sama's personality quirk? Bad influence from Madi-san? I should be gd that she's not the arrogant and overbearing kind of ojou-sama, but at the same time, please leave this sort of stamina-burning dance routine to people who have infinite stamina hacks!

  While the other two girls are distracted, I must admit I am more than mildly curious about the figure in white cloak standing behind them. With tentative fingers, I push a pair of fingers into the cloak which had formed itself into a figure-like shape, complete with a creepy helm.

  There is absolutely nothing underneath. My fingers poke at the thin air underneath the cloak, and yet, the body shape maintains its form, pushing back naturally.

  So this is [Enchantment Magick]. It gives "attributes" to inanimate objects, it can also make them talk. I must say that such wonderous magick is wasted on making a creepy tour guide stand outside of the city in the middle of an apple orchard.

  What is the basis of this? Is there an invisible phantom underneath the cloak? Or perhaps the cloak itself is the main source of magick? Perhaps its just the wind.

  "Ehehehe, compared to Aya-chan's magick, this is much more useful!"

  What would I give to be able to pull a paper fan out of nowhere to smack Madi-san's skull right now.

  "Anyone can use [Armory] on the New Continent, it just takes a little practice, Ayano-dono~"

  Saying thus, Val-sama seals off her bde by pressing on the tipped end with an open palm, the luminescent bde dispersing into the morning air as she presses down, until it reaches the hilt, which she disperses with a flourish of her hand to the side. As I understand it, this is [Armory] magick; the ability to pull weapons from nowhere and put them away at will. I remember seeing this used by my guardian back in Bylon, pulling out a pair of shotguns out of thin air in golden sparks.

  I doubt that I will ever need to use this though, I'm a detective, not a murderer.

  "Speaking of which, where are we going to have breakfast?"

  The cloaked figure with an eerie metallic voice sounds out from behind me, "If you are going to rest your weary head, may I suggest [Conditorri Cafe]? Home of the heroes of the north---"

  "Even with my magick, it seems I can't remove Master's paid advertisements..." Val-sama puts a white-gloved hand to the mascot's helmed mouth, patting it to keep it quiet, other hand wiping a rge sweatdrop on the side of her head.

  Piping up, our purple-haired friend seems to think that [Conditorri Cafe] is a good idea, spping the bottom of her fist into her open palm,

  "Hmm hmm! I've been wanting to confirm something at the cafe too!"

  This doesn't have anything to do with (((Them))) does it?

  "It has EVERYTHING to do with (((Them)))..."

  Before we go any further; for people who have not read /Madness/, Madi-san likes to call her nebulous enemies whom have all arrayed against her: (((Them))). She believes that her life's mission is to expose the culties, glowies and jannies who have all banded together in one big conspiracy. On one hand, there is zero proof that they are all working together. On the other hand, st night, we finally received a concrete name...

  "... [La Monarquía]!"At the end of a battle which ended with extreme violence, a shaded figure obscured in shadow appeared on the battlefield of goat-headed girls; faceless, featureless and brimming with fearful malice. Decring her name, she stood over the exhausted Madi-san and was about to strike when she was stopped by yours truly and the [Trono Palido] leader, Oracion.

  "Hey!! That's not how the narrative goes! It was definitely, definitely, moi' who scared [La Monarquía] off!" Madi-san rattles the side of my shoulders as the three of us walk the path back to town.

  You, Madi-san? All you did was confuse her with all your prattling! The only thing you were good for was cospying as [Trono Palido's] mascot behind us, it was Oracion who broke through the line of suited goatgirls and [La Monarquía] bolted after seeing her! I don't remember you even being half this smug, crawling backwards on your pantyhosed butt!

  "Someone managed to scare Madison...? I've never heard of this [La Monarquía] person, but she must have some terrifying power levels..." Even Val-sama is astonished at hearing someone managed to get one over the purple-haired exposer of conspiracies. This must not happen much in your history together, but if there's one thing I realized about Madi-san, she never takes a fight she can't win with certainty! The idea of a 「gozen match」[1] scares the pantyhosed boots off our rge-breasted loudmouth here!

  "Humph! She was only running interference after I dealt with her glowing catgirl!" Madi-san knees the air in front of her in a double-legged forward hop, nding on a pile of fallen golden leaves. "Nah, if she 1v1s me, I'd win!"

  Doubt. Seriously, [x] to doubt.

  "If I crush the leader of (((Them))) in New Coimbra, it will be our 「katsu don」[2], my accomplice!" Madi-san grips the air in front of her with a single hand, looking at me with the vibrancy of a sentai series lead.

  Danged purple...! If you would stop murdering my ancestral tongue for ONE second! I'm pretty sure that whoever this [La Monarquía] is, she's not someone you can just ring up for a chicken dinner! Have you not seen her magick? How are you going to catch a cloud of ... whatever that cloud of metal was? Rather than going head-to-head with the leader of a shadowy organization we are not even sure exists, I have a better suggestion...

  "Why don't we try talking it out with [La Monarquía]?

  "We don't negotiate with glowies, Aya-chan!" Madi-san scoffs dismissively.

  Arrrrgrrr...! One moment she's with (((Them))), next moment she's a glowie! Make up your mind, Madi-san!

  "It's ALL the same sheeto!

  Because (((they))) are ALL

  in it together!

  If there's one thing we know for sure,

  [La Monarquía] is among us,

  right here in New Coimbra!!!"

  ...

  ...

  That one I don't deny.

  I don't know what she's up to,

  but,

  I have a pretty good lead on who it is.

  I can't tell Madi-san that.

  Well, (You) will have to wait and see.

  ...

  Thankfully, the idiot before me is easily distracted by the little things and my small silence did not arouse her suspicion or suspiciously adept mind-reading skills, instead, she goes over to the other side of our line to poke at Val-sama in the ribs with her elbow,

  "[Trono Palido] will help in getting rid of our common enemy in [La Monarquía], right, right?"

  "Ohohoho! I will have to confer with Senior Oracion on that~ I am quite out of the loop on things!" Our ughing ojou-sama [3] ughs with a gloved hand to her mouth, even when taking in Madi-san's nonsense from all sides, she still retains that refined and genteel posture, as if nothing can faze her. "[Trono Palido] will keep the peace in the capital, regardless of which faction they belong to!"

  A diplomatic answer, neither denying Madi-san's delusions nor confirming them. Compared to a certain purple-haired troublemaker, Val-sama is much more level-headed! I can tell that Val-sama doesn't quite believe in conspiracies the same way our purple-haired best friend here does, but she also does not want to completely rebutt Madi-san the way I do! Is this the path of a mature and well-brought up dy...?

  Why are you looking at me like that?

  Madi-san is looking at me with those eyes again.

  Those eyes are usually paired with a pout of the mouth,

  silently mouthing the words,

  "She doesn't know."

  W-what don't I know, Madi-san...?

  Go Go And Learn Moonrunes With Aya-chan! (w/ Madison!)[1] 「gozen match」- "'Gozen match' means 'evenly matched'! It means to fight when each pyer has to py with only ONE card on the field..." "Where did you learn THAT nonsense, Madi-san?!"

  [2]「katsu don」- A katsudon, カツ丼, is a dish made of crispy fried pork pted over a bowl of rice, hence the pairing of the word katsu and don. The word Madi-san wanted to say here is probably 「kachi da」, which means victory...? In any case, food is always at the forefront of this purple-haired fiend's mind...

  [3] ojou-sama - お嬢さま, a word to describe the archetype of a young dy who is refined and elegant. That's basically Val-sama, although in traditional portrayals ojou-samas also wear ringlets for 'the look'.

  HouseDerouxScribbles