Chapter 1 Scattered Emotions

A few days after the fight with the Empire.
Al ordered Brusch to report on the Empire’s movement in Eshantel, while Jamka was working on strengthening Althos’ defenses to prepare for an invasion. Of course, Al wasn’t wasting his time, either. He’s been holed up in his late father’s chamber from dawn until dusk, searching high and low for any information about the Demon King. Unfortunately, though, without any results to show for it.

“Arghhhhh! I knew this wouldn’t be easy, but come on already...!”

He slumped into his late father’s chair and tossed the book into a corner of the room. His eyes drifted to the few rays of light that managed to penetrate the drawn curtains. It seems as though another day has dawned upon him.

“I even found the hidden door, but still nothing...”

He let out a tired sigh before falling into deep thought again.

How have I not found anything after all this searching? Did my dad destroy all the documents before his death? Or did he hide them somewhere else? But where? I can’t think of any other place than this. The only place I haven’t checked is the basement… What could I find if I go down there again? There’s nothing except for the door sealing the Demon King. There’s no point in going there again.

He reached his conclusion.

“I’ll have to ask Lilicia again.”

He whispered to himself and got ready to leave the room. The castle corridors were painted orange by the first rays of the sun peeking in through the windows. Stumbling his way toward his office, he caught the attention of a maid and asked her to order Lilicia there.

There was no other way. A few days had passed since her transformation, but she was still working as the head maid. Of course, as she’s a succubus, Al has considered chasing her out of the castle with his sister, Cecilia, but their lack of workforce was more concerning than Lilicia’s goal to revive the Demon King. They concluded that keeping their enemies close would be a wise choice. Interestingly, Lilicia agreed to that proposal as well and swore absolute loyalty to Al. Though the integrity of her declaration was questionable at best. Because of that,
they decided to apply Cecilia’s unique skill, Bind, and force her to never be able to lie to Al. However, they cannot be certain how effective spells are against a succubus. It’s a pity that no matter how much she’d try to help, they could never trust her word blindly. That’s why, instead of asking her directly, Al decided to fish through his father’s chambers, but...

“Oh my, you took some time.”

Lost in thought, Al wasn’t exactly rushing to his office. Lilicia got there before him and was stretching out in front of the door while flashing a wry smile.

“Ah, well... Anyway, let’s go in.”

That smile reminded him of the events that transpired in the basement, so he entered his room slightly unhinged.

“Is it only the two of us, Your Majesty?”

After respectfully bowing to Al, Lilicia followed him into the room. Seeing her humble attitude calmed Al a bit, but maybe he was just being naive due to his severe lack of sleep.

“Yeah. Otherwise you wouldn’t say a thing.”

“Oh, I’d talk about anything you’d like. Except for the Demon King, that is.”

Lilicia said with a cheeky smile. She was telling the truth. Every time Cecilia or any other Diva was nearby, she’d dodge all questions regarding the Demon King.

“Take a seat.”

Al offered her the sofa while he himself sat down on his desk. If it came down to it, the greatsword decorating the wall would be within his reach. Lilicia easily saw through his intentions and stood next to the sofa with an even bigger smile on her face.

“Don’t worry, I have already mentioned that I would never lay a finger on the Demon King’s vessel. Furthermore, Lady Cecilia’s Bind is still active.

Lilicia said.

“Right, then let’s take a seat here.”

We won’t get anywhere otherwise.

He steeled his heart and sat down.

Now, where should we start?

Not a single word was spoken for a few seconds after they sat down. Al was grinding his gears, trying to find the proper question.

“Oh my, why are you staring at me so intensely? Have you been charmed by your maid’s beauty?”

Contrasting Al’s nerves, Lilicia laughed carelessly.

“Hehe, now I understand why you invited me into your chambers alone. May we continue where we left off last time?”

She instantly jumped up from the sofa and slipped into the bed without any hesitation.

“No, sorry, I didn’t call you here to fool around!”

“Who’s fooling around? I’m always ready for you, Your Majesty. I’m a succubus, after all.”

Al approached the bed to drag her out, but understanding the gravity of the situation, Lilicia stood up by herself, looking as disappointed as ever. Or so he thought, but her disappointed gaze quickly changed into a bewitching leer.

“There!”

She jumped on Al and pushed him onto the sofa.

“Hey, what the--!? How are you so strong!?”

“I’m a succubus.”

Without losing her enchanting smile, she got on top of Al in a moment’s notice.

“So, what should we do?”

She suggestively licked the tips of her fingers. That inhuman charm bewitched Al; his body was rapidly heating up and his sleep-deprived mind was being overloaded by the extreme sensations.

If I don’t stop this now, things are gonna get bad!
Al used the bounciness of the sofa to his advantage and made Lilicia lose her balance.

“Now!”

He successfully switched positions with her.

“How assertive of you, Your Majesty.”

Wearing her maid uniform, she was pinned to the bed by Al. He’d most definitely be in a tough spot if someone walked in on them, but he didn’t have the luxury to worry about such details now.
“Lilicia. Tell me everything you know about Heavenly Surge and its relation to the defeat of the Demon King and the Divas.”

Al got straight to the point.

“Haah... What a boorish face and question given the situation.”

“Hey, what’s your problem with my face!?”

Pinned below Al on the sofa, Lilicia’s cheeks were slightly flushed, as if she were expecting something completely different.

“Heavenly Surge... An explosive increase in magical power when the Demon King’s scythe and the relics, as well as the Demon King’s and the Divas’ feelings, intertwine and empower each other.”

But she suddenly switched back to serious mode, sat up, and leaned close to Al, leaving only a couple inches between their faces.

“There♥”

Al instinctively flinched back, but he couldn’t stop having the tides turned once again. Lilicia was celebrating her victory, while Al was cursing himself for letting his guard down. As he realized that his waist was trapped under Lilicia’s legs, his lower half began wriggling lasciviously. Her plump thighs and the tiny, thin layer of fabric covering her girly bits that was peeking out from under her skirt were tempting Al to enter nature’s treasury.

“But in this castle, just above the Demon King’s shrine, the magical energy would considerably increase even without the scythe.”
 

Ah, so that’s why Cecilia grew so powerful back then...

While Al was beginning to grasp the ins and outs of Heavenly Surge, Lilicia was enticingly sliding her waist up and down on his lap.

“H-Hey! Stop...”

Knowing full well that Al was fighting his urges, Lilicia began to unbutton her clothes in a slow, teasing manner.

“Whyyy? Our feelings intertwine better when our bodies do the same, Your Majesty.”

No matter how hard he tried, Al couldn’t take his eyes off of Lilicia’s bosom, relentlessly trying to escape the confines of her clothes. While he was busy trying to escape the bewitching mounds, Lilicia leaned close in and looked at him with lust-filled eyes. At the same time, he could feel her breasts push up against his chest. His head was spinning from the wild sensation; he was about to lose control of his already vigorously wriggling lower half. Lilicia pushed forward to test Al’s resolve.

“You know, having certain body parts touch and exchanging magically-charged bodily fluids works great too. For example, exchanging blood, saliva, sweat or #$@& would definitely trigger Heavenly Surge.”

“#$@&!? Are you serious!?”

She wouldn’t actually go that far... would she?

Lilicia watched Al take a huge, nervous gulp.

“The more you do it, the mixed bodily fluids--no, the magical energy gets thicker, causing Heavenly Surge to get more powerful.”

Swimming in pleasure, she continued sharing valuable information.

I want to know more about Heavenly Surge, but this is bad. If I don’t do something, I’ll become her plaything!
Still in a daze, he once again wrapped his arms around Lilicia to get on top, but...

“Shhh♥”

“Eep!”

Lilicia stopped his master plan with a sweet, gentle blow into his ear.

“Your Majesty, how am I supposed to finish my explanation if you’re so forceful?”

She said without any hesitation at all. To be fair, she was right in a way, but that wasn’t the point Al was expecting to deal with. He was already tired of dealing with his eager libido, ready to take over his entire being every time Lilicia started grinding herself on top of him, but it’s not something he could tell her outright. She’d probably do it even more only to tease the young king.

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, and sorry for calling you here on such short notice. You can get back to work now.”

Because of that, he decided to go with a more cool-headed strategy, but instead of going along with it, Lilicia pushed her lasciviously bouncing breasts together and shared a critical point in a seductive tone.

“Why the hurry? I talked about Heavenly Surge, but I haven’t said a word about the Demon King yet, have I? Like how in the seal will break in just a few years and such.”

“Oh my, you didn’t know? Anyone with the slightest knack for magic would have realized it from all that magical energy seeping through the door.”

She suddenly transformed into the same vixen that fooled Al down in the basement. Al clearly found her revolting.

“Wanna know how to reapply the seal?”

She said it teasingly. She’s like the incarnation of the term playing with fire.
He wanted to tell her that he’d do something about it and leave it at that, but based on the results of his search so far, he knew he wasn’t in a position to deny valuable information and, sulking, let her continue.

“Hehehe, I’ll reward you for being a good, honest boy. Reapplying the seal is quite simple, all you have to do is to perform Heavenly Surge with all seven Divas.”

“Wait, I have to do Heavenly Surge with all of them?”

She nodded.

“Exactly! The power of the seven Divas, the Valkyrie’s strength will amass inside you, which will strengthen the seal to the point where the Demon King won’t be able to do a thing!”

She seductively ran her fingers down Al’s chest, as her jiggling, ripe watermelons hypnotized him.

The old lady from the canteen naked, Dante’s fat belly...

He imagined everything he could think of to resist the temptation.

“Oh, and please keep this a secret from all the Divas, including Cecilia. It’d be too much fun if they-- Ahem, it would greatly influence their feelings if they found out.”

Wait, what was that!?

In an attempt to play dumb, she looked away and enticingly put a finger to her lips.

“But it’s okay if I know it?”

He tried attacking back, but...

“It’s completely fine! Not like you can control your emotions either way!”

“Ughhh!”

It backfired.

“Is there anything else?”

She gently nibbled on the young king’s ear. Seeing him tense up from it, Lilicia chuckled.

“Uhhh... There’s one more thing.”

Completely defeated, he still found one last point of interest in what she said.

“You’re a succubus whose goal is to revive the Demon King. Why would someone in your position tell me the way to stop all that?”

She was supposed to be working on reviving the Demon King, but everything she said in this room goes against that goal.

“Tell me, why?”

He asked with a shaky voice. And a moment later...

“Pfahahaha! What are you so nervous about? I didn’t know Your Majesty was such a scaredy-cat!”

She burst out in tears.

Please, for the love of God... They’re jiggling too much!

Perhaps she somehow sensed Al’s desperate cries, as Lilicia wiped her tears and calmed down a bit.

“I told you, I wouldn’t lay a finger on the Demon King’s vessel, and I’m still under Cecilia’s spell.”

She couldn’t lie to him. He knew that very well.

“And don’t get me wrong, helping you now also helps out the Demon King. If the seal is to break before the vessel is ready to host it, the Demon King’s power will simply run rampant.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, yes. Have I ever lied to you?”

She said, smiling when she saw that Al had calmed down a bit.

“Well, there was the thing about you being a succubus and all that!”

“I would’ve told you if you had asked.”

Lilicia puffed out her cheeks.

Talk about backward logic!

Al stared at her intently.

“And I’ve been enjoying the years I spend with you and Cecilia, so I’m thinking I could just wait for the next vessel to revive the Demon King.”

Al was speechless before her cute, content smile after she suddenly snapped back into head maid mode. Lilicia slowly brought a finger to her lips and...

“Don’t forget, it’s a secret!”

Then she slowly pushed her finger against Al’s lips, got off of him, and left the room.

“H-Hey! Lilicia!”

He remembered one last thing he wanted to ask, so he sat up and called out to her.

“Say, why won’t Jamka’s arm heal? His body fully recovered after being split open by the scythe.”

When Jamka showed him his injury later, there wasn’t a single scratch where his arm was separated. But Cecilia said that his arm began breaking down in front of her eyes.

“Beats me. Maybe it has something to do with that red crystal Lesfina is studying. But more importantly, try using your head sometimes too. You’ll go dull if all you do is ask questions.”

Without even turning around to give an answer, she left the room. Al didn’t even have the strength to comment on her rude demeanor.

“Haaah. Geez, just how much can I trust her?”

Wiping off the spot where Lilicia touched his mouth, he stared at the closed door in the empty room.

“Damn, what a gloomy place.”

Al wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and entered the dim corridor. He was heading toward the basement, where only the members of the royal family can set foot. He felt inclined to visit it again after his discussion with Lilicia.

“I didn’t really want to come, but here I am...”

Finding out that the kind, wonderful, trustworthy maid who’d been at his side since he was a toddler was a succubus was incredibly difficult for the young king to swallow.

“And it’s not even some baseless rumor, she herself admitted to it.”

Recalling her last words from their talk made him flinch in disgust. Fighting off his instincts, he pressed forward.

“I’m only here to confirm what Lilicia said, nothing else. I achieved Heavenly Surge with Sharon once, so if what she said is true, there should be some sort of change here.”

He mumbled to himself. And then...

“The door to the seal.”

He sighed, arriving at the giant, pitch-black door.

“What’s this...? I don’t feel hot or cold...”

He had prepared himself for the worst based on his previous visit, but there was nothing. The magic seeping through the door had considerably decreased as well.

“Was she telling the truth, meaning the seal has grown stronger?”

No signs of dizziness or nausea.

“I didn’t just get used to it... did I? I mean, I’m the Demon King’s vessel, so I very well may have, but... nothing about me has changed since my last visit.”

Despite the time he took to deliberate his options, the magic seeping through the door didn’t have any effects on his body.

“Maybe I can... trust Lilicia after all?”

Eyes glued to the door, he quietly murmured to himself.

The next morning, Al woke up in his bed. The bright sunshine peeking through the curtains indicated another wonderful day. But no matter how perfect the weather was, Al didn’t feel on the top of his game, and he knew exactly why. His head had been spinning ever since yesterday’s talk with Lilicia.

“If I don’t perform Heavenly Surge with all seven Divas, the Demon King will revive, huh? It kind of makes sense, but it’s still weird… Though after seeing the seal for myself, I have to believe her for now. Heavenly Surge, huh...”

He was absentmindedly murmuring to himself.

“You’d like to do Heavenly Surge?”

“Ah no, it’s not that I necessarily want to...”

He honestly answered the sudden question.

Wait, did I hear someone ask me that?

He was certain he heard a voice, but his door was bolstered with dozens of defensive spells. Currently, his room had better defenses than the royal treasury.

“Nhhhh!”

At least, it was supposed to have better defenses.

No, it can’t be. It can’t be, can it?
But his pleas were...

“So fluffy and warm...”

Destroyed by the small figure snuggling his blankets right next to him.

“Wh-Why!? How!?”

He turned around dumbfounded...

“Morning, Al.”

He saw Feena hiding under the blankets next to him.

“Morning, Feena. What brings you here on this wonderful morning? Sharon did something similar not so long ago, is slipping into someone’s bedroom while they’re sleeping some sort of custom abroad?”

He was slowly but surely coming to his senses, but he still was far from being able to grasp his current situation. That’s probably why he started such a calm, normal conversation.

“No, it’s different. Sharon was wrapped up in ribbons, but I’m wearing something else.”

Then, she dealt the finishing blow.

“Revealing yet subtle, a single white shirt.”

“What’s revealing and subtle about a white shirt? I don’t get it.”

Al pushed the blankets away as he tried to escape the gravitational pull of his bed. As he turned around, he finally spotted Feena sitting up on his bed, wearing an oversized white shirt. The shirt was unbuttoned down to her cleavage, revealing her crystal-clear, snow-white skin that put any white fabric to shame, and her elegant, beautiful thighs were peeking out from the bottom of the shirt.

“W-Wait, you literally meant nothing but a--”

“I’m. Not. Telling~!”

Wearing only that white shirt and maybe a pair of panties, her white skin struck something dormant in Al’s soul, as he became unable to take his eyes off the quiet girl.

“...”

His heart thumped louder than ever. He found her adorable, no matter how much of a nuisance this was. Lately, the way she was always tiptoeing around him like a kitten had become more endearing to him, and he’d recently become able to read the slight changes in her expressions.
Even though she said multiple times that she wanted to turn him into a puppet with a blank face, everything she did was incredibly helpful for Al. She might not have worn a warm smile, but deep down, she was a kind girl. Or so he thought.

Wait, what if I’m already under the spell that turns me into her puppet!?

But he quickly denied that idea.
After all, the Demon King’s seal negates any and all attacks coming from a Diva.

But then, what is this feeling? The last time I felt something like this was when I did Heavenly Surge with Sharon.

“Feena...”

He took a big gulp in an attempt to calm himself down.

“Wait, I’m not done yet!”

She got overconfident from her seemingly successful plan, so she got a bucket full of water from God knows where.

“Aaand...!”

splash!

She proudly poured it over her head.

“Wh-What the hell are you--!?”

Al was dumbstruck. The outlines of Feena’s body were completely visible through the drenched, completely transparent, thin white shirt. Not only that, but...

“I’m going commando!”

She explained boastfully with a slight hint of pink coloring her cheeks. With her over-the-top levels of teasing, she was already sure of her victory. It was only natural; with her invitingly peeking snow-white legs and transparent white shirt sticking to her skin, no one could fault Feena for proclaiming her victory. If you looked at her, that is.

“Then tell me: why in the world would you soak my bed!?”

The previous understanding, appreciation, and awe for Feena quickly drained from Al’s eyes as they followed the water quietly dripping down from his bed to the floor.
Unsure of what to do with the drenched bed, he looked at Feena, devoid of empathy or appreciation.
“Why aren’t you jumping on me, Al? I read that men are the most active in the morning-- Achoo!”

Feena was rudely interrupted by a sneeze.

“Heeeey, youuu! What were you thinking!? You’ll catch a cold if you drench yourself wearing only a thin shirt!”

“Kyahh!”

In one fell swoop, he covered her with a blanket and picked her up.

“Al?”
Al looked back at the confused girl with a slightly frustrated expression.

“Just stay put for a moment!”

He passed by the sofa and put Feena down in front of the fireplace.

“Fireball!”

Then he threw a small fireball into the fireplace, creating a warmly dancing little flame.

“Stay there until your clothes dry!”

Geez, she’s always so reckless!

He turned around and sulked his way to the bed with big, audible steps.

“How do I even clean up this flood?”

He was standing still and tapping his temple, when...

“Let me dry it up.”

He suddenly felt Feena standing behind him.

“No, don’t you dare cast a fireball in here! The whole room will go up in flames!”

She put on a smug smile after hearing Al’s complaints.

“I’m not an idiot.”

She said as a gentle wind began dancing around her.
“Diablo Gale.”

The warm wind gently brushed his cheeks, but then...

“Hey, I know this won’t burn my room to a crisp, but--”

The gentle breeze quickly turned into a raging wind and swept over the room.

“Don’t worry, I’ll-- Ah!”

She was blasted through the window by the strong wind before she could finish her sentence,
which normally wouldn’t be a huge issue, but they just so happened to be on the top floor of the castle.

“Feena!”

Al rushed to the window, but...

“That was close.”

Feena quickly cast Levitate and landed softly with the blanket still wrapped around her.

“...At least she isn’t hurt. Well, nothing will get done if I stand here and mope, so it’s time to get my morning exercise.”

Looking around the empty, devastated room, he completely gave up on cleaning it up. Taking the advice someone had once left him with, he quickly changed from his pajamas and left for the castle gates with his scythe.

The moment he stepped into the corridor, Al ran into a maid.

“G-Good morning, Your Majesty!”

She flinched for a moment due to the ominous scythe Al was carrying but quickly collected herself.

I feel like I’m just feeding into the rumors with this.

He returned her greeting halfheartedly, as he was too busy staring at the scythe in his hand.

“...”

It looked like a simple, ordinary scythe.

“Either way, I have to admit that this is a pretty useful weapon.”

In a normal war between humans, he’d have had Cecilia seal it away, but it was an invaluable weapon when it came to saving people from abominations. In face of an invasion from the Empire, they would most definitely need to use that scythe. But Al himself also had to get stronger in order to shoulder his dreams of protecting his people. And physical strength wasn’t the only area he had to improve in. He had to forge his will as well if he wanted to stop the Demon King from taking over his body. But everything started with mastering that scythe.

He arrived at the castle gates while mulling over these ideas. It was the same place they had the meeting with that slimy slave trader not so long ago. The training grounds sat on the right side of the gates, though calling it that might have been an exaggeration. It was a simple, plain area with a single storage room for swords and a couple of logs for training. Even then, there were usually quite a few people training there in the afternoon, but there was no one to be seen at such an early hour, which Al was incredibly thankful for. He didn’t want to unnecessarily strengthen the rumors about him being the Demon King.

“Fuuu... Good!”

He looked around once more to confirm that he was alone.

“Haaa!”

He slashed downward with all his might, tracing the arc from the basic technique Jamka had taught him. He had undergone training with basic weapons in the past, but had rarely used a scythe before, so his skills were not at a level suitable for the battlefield. He’d cheated death during his last battle, but there was no guarantee luck would side with him again. As such, he was training as much as he could.

“Haaa! Arghhh! Ughhh!”

He was confidently swinging his scythe at first, but some idle thoughts quickly clouded his mind.

I have to do Heavenly Surge with all seven Divas, huh...? Heavenly Surge... I already did it with Sharon, so there are only six left...

The scene when he performed Heavenly Surge with Sharon played vividly in his mind, making the young king’s face bright red in a matter of seconds.

I have to do that six more times...

“Arghhhh!”

He swung the scythe with all his might in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. Finishing his basic exercise also helped to clear his mind.

“Fuuu... But I won’t get anywhere if I don’t do anything, will I...?”

He couldn’t completely trust Lilicia, but his gut told him that something was brewing, something that could swallow the entire continent. For someone who couldn’t even save his own country, thinking that he could shoulder the fate of the world would be nothing short of impudent, but he was still doing everything in his power to fend off the dangers lurking in the shadows.

“I-I don’t particularly want to do lewd things with them, but I have to make sure that Lilicia is telling the truth somehow...”

“What, taking a break already? Don’t be such a pushover.”

A sharp voice answered his excuse. It was Sharon.

“H-Hey, Sharon. It’s rare to see you so early...”

“Y-Yeah, I just happened to wake up early today.”

The pair bashfully greeted one another, each holding their signature weapon. It had been a few days since they performed Heavenly Surge, but the atmosphere between the two hadn’t improved in the slightest. Both of them knew they were overreacting, but they couldn’t do anything about it.

“A-Al, have you gotten used to the scythe yet? I-I could help you out if you want...”

They may have known that they were in the wrong, but a person’s feelings don’t change so easily. Despite that, however, Sharon was visibly happy to offer her help. At least, judging from half of her face she wasn’t hiding in embarrassment.

“U-Umm... Could you?”

Al answered, sporting a similar thousand-yard stare.

“Okay, in that case... prepare yourself!”

She fixed her grip on her sword. Her previous bashful expression had all but vanished. No wonder she was called the Diva of the Sword; her stance left nothing to be desired.

“Please be gentle.”

Al grabbed the handle of his scythe as well and took up a fighting stance.

“...”

Their intense staring contest ended abruptly as both of them averted their gazes.

What the hell am I doing!? How am I supposed to train while staring at the ground!?

He figured his racing heart may have been due to his intense workout just moments ago, but Sharon was also staring at the ground with rosy cheeks.

“This is... so not me!”

She stared at Al, seemingly upset.

“Al, I’m not holding back. Prepare yourself!”

Sharon grabbed her sword and prepared to attack.

“Haaaaaaaaa!”

Only dancing dust remained to indicate Sharon’s position as she seemingly vanished into nothingness with her charge.

“Wha--!? Gh, rghhh!”

A moment later, she reappeared in front of Al, ready to strike. A loud clang! reassured him that he had somehow managed to stop the blade a hair’s breadth away from decapitating him.

“What the hell, are you serious--”

“Shut up and fight!”

Blushing, she took another swing.

“Wait, isn’t this your assassination play all over again!?”

“No, I just can’t think clearly if I don’t get my exercise.”

“Geez, how much of a handful can you be!?”

While turning a blind eye to his own contribution to the current situation, he inserted his own little commentary while frantically warding off Sharon’s relentless attacks. Of course, he knew that she was holding back; he’d have tasted dirt long ago if she weren’t.

“Hey, no slacking! Put your back into that defense!”

But holding back didn’t strip her of all her power. One misstep and her blade borderline rubbed his cheek. He knew it could never reach him, but his body stiffened up when he saw the rapidly swinging longsword.

“Don’t tense up! You have to be more flexible when taking a blow!”

She shot harsh criticism at him.

“You’ll have no time to practice during a battle!”

He stumbled every once in a while, but he was managing to take Sharon’s blows. Then, after getting used to Sharon’s attack patterns, he signaled the beginning of his counterattack.

“Now! Whoaaa!”

“That’s an opening!”

wham!

But he ate a crushing blow before he could do anything.

“Gahhh!”

Of course, the blade didn’t actually reach his body, but the pressure of the strike itself was enough to send him rolling through the field like a ball. After confirming that Al was down for the count, Sharon let out a proud huff and put on a smug grin.

“You still have ways to go.”

But when she walked up to Al, her smile vanished. It was rare for her to wear a serious expression, but this was one of those times.

“Anyway, what do you think?”

She asked the young king, who was trying to get up from the ground.

“Huh? About what?”

Sharon asking something completely out of left field; leaving Al speechless had become something of a running gag between the two. And as usual, he tilted his head in confusion.

“Y’know... about me, umm... About me having been a slave!”

She shut her eyes and stood firmly as if she’d made up her mind about something.

“Huh?”

I didn’t get anywhere with that… What in the world is she talking about!?

“Come on, say something!”

Sharon ground her teeth at Al, who had given up on trying to figure out the meaning behind her cryptic words.

“I’m a Diva, but I used to be a slave! It, umm... It wouldn’t be strange if you threw me in jail and enslaved me again!”

Pain was strewn across her face. She was correct, Al would have a diplomatic trump card against Freiya if he caught them lying by sending a slave over instead of a princess like they promised. But then Sharon would be despised by both countries, so he already had his answer.

“No way I’d do that. While you’ve been quite the handful, you helped me out a lot too... and throwing a former slave in jail would go against everything I stand for.”

He puffed out his chest after stating what was obvious to him.

“Uh-huh, I see...”

She must’ve expected it, as she wasn’t very surprised. Not only that, she even doubled down on the questions.

“Al... Are you going to be happy once you liberate the slaves?”

He has heard this question before. He was a fool back then, a naive king who knew nothing of the world. That may have still been the case, too, but Al wanted to believe he’d grown out of it,
o he gave his honest thoughts on the matter.

“I don’t know what’s right, or if it’d make me happy. What’s important is that I want to do it.”

“That you want to do it, huh...?”

Sharon looked at him, perplexed.

“Live your life as you see fit. If people are still willing to follow you, then you have the makings of a great leader.”

Long, long ago, the late king told him these words.

“So I’ll keep liberating slaves, but I’ve said goodbye to my reckless ways. I want to show them how to lead happy, fulfilling lives and build my country into a place where everyone can have a chance at freedom. We’re nowhere near achieving it just yet, but one day I’ll turn this country into a safe haven for the wretched.”

He completely opened up to Sharon.

“Don’t get stuck on meaningless details, do what you believe in. You have nothing to worry about, I’ll be there to carry that burden with you if you ever get stuck.”

“Hehe, how generous of you.”

She answered Al with a gentle smile.

“Yeah. You know, my dad always used to say, ‘If you get punched, punch back twice as hard, but if someone does you a favor, pay them back tenfold’.”

Al said, carried away by the situation.

“Really now? Then you owe me twenty favors in total, right?”

“Hey, why’d you add another one!? Huh? Are you okay?”

He meant to give a funny retort, but Sharon’s smile suddenly wiped off her face.

“Al. Do you know that I had another reason to come here besides assassinating you?”

Her sudden change of tone and powerful eyes would leave anyone frozen in place.

“You mentioned using my position before.”

“Yeah. I’ll use your country to smash that fool sitting on the Freiyan throne and save my friends who’ve fallen into slavery!”

Al couldn’t help but nearly let a chuckle slip after hearing that ridiculous declaration. He knew very well that they stood no chance against that superpower. But Sharon’s unwavering eyes wouldn’t allow such disrespect, and Al knew that. As he was standing there completely dumbstruck, Sharon put on a gentle smile.

“Though your country will have to get stronger before we can do anything about that. And if you find that my plan goes against everything you stand for, feel free to throw me in jail!”

She casually challenged his ideals while still wearing the same gentle smile. Al was trying to choose his words carefully, but he gave up. There was no need to tiptoe around someone sharing her deepest feelings.

“Well, I already said I’ll carry that burden with you, and I’m not throwing you into jail.”

“What’s with that half-assed response!? At least tell me you’d sacrifice your life for my dream or something!”

She retorted with a rude remark, not unfamiliar to Al. But Al knew Sharon was just joking around as she playfully stole a glance at his face.

“Well, I think you should just keep doing what you’re doing.”

He said teasingly.
“Though if you keep eating this much, there’s no way you’ll fit into our cells--”

wham!

“Gahh!”

Sharon had seemed flustered, but Al’s crude remarks were still met with a full swing of her blade.

“Geez, you never know when to shut up, do you...? But thanks.”

Her last words didn’t reach Al’s ears, as he once again found himself tumbling on the ground.

“So, can I stay in the castle?”

She was looking at him intently, searching for confirmation.

“Ow, ow, ow... Of course you can! More importantly, is bashing someone with a longsword your way of showing gratitude?”

“Hehehe, yeah, it is, so don’t ‘Ow’ at me.”

“What does that mean!?”

Sharon completely ignored the raging king and nonchalantly walked over to him.

“Oh my, you’re covered in mud!”

“And whose fault might that be!?”

Sharon let out a hearty laugh.

“Go and clean yourself up before breakfast! You won’t survive our next training session if you dare to drip mud on my delicious meal, got it!?”

Why is the person that made me take a dive in the mud berating me now!?

“And...”

Oh, great, she’s not done yet.

“Now that we’re here, let me make something clear! Back then I... Umm... What happened doesn’t mean I love you! You were bawling your eyes out, so I had no choice; I was basically backed into a corner. I wanted to console you and it was a special one-time service from me! S-So don’t think of us as lovers or anything!”

She blurted it all out in one go. Al flashed a wry smile, feeling somewhat bad for Sharon.

“Don’t worry, I know. I’m really grateful you helped me protect my people and that’s all. The kiss didn’t count, and we’re not lovers. Are we on the same page?”

“No, I mean, you don’t have to deny it like you were falsely accused of murder...”

But you did the same, didn’t you? Why do you look so sad all of a sudden? What should I have said!?

He might’ve complained inside, but he wanted to put a smile on the girl’s face, so he tried talking his way out of it.

“Don’t worry... just think of it as something mundane, like confusing salt with sugar, and forget it. I’ll wipe it from my memory too.”

His body still faintly remembered that ecstatic feeling, but he believed it was an aftereffect of Heavenly Surge. Al was certain Sharon felt the same and would agree to his proposal.

“You... idiot!”

She couldn’t even produce a shout, berating Al in a thin, high-pitched voice. But even so, her words pierced his soul.

“Hey, why are you getting mad!? You should--”

“Shut up, you big dummy! Go take a bath already, you stink!”

He tried to fight the pain in his soul by talking to Sharon, but she pushed him toward the gate, cutting him off.

“All right, I’ll go and take a bath if that’s what you want! Geez...”

They wouldn’t be able to have a peaceful discussion like this, so he did what she asked.

“I’ll... never forget it.”

Staring at Al’s back, Sharon whispered to herself.

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“Nothing, you idiot!”

Al asked in response, but he was instantly shot down.

She’s beet red, she must be fuming.

Al didn’t want to anger her any more, so he reluctantly entered the castle despite feeling like he was missing something. Their exchange ended there, without either of them noticing the presence of the blue-haired girl watching over them...

The moment he entered the castle, he spotted Jamka, staring intently at a piece of paper.

“What are you doing?”

Al was planning to slip away before Jamka could complain to him, but Jamka’s eager stare forced him to start a discussion.

“Why are you holed up in this corner? Did someone chase you out or something?”

He was worried the staff would bully him for being a so-called “traitor”, but...

“Don’t say something so cruel the moment we meet! And you know that everyone was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t blame you. If I found out that the king I’ve been serving with everything I have is a spoiled brat and is now rumored to be the Demon King himself, I would want to run away too!’ Why would these people want to chase me away, huh!?”

He got told off. Al made a mental note to ask who exactly said that, while Jamka put on a friendly smile.

“Though, even if you sound like a pestering mother-in-law, I know you’re just worried about me. Sorry.”

But his gentle smile couldn’t fool Al. Jamka was obviously trying to hide the document he’d just been reading.

“Okay. Well, let me know if anything happens.”

Al acted like he didn’t see anything, and casually passed Jamka, but then...

“And just what the hell is this!?”

The moment he passed behind Jamka he snagged the document from him.

“Ah! Hey, wait, that’s... that’s not what it looks like! I got that from Lady Cecilia...”

Jamka tried to come up with an excuse on the spot.

“From my sister?”

Jamka rarely ever got flustered, so Al found him incredibly suspicious. He quickly went over the paper in his hands.

“A bill for allowing marriage between siblings, parents and children, and men and women of all ages!”

Al read the outrageous title.

“Haah... Geez, what the hell, Cecilia...?”

He felt his mind going numb as he let out an exhausted sigh.

“Anyway, I’ll give this to her myself. You have enough on your plate as it is, don’t get caught up in her wild ideas.”

“Y-You’re right, but I received this from her personally, so I should be the one to bring it back!”

Al couldn’t help but put on a wry smile upon witnessing Jamka’s absolute loyalty.

“It’s fine. Let me help you once in a while.”

“O-Okay, then... Thank you...”

Jamka walked away, seemingly dejected.

He was acting a lot like this when that happened...

Al recalled the events leading up to Jamka’s desertion. He quickly ran after his old friend, but...

“Haah, there goes Brusch’s wedding...”

He just barely caught that quiet, careful whisper. He stopped in his tracks.

“What a freaking joke!”

He aggressively ripped apart the document in his hand and headed to the grand bath.

“Haah, finally. Took a while to get here.”

Al still had time before breakfast, but for some reason, it bothered him how much time he had wasted on Jamka.

What should I do with him?

Rage building inside him, he threw open the doors to the grand bath.

“Good, at least it’s free.”

He peeked into the bath. The giant tub, able to fit twenty people, filled the room with thick, warm steam. He carefully examined the massive bath, about four times as large as Al’s own room,
but he couldn’t even see the tip of this nose through the thick steam.

“I’ve already dealt with our resident assassination maniac, so I think I can go in safely.”

Saying so, he wrapped a towel around his waist and entered the bath. He wanted to jump into the inviting bathtub immediately, but doing so covered in mud would be rather rude. He filled a bucket lying on the floor with water and poured it over his head.

“Ouch, ow...”

The warm water invaded a random scratch on his body.

“I couldn’t even launch a counterattack...”

Tracing the scratch with his finger, he sunk his body into the water. He closed his eyes and melted onto the bottom of the bathtub.

“Ahhh! This is what I’ve been waiting all day for!”

He clenched his fist in happiness. Althos was not a wealthy country by any means, but in other countries, not even the royalty could allow themselves to soak in so much warm water. But Althos was different. It was chosen as the resting place for the Demon King because of the immense magical energy coursing underground. That energy strengthened the seal, but it also provided numerous benefits for its residents. One of those benefits was the water. The magical energy purified the underground streams, allowing it to spring above ground as hot water, providing the residents access to hot water at any time.

“Haah~, is this what heaven feels like?”

He washed his face and aimlessly stared forward. But suddenly, he spotted an ominous shadow swimming on the surface of the water.

“I thought Sharon was done with this... Is this a new assassin?”

He stared intently at the shadow, raging inside about his quality time being ruined. Swaying on the surface, it was slowly approaching Al. Al carefully stood up and grabbed the only weapon within his reach: a wooden bucket. And then...

“Wha--!?”

He was speechless when he finally spotted the figure projecting the shadow. It was none other than Feena, wearing her birthday suit.

“Huh? F-Fee-- What? Why?”

Due to the sudden change from complete relaxation to a seemingly life-threatening situation, he lost the ability to form a coherent sentence.

“I can’t see a thing with all this steam. I totally can’t see her beautiful, clear skin slowly turning slightly reddish!”

He whispered as if praying to the gods. Averting his gaze didn’t even cross his mind given his stupor.

She’s buck naked!

Something began swelling in, or, to be more precise, on Al, proving that he was still a healthy young man.

“Ahh!”

Al quickly sunk himself into the water to hide his bulging manhood.

“Al, it’s rude to enter the bath with your towel wrapped around you.”

“And how isn’t it rude for us to take a bath at the same time, huh!?”

He quietly praised himself for conjuring up a retort in this situation.

“It’s normal for a married couple.”

But the blue-haired Diva wasn’t affected by it at all. On the contrary...

“Al, let me wash your back. Then I’ll wash your #$@& with my &#*@&$. I’ll even clean your %#&@$, so please...”

The moment she finished her unnecessarily detailed plan...

splash!

She was rather shaky when she made her way to Al, but she collapsed into the water. She sank down like a stone; only the bubbling water could be heard behind her.
One... two...

blub

Her pinkish back floated above the water, but the rest of her body was still with the fishes.

“Huh!? Hey! Are you okay? Stop fooling around or you’ll drown...”

He rushed over to Feena, but he suddenly stopped.

I can’t touch her like this.

If he touched Feena directly, she would be overtaken by lust--er, Heavenly Surge.

Wait, this could be my chance. If I don’t activate Heavenly Surge with all seven Divas, the Demon King will be released.

He repeated Lilicia’s words.

“With Feena taken care of right here... there’d be five left, huh?”

He contemplated, but Al still wasn’t certain he could trust Lilicia.

Oh, and we don’t have the scythe or her relic here...

Then he remembered that this was no time to ponder on such issues.

“Anyway, this isn’t right. I can throw my pride, along with my dream, into the trash if I do Heavenly Surge with an unconscious girl!”

Though now that I think about it, we’re both naked in a closed room… This is bad.

Not only was the situation with the drowning girl horrible, his slowly fading self-control worried him just as much.

“Crap... But I have to do something...”

Subdera’s Diva drowned in Althos’ bath. Even if that were true, no one would believe such a ridiculous statement. Al made up his mind, took the towel off his waist, and approach Feena...
all the while keeping his eyes shut. Then, the moment he tried to wrap the towel around her and pick her up--

splash!

Feena suddenly lifted her head out of the water. Al opened his eyes at the splashing sound, only to be met with her gorgeous, snow-white skin reflected by the warm bath water, along with her surprisingly modest mounds.

“Pwah! Al... you were so slow... I had to come... back up... I nearly drowned there...!”

What she saw was Al standing there like some sort of ancient statue in all his manly glory... or so he imagined. What he didn’t realize was that the girl’s head was right around the level of his waist, and her eyes were glued to a certain something of his. Her cheeks were getting more and more flushed by the second.

“How assertive of you... But don’t you think it’s a bit too soon?”

Feena must’ve been embarrassed; she was fidgeting and covering her eyes with her hands.
Al didn’t have time to worry about that, though.

“No, wait! I wanted to save--”

He quickly denied the most heinous accusation, but...

“Al, did you want to tie my hands together with that towel and turn me into your plaything?”

“No, what!? If I touched you directly, you’d be overtaken by lust, remember?”

“You’re so into me that you want to do Heavenly Surge... Thank you...”

Her delusions were getting out of control and her cheeks grew redder and redder, until she once again sank into the water.

“Blub!”

“Hey, Feena!”

He quickly grabbed Feena with the towel and dragged her out of the bath. He finally had time to let out a sigh of relief, but...
 

Bloodlust.
 

“Oh my, fancy finding you here. Let me wash your--”

“Ahh, Cecilia! What are--”

The bath door flung open, its sound reverberating through the room. Cecilia and Sharon entered the bath. He had no idea why they had shown up, but he couldn’t worry about that. The reason for their arrival was less than trivial. The real problem was where they were looking.

“...” “...”

From their point of view, it may have looked like Al had attacked the completely naked Feena. No, not “may have”. It definitely looked like that.

“N-No, this is all a misunderstanding! I can explain--”

Just when he was about to begin his explanation, the blue-haired Diva regained consciousness.

“You’re so big... It was incredible...”

Even her deluded monologues were cornering him.

!!!

“Hey, don’t mumble something so incriminating!”

Then, she once again closed her eyes.

“Don’t faint on me when I need you! Tell them I’m innocent...”

“...”

But she was sleeping soundly, as if she had just crawled into her comfy bed after a delicious, warm meal on a cold winter’s night. And so, Al was left pondering how he could escape from the situation he was in.

“O-Oh my... Would you mind explaining what has happened?”

“You pig! How low can you get!?”

He was certain that Cecilia’s gaze was going to pierce his soul, while Sharon gave him his brand new, rather dishonorable title: “pig”.

“Fuuu... I’m begging you, if there’s someone out there, save me!”

He put his hands together and pleaded at the ceiling.
 

“A-Alnoa?”

Brusch energetically ran into Al’s office like she usually did, but the state of affairs seemingly shocked her to her core. Feena was sleeping on the bed in the corner of the room, which alone can’t be said to be out of the ordinary. However, Cecilia was sitting on the sofa, radiating a nearly palpable, vile, poisonous aura from behind her unbreakable smile. Next to her was Sharon, whose expression was not for the faint of heart to see, and in front of them, the target of their deadly stares, was the supposed leader of the country, cowering in fear. Brusch was unable to comprehend what she was seeing. They wouldn’t even look at her as she stepped foot into the room.

“I told you to go to the steamy bath, but I didn’t mean that you should get steamy with Feena, did I?”

Sharon said assertively.

“But I didn’t--”

“Oh my, I know, I know! You simply happened to get caught up in the moment! Isn’t that right?”

Cecilia interrupted Al with something a mother would say in defense of her child that was caught shoplifting, all the while wearing her charming smile. Though the look in her eyes was more sinister than anything...

“Umm... Alnoa...”

Brusch said timidly in the tense atmosphere.

“I hope it’s something important; now is not the time for some temporary marriage candidate to interrupt us!”

Sharon lashed out at her.

“It’s not ‘temporary’! I’m a valid, strong candidate!”

But Brusch was not your run-of-the-mill energetic little girl. She took pride in being the head of the intelligence agency, and Alnoa’s marriage candidate, so she initiated an intense stare-off.

“Huhhh!?” “What did you say!?”

They were glaring at each other like rabid dogs, waiting for the signal to start the fight.

“So, why are you here?”

It seemed out of the question at first, but Sharon finally let up and asked her.

“I’m not telling! I’m Alnoa’s subordinate and marriage candidate, so I will give my report directly to him and no one else!”

But it seemed like Sharon’s previous remark struck a bad chord, as she turned away from her with a pout.

“What happened, Brusch?”

They weren’t getting anywhere like that, so Al decided to break the ice.

“Ah, yes, listen to this! Our soldiers that left to investigate the area surrounding Eshantel reported that a boat is planned to depart from Eshantel for the Empire in just a few days, and its filled to brim with prisoners of war.”

“Why did you wait to tell me something so critical!?”

“Her calling me ‘temporary’ is just as critical!”

Al simply tapped his temple upon hearing Brusch’s proud statement.

“Nhhh... So noisy...”

Feena, still in the bed, woke up.

I think... I was...

She turned around and buried her face in the pillow while trying to sort out the situation.

“Al’s smell... This is Al’s bed!”

But she got sidetracked with rubbing her face against the pillow.

“Umm, that’s kinda embarrassing, so could you stop?”

Then she spotted Al out of the corner of her eye, and instantly lifted her head from his pillow.

“...”

Stopped by Al himself in such a blissful moment, she pouted before moving on to assessing the situation.

“Wait... I was in the grand bath ready to ambush Al, then he... got the jump on me?”

She dropped that bombshell like it was nothing. Al could sense the stares piercing his body from behind him.

“I-I didn’t! Don’t make the situation worse on me! Wh-What now!? What’s with those puppy-dog eyes!?”

While trying to bear the burning stares directed at his back, he looked at Feena, desperately begging for some help. But Feena’s expression became gloomier than ever.

“Why won’t you listen to me?”

She said out of the blue.

“Wait, what? Does your stomach hurt or something?”

Feena’s expression as she was on the verge of tears wiped out the insufferable stares piercing Al’s back. He was worried that the girl was feeling seriously unwell after collapsing in the grand bath. Seeing genuine concern spread through Al’s face, Feena blushed and slowly started talking.

“Kanon is a good friend of mine, so I want to make sure that he and his people are okay with my own two eyes. But I’m currently staying here as your bride candidate, so I can’t go out on my own whenever I want...”

Al tried to recall all the information he knew about Kanon. He was Eshantel’s Inquisitor and was rumored to take the place and power of the previous Diva, who had met a sudden death. He was also rumored to be quite a sight.

Why do they know each other!?

After revealing some rather unexpected information, she once again hid her face in Al’s pillow as if she were embarrassed by something, though it was unclear what exactly made her flustered. Al couldn’t fathom how she was able to slide into his bed and try to ambush him in the bath if she found his stare embarrassing now, but at least he understood why Feena opened up to him now.

“Why didn’t you start with that? Do I seem that uptight to you?”

Feena poked her head out of the pillow and shook it.

If she thinks I am then why would she approach this situation in such a roundabout way?

Al was trying to understand Feena’s train of thought, but...

“I’ve read that... it’s much easier to get what you want... after sex.”

After thinking for a bit, Feena mumbled her answer. She wasn’t wrong, but her ear-reddening answer felt like a knife piercing through Al’s heart.

Wait, am I jealous because she holds another man dear?

Al’s head was filled with all the instances she said he would become her puppet one day.

She was saying that from the moment we met. I’m a fool for thinking that she was simply being kind to me all this time...

Feena was silently looking at Al.

Yes... Everything’s been going according to her plan, but at the same time... I owe her.

He thought to himself before turning to Feena with a warm smile.

“You don’t have to beat around the bush like that after all the things you’ve done for me. I’ll gladly lend you a hand.”

He said as cheerfully as he could to mask his inner thoughts.

“Al... Thank you.”

She looked at Al as if he were her savior and strongly nodded.

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“Yes. Since you’ll help me save Kanon and the people of Eshantel, I’m fine with continuing where we left off.”

“Tell me, why are you trying to make this even harder on me?”

Just as Al retorted...

“Oh my, please don’t get so ahead of yourself, Lesfina. And Al, I have something to discuss with you.”

Cecilia grabbed Al’s neck with a smile colder than the northernmost point of the Arctic.

“Cecilia, may I join you as well?”

Sharon grabbed Al’s neck as well, wearing a similarly cold stare.

“Huh? What? Cecilia? Sharon? You know I didn’t do anything, right? This has nothing to do-- Eh? Ehhh!?”

Devoid of any logic or sophism, the two girls carried the young king out of his room.

“Thank you, Al.”

Feena, who usually rushed to Al’s aid, now simply watched them leave, putting her hands together as if praying for his safety.

“Haah, this was horrible.”

For the past hour, he’d been trapped between his overprotective sister and Sharon, the security guard who caught the naughty Al shoplifting. It may have only been an hour, but it felt like an eternity for him.

“Come on, they know I’m busy...”

The blue-haired Diva was looking at him from the corner of the corridor leading to his office as he grumbled to himself.

“Oh, Feena. Are you okay?”

As always, she remained silent, but even so, she seemed genuinely happy for Al. Though in reality, someone wielding the power of the Valkyrie wouldn’t be out for long after getting dizzy in the bath. But even then, Al felt relieved to see her on her feet again. It would have been an issue if she were bedridden for days, as they had some things to discuss.

“Feena. According to Brusch, Eshantel’s war prisoners will be shipped to the Empire in a couple of days.”

He tried to be as clear and to-the-point as possible.

“What? Then we have to hurry.”

He raised his hand to calm her down.

“Yeah, we’re making the preparations already. It’ll take a bit until we can leave, but don’t worry.”

“Hmm? That’s rich, coming from you. You’d have blasted off in a moment’s notice just a few weeks ago.”

While Al was sharing his plan with Feena, Sharon cut in, walking up to them with a glower.

Has she been watching us this whole time?

“Of course I’ve grown over time! And I know all too well that I’d just cause everyone trouble by running off alone!”

He explained himself to Sharon and stared back. A moment later...

smoosh!

Al’s head was trapped between two incredibly smooth, elastic somethings,
and he knew exactly what those somethings were.

“Oh my. Good job, my lovely little brother! You’re becoming a better king every single day, aren’t you now?”

Cecilia was forcing his head between her breasts.

“Pfwah! Gah!”

Unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury to appreciate the comforting feeling or wonderful scent. Her previous scornful laughter disappeared at some point while she was holding Al’s head down
without any signs of letting up.

Oh, so Heavenly Surge won’t activate through breasts.

Feena thought, though she really didn’t have the time to ponder such things. Al slowly stopped struggling, and not because he gave himself up to the pleasure. His face, deep inside the valley, was probably beginning to turn purple.

“Cecilia, isn’t that enough? Al is going limp.”

“Oh my. Don’t worry, Al is a tough boy.”

“I mean, look at him; it doesn’t seem to amount to much.”

Sharon warned her, but Cecilia was already too far gone.

“Umm, Miss Cecilia, would you...”

Feena tried to hold out a helping hand when she saw the comedy routi-- er, tragedy unfolding before her eyes, but...

“Oh my. Don’t even try it, I’ll never give up on my special time with my little brother!”

Cecilia pushed it away.

“And...”

Cecilia triumphantly directed her eyes at a certain part of Feena. After a moment of silence...

“Someone has to comfort him like this since you can’t.”

She dealt the finishing blow.

“Kuhhh! I don’t care if you’re my sister-in-law, I’ll never forgive such humiliation!”

Feena quickly spread her legs and prepared to attack.

“Cecilia’s really scary when she’s like this.”

Sharon observed.

“Eeeep!”

Color drained from Cecilia’s face as she let out a shriek and loosened her hold on Al.

“O-Oh my, what are you talking about, d-dear Sharon? I-I’m not scary in the slightest, am I? Am I?”

She was desperately looking for confirmation from Al, who had just escaped a near-death experience, but...

“Hahaha... Hehehehe...”

Hearing the blue-haired girl’s ominous laughter made Cecilia freeze in place.

“Oh my. Wh-What is it, L-Lesfina?”

Despite the cold sweat running down her cheeks, she forced a smile. Perhaps due to the oxygen deprivation, Al seemed to notice a satisfied smile on Feena’s face.

“It’s nothing, Miss Cecilia.”

And Feena’s usual tone supported that theory, though she may have just stopped because Cecilia was obviously suffering.

“Anyway, stop fooling around. Let’s get ready to--”

“Alnoa! Terrible news! Eshantel’s Inquisitor has reportedly crossed the border along with two thousand of his soldiers!”

Seriously!? Why can’t anything go according to plan!?

He had hoped to at least catch his breath after the events that had transpired just a little while ago, but it seemed like his headache wouldn’t go away for the foreseeable future.