Chapter Two: Chaos and Severance

Battle Divas The Incorruptible Battle Blossom Princess — LNCrawler · All chapters

“Close the gates! Don’t go outside!” Jamka’s angry shout reverberated through the quiet castle.

“Seriously? The sun’s not even up yet, Jamka!”

Al’s head was pounding. For the first time in his life, he was experiencing the hell that was a hangover. As he sluggishly sat up, he heard a familiar voice coming from nearby.

“He really is discourteous. Al, I will wake you up by whispering sweet nothings into your ear, so go back to sleep.”

“Oh, that’d be great… Wait, what the hell are you doing here again!?” He was surprised how much he’d gotten used to seeing Feena first thing in the morning.

“It was cold last night. Are you mad?” She looked up at Al with pleading eyes while snuggling her sheets. Not only had the way she phrased things changed since their campaign to save Eshantel, but her personality had as well. She’d become much more cutesy and clingy. She stopped making excuses and became much more honest in her desire to be pampered by Al.

She did tell me she wants me to stay by her side…

Feena sneaking into his room was an issue, but now that Al had gotten a glance at her past, he couldn’t be so blunt with her. He crossed his arms and went deep into thought.

“Al, why don’t you get startled anymore?” she asked while peeking out from under the sheets.

“I mean, you get used to things if they happen every single day.” He told the boring truth, but Feena seemed to have read more into it, as she jumped up from her bed.

“Got used to it. It lost all its flavor. It got boring. Annoying. Despised.” She incoherently chained some words together while slowly approaching Al. Only then did he finally realize what she was wearing.

“Feena, are you…”

“Ah! Shoot!” Flustered, she tried to hide herself with her arms, but his eyes were glued to her. He’d seen her body countless times lately, so he figured it wouldn’t have such a huge effect on him, but it did.

She was wearing a baggy pull-over that covered even the tip of her fingers and had a few tiny food stains. Her thick pants were pulled up neatly, making sure that even her waist wouldn’t feel cold. Indeed, she was, for the first time since they’d gotten to know each other, wearing proper—albeit a bit oversized—pajamas.

“Why are you wearing…”

Her cheeks were completely flushed and her eyes were restlessly darting all over the room.

“Someone stole the clothes I wanted to bewitch you with last night, so I had no other choice.”

She hung her head, as if Al seeing her pajamas was somehow humiliating.

Why is she always teasing me with those skimpy clothes, anyway!? She has a great figure, so wearing something cute like this makes her a thousand times more adorable! I have to do something about this.

“Well, y’know, it’s refreshing to see you wearing normal pajamas for once. And you look really cute in them.” He decided to share his honest thoughts about the situation.

“For real?” His strategy was super effective; Feena’s face lit up with excitement. “In that case, I’ll make myself comfy in my pajamas!”

Al was relieved. At long last, he could be sure his mornings wouldn’t start with the birds chirping outside, the gentle sunlight shining through his window, and a half-naked girl terrorizing him.

“But I have to avoid being dull. I’ll only wear them occasionally.”

Or not. But at the very least, this morning would be—

Knock, knock, knock!

“Al, are you okay!? Answer the door if you’re fine!”

Things had been rowdy outside since earlier, and now Kanon was bashing on the door. Something didn’t sit right with Al.

Wait, I don’t think I locked the door last night…

It was certainly careless of him, but he hadn’t had the mental fortitude to do so.

“I did! With three spells, nonetheless! Your door is completely unbreakable now!” Feena answered his inner conundrum in an almost bragging tone.

“Thanks, I guess, but why did you go to such lengths?”

“I didn’t want anyone to disturb us if you fancied some more time in bed.”

“What do you—”

Bwham!

He was interrupted by a loud roar.

“Ahaha! Al, are you okay?”

Kanon, the Inquisitor of Eshantel and a Diva, was peeking into the room through a massive hole in the wall.

“Ahhh. You know, no matter what I tried, I couldn’t cut through the spell on the door. Lucky for me, the wall was fair ga— Whoa!” She pulled her head back to the other side of the wall just in time to avoid the fireball aiming right at her head.

“Stop disturbing me, Boing-Boing!”

The source of it was, of course, Feena.

“Hey, tone it down! She could’ve gotten hurt…”

“Don’t worry—Ouchie!” Feena sat proudly, surrounded by countless magic circles, until Al gave her a whack to the head.

“I do worry! You’re destroying my room!”

“Are you taking Kanon’s side?”

“I’m not taking sides! I just don’t want my room blown to smithereens!”

There was already a hole in the wall with burn marks around it.

“Kanon! She won’t attack you again, so come out! Or, come in?”

“Hmph!” Feena pouted, and Kanon carefully peeked inside.

“It’s unruly out there… Did something happen?” Al asked, ignoring the unruliness in his own room.

“Ah, right!” she said while climbing through the hole. “An intruder was discovered at the treasury! Jamka closed the castle off and is now patrolling the area with the guards. I was close by, so I came to make sure you were safe!”

“There’s a thief!? What are the damages!?”

“Dunno. I didn’t ask,” she shrugged.

“I’m going to meet up with Jamka. You two…”

“It’s a wife’s duty to stay by her husband’s side.”

“Ahaha, I want to go too!”

“We don’t need weaklings!”

“‘Weakling’? That hurts more than Boing-Boing.”

Naturally, they completely ignored Al, who was in a much tighter bind than they realized. Even though they were close, Feena and Kanon were guests of the state. If all possible, he would’ve preferred that they didn’t see his nation getting robbed, but he couldn’t afford to waste time, either.

“All right, you can come, but promise me you’ll stay calm.” He gave a probably pointless warning before leaving the room through the destroyed wall.

◆◆◆

“Ah, Al! I’m glad you’re safe.”

On his way to the treasury, Al ran into Jamka, who was making his way to Al’s room. He took a disapproving look at the two Divas behind Al, which was completely understandable from the head of the guards.

“Tch. Walking around at the crack of dawn, sandwiched between two beauties. Why? Why am I…”

Never mind. He was just jealous.

“Was anything stolen?” Al didn’t have the capacity to deal with Jamka’s self-loathing, so he jumped straight to the matter at hand.

“Right. A thief has entered the treasury. We found traces of them trying to enter the late king’s study and the underground chambers as well.”

“My father’s study and the chambers…” That was some really scary news for Al. His father’s study was one thing, but someone had tried to enter the underground chambers.

“It wasn’t me!”

“Ah!” He felt a warm breath on his ears.

“Lilicia!? Where did you come from!?”

“I felt a wave of doubt crash over me,” Lilicia answered with a straight face.

“Can you blame me?” Al asked. “You’re the only one who knows about the chambers.”

“Sorry, but I wouldn’t be discovered by the guards,” she said proudly. Al found that to be a pretty convincing—albeit disturbing—alibi.

“Then who could’ve done such a thing?”

“I don’t know. Your castle, your problem… is what I’d like to say, but there were traces of some intriguing magic.”

“Magic?”

“Yes. There were minuscule traces of ominous magic resembling that used by demons. Well, maybe I was just seeing things.”

“No, no, we’re not shrugging this off like that.”

It was safe to assume that there were other succubi currently active in the world besides Lilicia. Their goal was unclear, however, and Lilicia probably wasn’t keen on sharing anything else, as she was working to revive the Demon King.

“Are you okay? Did you get turned on?” asked Lilicia, trying to seduce Al with her eyes as he stared at her absentmindedly.

“Don’t flirt with other girls in front of your wife, Al.”

“Tch, how inconsiderate.”

Both Feena and Sharon, who had appeared out of thin air, were shooting scornful gazes at him.

“I’m not flirting with anyone!”

“Whatever, let’s focus on the incident now. Do you have any idea who the culprit could be?” Sharon completely ignored his excuse and cut to the chase.

She must be doing it on purpose! Al screamed to himself.

“Nh! My Diva senses are tingling! There has been a crime nearby!” Kanon, striking a pose, assessed the situation with her incredible intuition.

“Really? Wow, thank you very much. I was under the assumption that ROBBERY WAS COMPLETELY LEGAL!”

“Oh my, shall we help you with the investigation?”

“When did you get here, Cecilia!? And why are you trying to complicate things the moment you open your mouth!?”

Oh, okay, now I see. This will be one of those days when I can’t get anything done. Al’s daily descent into the depths of despair had begun.

“It’s okay, just calm down. I will find the culprit in a heartbeat!” Feena said with a delightful smile—and to the complete dismay of Al.

“No, listen to me. I don’t need—”

“Then let’s have a contest to see who can catch the culprit first!” Sharon suggested.

“Yaaay!”

The Divas scattered in every direction.

“I’ll go warn our investigators that a storm is coming their way.” Jamka patted Al’s shoulder and left.

“Oh, for the love of… Why doesn’t anyone in this damn castle listen to me!?” Al whispered while looking up at the ceiling of the lonely corridor.

◆◆◆

“Shall we assess the situation, Watson?”

“Who are you calling Watson, Detective Boing-Boing?”

“Stop with the Boing-Boing! You’re ruining the atmosphere, Feena!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Detective Nutjob. Shouldn’t you be at the scene if you want to assess the situation?”

“I’m not a nutjob! That, and I just ran away from there; going back would look so lame!”

“This is hopeless. We won’t catch the culprit by focusing on keeping up appearances.” Feena put her finger against her temple and tilted her head back and forth. “She’s dumb as a brick. I should’ve partnered up with someone else.”

“That’s not something you say out loud!” Kanon sobbed. “Fine, then. Did you figure out who the culprit is?”

“Of course.”

“Wait, you did!?” Kanon shouted in surprise.

“Okay, you dumbo, tell me: who came to this country right before the incident?”

“Umm, Luna and—”

“Exactly! The culprit is Luna!”

“Wait, what about Ranbolg?”

“He didn’t flirt with Al.”

“How is that even slightly related?”

“Doesn’t matter. The culprit is Luna. Case closed.”

“That’s not even a proper hypothesis; it’s just your jealousy talking!”

“Do you have an issue with it?”

“N-No, I don’t.” Seeing Feena scowl at her, Kanon couldn’t do anything but cave under the immense pressure.

◆◆◆

“We rushed off in pursuit of the phantom thief, but who exactly are we looking for?” Sharon asked, glancing at Cecilia.

“Are you okay?” Ever since appearing at the treasury, her usual carefree smile was nowhere to be found, and she wouldn’t react to anything Sharon did. It was as if she was lost in her own little world. “Earth to Cecilia! Are you there!? Brother-lover, hebeph—Mghh!”

“Oh my, why are you calling me names? I’m not deaf, I was simply thinking,” she said, pinching Sharon’s cheeks without giving her time to react.

Damn, she’s one fast priestess!

“Oh my, it’s all thanks to the power of love!” Cecilia said with a teasing smile, as if she could read Sharon’s mind.

“Phew. I’m glagh you’we shmihlink aghain.”

“Oh my, I can’t understand a word you’re saying.”

She brushed away Cecilia’s hand.

“Because you’ve been pinching my cheeks! I said, ‘I’m glad you’re smiling again’!”

“I… Oh my, I’m terribly sorry. Thank you for looking out for me.” Cecilia was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly collected herself and bowed to Sharon.

“I mean, I wasn’t really looking out for you or anything…”

“Oh my, are you doing that splishy-splashy thing again?”

“It’s ‘wishy-washy’, not ‘splishy-splashy’! And I’m not wishy-washy!” Cecilia smiled coyly as Sharon turned away from her.

“Oh my,” she exclaimed. “I just remembered that I wanted to ask you something.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“What was it like to perform Heavenly Surge with my lovely little brother?” Cecilia’s face stiffened as she asked.

“Pfffwh! Wh-Where did that come from!?” Sharon’s cheeks burned bright red—a stark contrast to Cecilia’s ice-cold eyes.

“I simply thought it would be helpful to know.”

“Wh-What!? Why!? I mean, I don’t really care what you do with your brother, just leave me out of it!” Sharon wrapped her arms around herself as she spoke.

Oh my, she has become much more feminine since she arrived here, Cecilia thought, smiling as she watched Sharon blush. However, her biggest flaw was about to be revealed: her undying love for her little brother.

“Oh my. To think that those two flabs of fat rubbed up against my precious Al!” Her jealousy consumed her soul.

“Hey, that was uncalled for! Besides, yours are bigger!”

“That is indeed true. They’re full of my love for Al, so they’ll only grow as my insatiable love grows toward him!”

“I’m glad you’re so confident in your looks, but what do you mean they’ll grow!?” Sharon was staring Cecilia directly in the breasts.

“Shall we get back to the topic at hand? I want a detailed, vivid recollection of the event.”

“Why won’t you leave me alone!?” Sensing danger, Sharon attempted to flee the scene.

“Oh my, please wait! I simply wish to have a nice, calm discussion!” Cecilia chased after her, wearing an ominous smile. They’d completely forgotten about Heavenly Surge or the intruder; their minds were set on the grandiose game of tag throughout the castle.

◆◆◆

“This should do it.” Feena wiped the sweat off her forehead.

“Feena? What are we doing with this?” Kanon asked timidly.

“Heh, heh, heh. Witness my pit!”

“Yeah, I know it’s a pit! I’m asking why you dug a pit in the middle of the castle!”

“It’s magic.”

“I didn’t ask how you made it! I asked why!”

“That’s obvious,” Feena said, standing proudly at the edge of her pit. “Our newest guest, Luna, often comes through here. Being the ditzy girl she is, she’ll fall into the pit, and when she does, she’ll be submerged in the special acid at the bottom. This acid will dissolver her clothes, revealing any stolen goods.”

“Huh? Isn’t melting her clothes kinda bad?”

“Don’t worry. She’ll simply be too embarrassed to stay in this castle any longer.”

“So that’s what you want, huh!? But it’s still a terrible idea! Luna is Al’s guest; he’ll never forgive you if you melt her clothes!”

“Y-You think so?” Hearing that made Feena visibly anxious.

“Oh, it’s a pleasure to see you, umm… Lesfina and Kanon.” The moment Feena started to have doubts, the target exited her room and walked toward them.

“Stop her, Kanon! I’ll fill in the pit!”

“Ahaha! You finally called me by my name!”

“I’ll use it from now on if we get out of this unscathed! Hurry!”

“I’ll try!” Kanon darted toward Luna.

“Look out! Clear the way!” Sharon, clearly panicking, suddenly turned down the corridor, rushed past Luna, and…

Wham!

…ran straight into Feena.

“Huh? What? Why is there a hole in the middle of the corridor!?” Sharon, holding herself by with edge of the hole, had barely had time to extend her arms and legs.

“I’ll explain later.” Feena herself was dangling above the hole, clinging onto Sharon’s waist.

“Huh? Wait! Aaaah, I can’t stoooop!” Kanon turned around to save the two girls but couldn’t stop her momentum in time, jumping straight on top of Sharon.

“Kyahhh!”

Splash!

All three of them fell into the hole.

“What is this!? My clothes…”

“Don’t worry, it’s harmless. It only melts fabric.”

“But if anyone sees me naked, I’ll lose the right to marry Al!”

Feena’s revolutionary invention dissolved their clothes in seconds, leaving them trapped at the bottom of the hole, completely naked.

“It’s okay. If we escape quickly, no one will—” Feena’s plan failed before it could even be put in motion.

“Hey, what’s all the commotion over there?” She really could’ve expected as much, knowing full well that the guards were scanning every nook and cranny of the castle looking for clues. Naturally, all the crashes and banter would garner some attention.

“Nooo!”

Feena was frantic for a solution. In mere moments, the guards would gather around them and look down the hole in pursuit of the thief.

“Gah. I can’t let anyone but Al see me like this.”

“Aww, I’m sorry, Feena.”

“Hey! I think you owe me an explanation!”

The girls were desperate; all hell was about to break loose.

“Are you okay? Ah! Why are you all…” Luna, peeking down into the pit, was in utter shock, but a cheeky smile appeared on her face. At least, that’s how Feena perceived the situation.

It’s all over, she thought. She must’ve realized what I was trying to do. Now, she’ll put my naked body on display for the whole world to see! I can tell from that fiendish smile! Feena was out of options. “But I’m Subdera’s Diva and Al’s wife! If I have to show my body to the world, then so be it!”

“Are you listening to me!? Explain—!”

“Wait! Stop! Feena!?” Pushing the completely dumbfounded Sharon to the side, Kanon jumped in to stop Feena, but she was too late. Feena had already finished conjuring her spell.

“I’m sorry, Al.” She was ready to blow herself up.

“Don’t come down here!” Luna’s voice filled the corridor before Feena could release her spell. “You can’t come here! You’ll fall into the hole and die, so turn back, please!”

Luna was frantic but genuine, which was enough to convince the guards. The unused magical energy slowly dissipated from Feena’s hands.

“Luna…”

“D-Don’t worry, the guards are gone! Slip out and change in my room while you still can!”

I can see why Al likes her, but she’ll have to pry my place as his wife from my cold, dead hands, Feena thought to herself when she saw Luna’s genuine, innocent smile.

◆◆◆

“So, what did we learn this morning?” Al wanted to use lunchtime to confirm the morning’s events. He’d already heard the reports about them running around the castle screaming and digging a hole in the middle of one of the corridors to fill it with acid; what he wanted to know was how remorseful they were for ignoring the crime that had been committed and outright hindering the investigation.

“…”

Nothing. No apology, no reply, not so much as a peep from any of them.

“By the way,” Luna chimed in, “what exactly happened?”

“…”

Not one of them was willing to speak.

“What’s the problem? Why won’t you say anything!?” Luna put her utensils down and looked over to Al and the Divas. Al couldn’t bring himself to spell out embarrassing information in front of a guest of the state, though, so he let everyone continue eating in silence. Then again, Sharon, Feena, and Kanon were technically guests of the state too.

“Well, if there’s no progress at all, maybe we should just give—Cecilia? What’s wrong?” Al finally had a chance to put a stop to their reckless detective work, but Cecilia’s distraught expression was too enticing to ignore.

“Ah! Nothing, nothing at all! Now, it’s time to make my move!” Declaring her intent, she stood up and masterfully balanced a piece of bacon on her breasts.

“Umm, Cecilia? What the hell are you doing?”

“Bon appétit, Al.” Ignoring his protest, she approached him chest-first.

“Please, Cecilia, restrain yourself in front of guests.” Al played his final card, knowing full well that his chances of success were almost zero.

“Oh my, pardon me,” Cecilia said and sat back down.

“Huh? Huuuuuh!?” The room erupted with cries of bewilderment as everyone looked at Al in pursuit of an explanation.

“Don’t look at me, I have no clue what just happened either.” Al denied his involvement, but the sight of his sister defeatedly munching on a crispy piece of bacon laid atop her own boobs was so surreal it almost made him feel sorry for her.

“Cecilia…” Just as he was about to ask her…

“Alnoa!”

“Ahhh!”

…Brusch jumped into his arms, luckily while he was in between bites.

“Brusch!? What’s with all the fuss?” He tried to push her off while she rubbed her cheek against his.

“Alnoa! I caught the thief! I came for my pats! Headpats!”

When she whispered the crucial news into his ear, he stopped.

“Really? Great work!” After giving Brusch the headpats she deserved, he stood up like nothing ever happened. He’d forgotten about one thing, though: Cecilia was still eating the bacon off her breasts, and he had yet to uncover the reason behind that. Unfortunately, he had other things to attend to, so that mystery was to remain unsolved.

“Sorry, something of utmost importance has come up; I have to leave for a bit. Please enjoy your lunch, Luna, Saaya.” He apologized to his guests, but the other Divas must’ve also sensed that something had happened, as they all stood up, much to Al’s dismay.

What am I thinking? I can’t leave our guests alone during lunch.

“Hmm… It’s a wife’s job to entertain the guests while her husband is out!” Feena said before sitting back down.

“Thanks, Feena. I won’t be out for long.”

She nodded at Al’s request and turned toward the guests. “Worry not,” she told them, “for I, the wife, will be taking care of you!”

Hearing that, Luna stared straight at Al, but he decided to ignore that for now, leaving the room with the three other Divas in tow.

◆◆◆

“Were you the one who went rummaging through the treasury?”

When they arrived at the prison in the depths of the castle, a relatively small man was brought before them, bound with rope. Naturally, despite being in the castle’s depths, the prison was nowhere near the Demon King’s seal. The prisoner looked awfully familiar to Al, and that intuition was enhanced by Sharon’s jaw practically hitting the floor.

Oh, right. This is the guy who followed Sharon around like a loyal dog. His name is Kotton, I think.

“Why? Why did you do this!?” Sharon’s woeful voice reverberated through the musty jail. Kotton silently hung his head.

“He needed money to flee the country.”

“I rummaged through the treasury, the late king’s room, and the entrance of the underground chamber to get out of this country.” As if he’d snapped back into reality after hearing Jamka’s assertion, Kotton confirmed the claims, though his confession felt a bit strange.

“No, that’s not right. The Kotton I know would never sink so low!” Sharon interrupted Al’s thoughts before he could come to a conclusion.

“He just admitted to the crimes himself!”

“Still! He didn’t do it!” She vehemently jumped between Al and Kotton.

“What’s gotten into you, Sharon!? This is… Actually, this is exactly like you,” said Kanon.

“Oh my, I think she is much more volatile than usual.”

Is it just me, or are both Kanon and Cecilia much less patient with Sharon lately? Watching Sharon get so desperate over protecting a man didn’t sit well with Al.

“We’ll have him serve some jail time for now. We don’t have capital punishment, but he needs some time to cool—”

“I won’t let you get away with that!”

Cecilia was right. Throwing a tantrum like this is unusual for her.

“Wow, you’re really standing up for this kid. Did you get infected by Cecilia’s love for younger boys?”

“Oh my, I don’t particularly love younger boys. I love my little brother; that’s completely different!”

“Is that really something to be proud of!?”

Their discussion got completely derailed.

“I don’t know why you’re so protective of Kotton, but we’ll deal with our prisoner using our laws.” Al put it rather bluntly, but Sharon still wasn’t convinced.

“Seriously!? Why do you believe every word Luna says but argue with me!?”

“What!? What does Luna have to do with this!? Not to mention that you expect me to listen to you and pardon him just because you think he’s innocent!”

An eye for an eye. Al got too caught up in the chaos of the moment—probably because Sharon was so desperate for another man—and accidentally went a step too far.

“Why’s this guy so important to you?”

Wham!

Sharon’s fist hit Al square in the chest.

“You moron…”

She turned on her heels and didn’t even look back. The light pat on Al’s chest may not have caused physical pain, but it damaged his heart.

◆◆◆

“What do I do now?”

Al was resting in his office. Two days had passed since the incident at the prison, but his relationship with Sharon hadn’t improved one bit, and he had no plans to apologize to her anytime soon. In his mind, it was Sharon who had started spouting unreasonable nonsense, though a small voice bugged him for maybe going a bit too far himself.

He wanted to talk to her, but Sharon would rarely leave her room. When she did, it was usually for food, but she went back to her room the moment she was finished. Preoccupied with his inner struggle, he couldn’t get any work done.

“Actually, why do I care if she’s grumpy? She isn’t here destroying my room, at least,” Al said aloud in the middle of the empty room. He was nearing his wits’ end—not because of loneliness, but because the awkward atmosphere in the castle reflected poorly upon him as king. At least, that’s what he told himself.

“I’m totally, absolutely, one-hundred percent not in the wrong here, but at the same time, Sharon is a guest. I can’t be so blunt with her.” Al came up with an excuse to go out and talk to her. “Oh, speaking of which, the chefs are preparing a cake for Cecilia’s tea party. Maybe I should get a slice for Sharon. On second thought, I should get several,” he whispered to himself before making his way toward the kitchen.

“What do I do now?” Sharon asked herself as she sat on top of her bed. She knew her request was unreasonable, but she wanted Al to understand the weight of the chains on her limbs, the cold of the damp cellar floor, and the damning solitude of life behind bars.

“You moron…” She rolled around in her bed. “Did I go too far?”

She gazed at the ceiling and whispered in the silent room. She may have been heralded as a Diva now, but she was taken as a slave after her clan was destroyed at the age of six. Still, despite her severe malnourishment and the constant beatings, she had stayed strong.

I may have been captured, but I’m still the chief’s daughter. One day, I will definitely avenge my father. She managed to survive by clinging to that fickle hope.

But fate had other plans. The king of Freiya, the mortal enemy of her clan, bought her as a potential candidate to inherit the Diva’s powers. At first, she viewed it as a perfect chance to get revenge, but she soon learned how naïve she was. The torturous training she was subjected to on a daily basis, the unspeakable punishments she suffered at the first sign of resistance, everything she went through was designed to completely subjugate her thoughts and feelings. As little as a questionable look would lead to a merciless beating—often with a whip—being starved for days, and sleepless nights in a cold cell.

Her will broke in a month, but she’d locked her precious wish for revenge deep inside her heart long before that. Ever since those days, she had been waiting for her chance to strike while obediently following their every order like a mindless doll, right up until the day she became a Diva and came to Althos to murder its king. The fact that her punishment for failing the assassination and disobeying Freiya’s orders had not yet come was thanks to Al’s dealings with them behind the scenes.

Wait, am I really in a position to ignore his decisions and call him names after all he’s done for me?

Al had always let Sharon’s inability to show him gratitude slide, but calling him names may have been crossing the line. However, Sharon was too proud to go up and discuss the issue with him herself, putting things at a standstill. With such thoughts swimming around her head, she was interrupted by a knock on the door. She immediately knew it was a certain young king.

“Do you have any idea what time it is!?” Despite her complaints, she sprung up from the bed. Just as she was reaching for the handle, her hand abruptly stopped.

“Ah! My hair!” She bolted to the dresser in a corner of the room, got herself ready in a heartbeat, and rushed back to the door. She took a deep breath, put on a smile, and opened the door.

“Who is it at this hour? I’m just about to head to sleep, y’know,” she said in as annoyed a tone as she could muster.

“Oh? How dare you speak to me like that.”

“Huh? Wait, why…” A chill ran down Sharon’s spine as she stared at her unexpected guest.

“Know your place. The fact that you’re a Diva changes nothing.” Ranbolg looked at Sharon with disdain.

“M-My sincerest apologies. I was expecting someone else.” Sharon hung her head in an attempt to hide her disheartened expression.

“Well, it matters not,” he said with a sarcastic, friendly smile.

“Thank you very much.” Sharon didn’t return his smile; she kept her eyes fixed on the floor.

“May I ask what brings you here tonight?” she asked while tensing her muscles to hide the absolute terror welling up inside her. If her focus were to break, the painful memories locked away deep in her mind would resurface, poisoning her soul.

“I have something to discuss with you.”

“What would that be?”

This was the first time Ranbolg, who looked down on everyone around him, had initiated a one-on-one discussion with Sharon. It piqued her curiosity.

“We can’t talk here. Let me in!” he ordered, much to her chagrin. Just hearing him talk in his bossy, unsophisticated, crude manner made her want to vomit. “Hate“ was too weak a word to describe how she felt about this man—she loathed his entire existence.

But learning his weakness would be useful information for both me and Al. She wasn’t going to bury the hatchet with him, but she was ready to listen to what he had to say, so she awkwardly showed him inside.

“Come in…”

◆◆◆

“Damn, I wasted too much time.” Al had unexpectedly bumped into two guests at the dining hall: Luna and Saaya.

“Sorry, Al. Is it bad we came here so late?” They told him that they were looking for some snacks, since Saaya was hungry. He’d gotten the cake from the kitchen, but questioned if it was really the best choice considering Sharon’s lack of exercise lately. Regardless, on his way back, he decided to share half of it with them and stay for a small chat.

Then, he rushed toward Sharon’s room, but hearing Ranbolg’s voice from the corridor leading there, he stopped and hid against the wall. He snuck his way along the wall and peeked out, acting like a voyeur.

“What in the world are they talking about?”

He considered using wind magic to listen in, but that could have easily revealed his position, so he decided against it.

Wha—!? Why is he going inside now!?

He was invited into the room by Sharon after exchanging a few words. Al wasn’t able to get a good look at Sharon’s expression, but it was clear that she was hanging her head for a reason other than embarrassment.

“What’s going on?”

On one hand, he wanted to kick the door down and learn what was happening, but on the other hand, he was afraid that he’d regret learning about it. His indecisiveness had left him at a crossroads.

◆◆◆

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Sharon bottled up her feelings and tried to look as neutral as possible. She offered Ranbolg a seat while she remained standing—to leave herself the opportunity to make a quick escape if things went south, not because it was rude to sit down in the presence of royalty. Naturally, Ranbolg stood no chance against Sharon in a physical fight, but due to the chains cast on her by the Freiyan royalty, she was unable to disobey their orders.

“Hmph. I’m not here to hurt you.” Ranbolg smirked, seeing through Sharon’s earnest efforts, but she didn’t budge. Annoyed at being ignored, he glared at Sharon and continued. “Either way, let me cut to the chase. I was ordered to murder the king of Althos.”

He dropped a crucial piece of information like it was common knowledge. When she thought about it, however, that order made a lot of sense. It wouldn’t be unexpected for the king of Freiya to send another assassin Al’s way after Sharon’s failure and Al’s victory in the battle against the Empire.

“Hm? Are you okay? You look pale.”

Sharon touched her own face in disbelief after seeing Ranbolg’s slight grin, wondering what expression she wore.

“I received another order besides that as well.” He squinted to check if the trembling girl was still listening, and proceeded to spell doom for Althos. “I am to break our alliance with Althos and declare war.”

If the small, fragile country of Althos were invaded by both the Empire to the north and Freiya to the south, they would undoubtedly be swallowed up.

“B-But, wouldn’t it be better to keep using Althos as a shield while you prepare for war with the Empire?” Sharon recalled what Al had said about the relationship between Althos and Freiya.

“You of all people should be very well aware that the king is not a patient man, Sharon.” Ranbolg was right. The Freiyan king was infamous for throwing away thousands of lives in the name of territorial dominance. “He told me to take my army and trample Althos if I failed to assassinate Alnoa.”

He had eight thousand soldiers on standby. Against an army of that size, no matter how superior Jamka’s strategy was, no matter how many Divas they had, it would be an extremely difficult fight. If the Empire were to attack while Althos was occupied with Freiya, then…

The gruesome image of Althos in ruins flashed through Sharon’s mind, draining all the color from her face. Ranbolg couldn’t contain his laughter upon seeing that.

“There’s a catch. What if I told you there was a way to make your dream a reality and save Althos?”

“Wh-What is it? What do I have to do?” she asked without a second thought.

I’ll do anything to save this country.

Ranbolg was ready to give her an ultimatum.

“You have to marry me.”

“What!? Marry!? Me and you!?” Sharon was completely dumbfounded.

“Hahaha, learn to speak, you dumb tramp! But it’s okay; I’m a generous man. I will forgive your shortcomings.”

Sharon almost gave him what for, but she managed to restrain herself before it was too late. Disregarding her clear confusion, Ranbolg continued.

“Listen to me. If we were to marry, I could easily usurp the throne. You are popular amongst our people, so starting a revolution would be child’s play. Once the king caves under the pressure, the country is ours to govern. If you so desire, we can behead the king once my plan succeeds. An enticing offer, is it not?”

Ranbolg was confident in his master plan, but Sharon had her doubts. The Freiyan king was known for his iron grip on the country, so uprooting him with a revolution may not have been as foolproof as Ranbolg thought it to be.

“What do you say? You won’t need this sorry excuse for a country anymore once you get your hands on the great Freiya, and you’ll even be able to enact your revenge. You get to fulfill your dreams by agreeing to this one simple proposal.”

It’s like making a deal with the devil himself—an enticing offer in exchange for my soul.

“Also, I have a little something here.” Interrupting Sharon’s thoughts, Ranbolg pulled a pale green crystal from his pocket.

“What? How!? Where did you get that?” Sharon knew all too well what that crystal was.

“It’s from a certain someone. I don’t plan to reveal their identity to you, however,” he said with a creepy smile. Sharon knew exactly where that crystal came from and how dangerous it was, yet all she could do was stare at it.

“This crystal will help me realize my dreams by creating the strongest army that has ever tread in this world. I have tested it on a lowly slave, and it was a tremendous success! He may have died in the process, but subduing the power of this crystal should be simple for a man of my caliber!”

What a fool. It was painfully obvious that things wouldn’t work out well for Ranbolg. The person who gave him that crystal must’ve had a silver tongue, considering his unwavering confidence despite having watched someone be killed by the power of that crystal. Not long ago, Sharon would’ve jumped on the idea of letting him go berserk with power and finishing him off, but things had changed.

“Give me some time to think.” That was the best she could do now.

“Huh? Are you trying to disobey me?” Sharon kept silent in the wake of Ranbolg’s rage. “Tch, do as you wish. You couldn’t disobey me even if you wanted to. But just to make sure we’re on the same page: I’m sure you know what will happen to the Lost Children if you dare to pull any stunts.”

Sharon grit her teeth to hold her emotions back.

“You have until tomorrow. Prepare yourself before I head back to my army.” Ranbolg stormed out of the room.

“What should I do?” Sharon was paralyzed with shock.

◆◆◆

Finally, that creep left Sharon’s room. He only spent a couple of minutes inside, so I don’t think anything happened, but…

“Why am I doubting her!? She’d never do such a thing!”

Wham!

He headbutted the wall.

“Aghh!”

But it hurt more than he expected.

“Whatever!” While rubbing his head, he walked to Sharon’s room and knocked on the door.

“No answer.”

Maybe she’s getting dressed…

Wham!

This time, he headbutted the door, which hurt even more than the wall.

“What’s going on!? Wait, Al? You know, people don’t usually knock with their forehead.”

“Yeah, I know that,” Al shot back at the unamused girl.

Good, she’s wearing clothes, and she’s not roughed up at all. He slowly floated his eyes over Sharon from top to bottom, then peeked behind her to check the state of her room.

“What are you, a creep? Stop leering at girls’ rooms… It’s disgusting. I’ll call the guards!” Her merciless comments assured Al that she was just fine. “So, why are you here?”

“Ah, well, I got a bit hungry, and then I found some cake in the kitchen, and, well, you like sweets, so…”

Al was fully aware of how incoherent his answer was; he hadn’t even properly answered Sharon’s question. However, she smiled with delight after her momentary confusion.

“Hm, really? That’s surprisingly thoughtful of you! I was just racking my brain about a few things and was about to head out on a sweets hunt.”

“You? Racking your brain?”

Oh, crap! I couldn’t help myself!

But instead of getting mad, Sharon almost looked happy.

“What!? Yes, I do have a brain to rack, thank you very much!” she said while taking the cake from Al. That was the end of his bliss. “So, is there anything else?”

No, like, I totally didn’t ask the head chef for the cake so we could eat it together or anything, and it’s totally not common courtesy to share it with me either, he wanted to tell her. This was the perfect chance for them to have a nice talk, and maybe he could’ve learned something about her discussion with Ranbolg.

However, that’s not how it worked out. Sharon was clearly hesitant to let Al into the room despite them having a proper reason to talk. Naturally, Al had no idea what had gone down between them, so he immediately jumped to the worst conclusion possible.

Could it be that she doesn’t want me to defile their sacred love nest?

“Ah, Al! I’ve been looking for you!”

Surprised by the sudden mention of his name just as things were becoming unbearably awkward, Al shuddered. The person responsible for frightening him started running toward him, but…

“Whoa!”

…she tripped over her dress. She was about to fall, but she skillfully recovered as she always did, stopping right in front of Al.

“Oh, so this is where Sharon’s room is! Ah, right! I was wondering where you took my leftover cake, but I see you came here to share it with Sharon!”

“Y-Your leftover…” Sharon froze in place as if her world had been turned upside-down.

Did he want to cheer me up by feeding me leftover cake he happily ate with Luna? Dejection, rage, and grief swirled within her.

“Hold it, just listen! It’s not leftover, okay? I halved it for you. Plus, I didn’t even get a bite yet…”

“Whatever.” The betrayal of being served their leftover cake was too much for her to handle. “Just go! Take your cake and eat it alone!”

She shoved the plate toward Al. They watched as the cake slid off the plate and fell on the floor.

“Ah! What the hell are you doing!? I got it all for you!”

The cake he’d brought all the way to her room, taking great care so it would keep its shape, was now splattered all over the floor. It wasn’t necessarily Sharon’s fault, but after witnessing what happened between her and Ranbolg, he couldn’t help but get mad.

“Sor—Wait, what!? I’m not so cheap that I can be bribed with leftover cake!” She was about to apologize, but seeing the dumbfounded Luna standing right next to Al awakened her obstinate side.

“I told you, it’s not a leftover! Why are you always like this!? Can’t you just own up to your mistakes for once!?” He immediately regretted saying that, but the floodgates were already open.

“Nhh. You idiot! Perv King! Casanova! Hope you get a heart attack, stupid!” She threw everything she had at Al and slammed the door.

“Umm, Al? Did I say something bad?” Luna was still completely and utterly dumbstruck.

“No, don’t worry about it. Guess I’ll go to sleep too,” Al said and slugged his way back to his room.

◆◆◆

“Ugh. Ahhahahaaaaaaaaa!”

Strange. I didn’t want it to turn out like this. Sharon counted to twenty after Al and Luna walked away from her door, buried her face in her pillow, and began to bawl her eyes out. Where did I go wrong?

A wild torrent of thoughts was swirling inside her head while she was crying.

Why is this happening to me? I could completely close off my feelings and ignore the pain when I was a slave, but now… What are these feelings? I’m happy when Al pampers me, but just thinking about him makes my chest tighten up. Seeing him with another girl feels like getting stabbed through the heart. I want to be by his side, and yet I don’t want to see him.

Just as those conflicting feelings began to overtake her, she heard a knock on the door.

“Who’s there?”

She shuffled through potential visitors, but couldn’t figure out who it could be. It obviously wasn’t Al, given their recent fallout, and she had nothing else to discuss with Ranbolg. Lilicia was a feasible option, though; she may have come to clean up the remains of the cake. Either way, Sharon frantically wiped her eyes and hurried to the door.

“Umm… It’s me, Luna!”

It was the person she wanted to see least of all.

“Why are you here?” She opened the door ever so slightly and peeked out. Luna was standing next to the remains of the cake.

“Umm, you didn’t get to taste it before, so…” Luna displayed a plate with two slices of cake, clearly signaling that she wanted to eat together with Sharon.

“Come in.”

Why am I doing this? She couldn’t wrap her head around her own actions. Did she invite Luna in because she didn’t want to wrestle with her inexplicable feelings all alone? Was it because Luna’s carefree smile eased her pain, or because she simply didn’t want to seem pitiful? Whatever the reason, she let Luna in.

“Take a seat.”

“Thank you.”

They sat down on the sofa and ate in complete silence. Halfway through, Sharon broke under the awkward silence.

“Argh, come on! You came here to talk, didn’t you!? Then talk!”

“Huh? Ah, yes, I did! I was lost in how delicious this cake is! I’d like to apologize for offending you earlier.” Luna bowed before the thoroughly confused Sharon. Her beautiful, silky hair flowed down her head, right into the cake.

“Your hair will get all frosting-y!”

“Huh? Ah! Handkerchief, handkerchi—! Ah, I left it in my room!”

Sharon, unable to bear watching Luna losing her head, shuffled through her pocket and handed her a handkerchief.

“Phew! Thank you! Ah, no! Not again!” Just as she finished wiping it clean, her hair once again landed on top of the cake. Watching her helplessly panic and fiddle around with the handkerchief cheered Sharon up. That’s when she realized something.

Hah, no wonder Al fell in love with such a clumsy ball of happiness. Compared to her, all we do is argue. Even today, I didn’t listen to what he had to say and lashed out. I’m sure he’s mad at me… Whatever. I shouldn’t compare myself to her.

“Say, what would you do if someone important in your life was in danger?” Instead, Sharon decided to ask the question that was weighing her down. For Luna, it was nothing more than a random question, so she looked straight into Sharon’s eyes and answered without hesitation.

“I would help them smile again, no matter what it takes! It doesn’t matter how dirty my hands get, how many hits I take, or who I have to fool. I’d put everything on the line in order to save them!”

There was something strange—almost ghastly—in Luna’s eyes, but they gave Sharon enough power to make up her mind.

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks! I’ll hit the sack now!” Sharon suddenly stood up and signaled to Luna that it was time to go.

“Goodnight.” Luna left the room.

Did she really come here to apologize, or did she have some other goal in mind? Whatever, it’s not like there’s any point in mulling it over.

“I have to fulfill this duty. No one else can shoulder this burden,” Sharon whispered to herself in the empty room.

◆◆◆

“I can’t believe this…”

The next morning, Al was sitting in his office. He was still preoccupied with his fight with Sharon, but a new issue had arisen as well. Kotton, who had admitted to being guilty less than twenty-four hours ago, was now claiming to be innocent.

“I’m just as confused as you are. He was acting strange yesterday, but now he’s back to normal.” Jamka tilted his head in confusion. Besides them, Feena and Kanon were also present. Sharon, as expected, didn’t come, and Cecilia said she had something important to look into. “Maybe he got brainwashed.”

Al found Jamka’s theory feasible after hearing his report. Feena was completely out of the loop, as she’d stayed behind to fulfill her duty as Al’s wife and Al didn’t yet have the time to tell her about it after his fight with Sharon.

“Haah… Why didn’t I tell you earlier?” he said in a disappointed tone.

“Don’t worry. There might still be traces of magic lingering around. We should go check.” Feena was even more attentive than usual. Maybe she’d heard about his fallout with Sharon and was looking out for him.

“Then let me show you there.” Jamka left for the door, followed by Feena who stopped for a second to think.

“Kanon, come with us.” It was rare for her to willingly invite Kanon along, but she had her reasons.

“I won’t let you stay alone with Al!” she whispered so Kanon wouldn’t hear it. Al didn’t want to interject, because frankly, it seemed like a pain.

“Ah! You finally said my name! Sure, of course I’ll go! I’d follow you to the depths of hell!” Completely oblivious to Feena’s ulterior motives, Kanon excitedly jumped up from the sofa and trotted after Feena. At last, Al had some quiet time to—

“Alnoaaa! This is terrible!”

Deal with even more unforeseen events.

“What is it, Brusch? Why are you so frazzled?”

Something was off. Usually, Brusch would jump right into Al’s arms, but this time, she stopped in front of him. She looked pale, which put Al on guard.

Unfortunately for him, his premonition was on point.

“It’s Sharon! She went back home with that other guest from Freiya!”

When it rains, it pours, he thought. All he wanted to do now was curl up in an empty corner and bawl his eyes out, but he didn’t have time for that.

“Bring me my horse! I’m going after Sharon!” Despite his light dizziness, he stormed out of the room.

◆◆◆

I screwed up! I really screwed up again! Al cursed himself as he rode.

“That doesn’t matter. I’m not chasing after her to fight, I just want to talk to her. Besides, I have a thing or two to say to that bastard for leaving Althos without a word of goodbye!” He was trying to come up with excuses on the fly, but he could already hear Jamka berating him with, “A king shouldn’t rush blindly after his guests!” or something.

“But what else can I do?”

In the end, he decided to not worry about it and deal with the consequences later. The more pressing question was if Sharon and Ranbolg had crossed the border yet. He wanted to catch them before they reached the Freiyan army.

Al arrived at the border with no luck. He changed horses and continued galloping with all his might. After a few minutes, he spotted several horses in the fields ahead, led by a golden-haired man.

“Sharon!” Al shouted, but she didn’t even flinch. “You have some nerve, ignoring me!”

He kicked his horse and tried to catch up to them. He figured they’d also increase their speed, but a couple of soldiers actually stopped by the nearby woods, got off their horses, and waited for Al’s arrival. Ranbolg’s personal guards were smirking a bit further ahead.

“Haah, haah… Prince Ranbolg, don’t you think it’s a bit rude to leave without saying goodbye?” Al didn’t exactly greet him either, but it was payback for their sudden departure.

“Haha. We’re in a neutral zone—a no man’s land, if you will. No jurisdiction can reach us here. Shall we come clean, Your Majesty?” Ranbolg said with a smile, not even acknowledging his rudeness. Regardless, they could at least cut to the chase. Al got off his horse and walked toward the two of them with his arms spread wide open, signaling that he held no hostility.

“In that case, I’ll start. I’ll forgive you for disrespecting me and leaving the country without a word, but I want Sharon back! She’s a precious guest of my country, and a candidate to be my bride!” Al led with the very reason he followed them. Sharon’s body twitched when she heard those words, but she didn’t lift her head or turn around. Ranbolg took a step forward to cover Sharon.

It’s almost as if I’m some sort of demon who came here to kidnap her. Well, I guess I technically am a demon, but that’s not the point.

“Hmm, you’d call this your bride candidate when you’re already surrounded by a harem of beautiful women?”

Ugh. He’s not wrong, but hearing how he refers to Sharon like she’s an object makes me sick.

“What does that have to do with anything? Plus, Sharon loves Althos! Right, Sharon?”

She didn’t say a word. Instead…

“I have to admit, Althos is a very peaceful, comforting place to live, but that’s about it. It’s a great place to play house, but you have to remember that the Divas are much more than mere toys!”

“I’m not toying with them! They’re all precious—” Al cut himself off.

Actually, what are they to me? Clearly, they’re not my toys, even if Ranbolg’s trying to spin it that way, but that’s as far as I can think. I love spending time with them—we fool around and even fight once in a while, but we always help each other out. The time we’ve spent together and the experiences we’ve shared are definitely real.

“Haha! You seem to be all over this thing, Your Majesty! But I wonder, would your feelings be unchanged if you knew its real identity!?” Ranbolg explained with a wide, smug smirk on his face. Al just looked at him in confusion, curious as to what Sharon’s true identity could be. That look only fueled Ranbolg’s confidence.

“It was a slave!” he shouted victoriously, his voice reaching the far edges of the plains.

“Hmm? Yeah, and?”

“You must be utterly sho—Huh?”

Al was almost impressed by his own dumb expression as he casually shrugged off Ranbolg’s earth-shattering revelation.

“What is this!? Why aren’t you shocked!?” Like he’d been hit by his own spell, Ranbolg was completely and utterly stunned.

“Well, she told me about it a while back, but even if she hadn’t, it wouldn’t matter much.” Al told him the truth.

“Hahaha, I see! So you’ve fallen in love with it!”

“Huh!? Where did that—” Al’s face flushed at the sudden assertion.

“It is a Diva in name alone; it doesn’t amount to anything more than a filthy slave!” Those words quickly helped him regain his composure.

“Hey, I know she’s Freiya’s Diva, but isn’t that going too far?” He tried his best to keep his emotions in check, but…

“No, it’s less than a slave! Just by it being present, the army’s morale skyrockets! It’s just a tool to bring glory to our country! A mere doll we call a Diva!” Ranbolg’s ramblings got incrementally more terrible.

Are you for real? I mean, you have to know that Sharon could destroy you only using her pinky, he thought and looked over at Sharon, who was still standing there motionlessly, her gaze fixed on the ground. While Al thought about how strange a sight it was, Ranbolg stepped closer to her.

“Did you know? Lowly tools feel no shame!”

Ranbolg yanked Sharon’s shoulder, and began violently groping her breasts.

“Gh…”

Hearing Sharon stifle a scream and seeing her cheeks flush, Al was ready to spring into action. No matter how painful it was, though, he had to restrain himself.

It’ll be an all-out war if I start anything with him. If only I could manage to get around that. Sharon could do something about this, so why is she taking his abuse!?

Seething with rage, Al stared at Sharon in search of an answer, but he got it from Ranbolg instead.

“Haha. This tool has been programmed through pain and terror. Over and over again from a young age, it was taught to never disobey royalty!”

Al knew she had been a slave, but he had no clue about the torture she’d endured. All the while, Ranbolg seemed to be enjoying himself.

“As such, I can do whatever I want with it!” Saying that, he slid a hand down Sharon’s stomach.

Al couldn’t take it any longer. It wasn’t the right choice for the king of a country, but he couldn’t watch the girl who always pushed on while carrying the burden of her past be bound by fear any longer.

“Let her go, you scum!” he shouted while launching himself toward Ranbolg.

“You really shouldn’t. Anyone who dares to interfere with a couple’s gentle lovemaking shall face the wrath of eight thousand Freiyan soldiers!” Before Al could point out his blatant lie, Ranbolg continued, “Oh, I didn’t mention? We’re going home to get married.”

Al wondered if that was just a bluff, but seeing the defeat in Sharon’s eyes, he decided it was the truth. Either way, he had to forge on; stopping would mean accepting what Ranbolg said. With clear, fluid movements, he unsheathed his sword and aimed between the two of them.

Clang!

An armored figure suddenly appeared in front of Al and skilfully blocked his strike. Ranbolg must’ve known his guards would protect him, as he didn’t even flinch at Al’s attack. He simply stood there, wearing his smug smile and fondling Sharon, while the soldiers hiding in the nearby thickets showed themselves, as if this had all been planned.

Al had let his rage take control, which led him to fall into a deadly trap. The gears in his head started spinning.

One versus eight thousand. It may have been unlikely that there were eight thousand soldiers hiding in the thickets, but that didn’t change the fact that he was grossly outnumbered, which left him with only one choice.

“Haha. You’re pretty full of yourself for being the biggest crybaby in Freiya. You won’t even face the king of a tiny country like ours one-on-one.”

His plan was to lure Ranbolg into a duel and use that chance to run away with Sharon. It was his only hope.

“Hehe. I expected something like this from the man with enough wit to withstand the mighty Empire using only a handful of soldiers. Okay, I’m in. Shall we have a duel, Your Majesty?” He immediately took the bait.

“Interesting. You seem well mannered and smart, yet…”

The soldier that held Al’s sword at bay stepped back after receiving a single look from Ranbolg.

“Naturally. Only the smartest can survive in Freiya,” he said while unsheathing his sword.

“Now, let me show you the strength of a rural nation!” Al immediately struck down with his sword after signaling the start of the duel.

“Haha, where are your manners? No wonder you’re the king of the boondocks!” Ranbolg avoided his strike with a simple backstep. “Take this!”

Ranbolg aimed right at Al’s head. Al managed to avoid the lethal strike by a hair’s breadth, then jumped back to put some distance between them.

Damn, he’s much better than expected. Al realized that this would be a tough battle in more ways than one.

“Is that an enhanced sword?”

Looking more closely at it, Al noticed that Ranbolg’s sword shone a dim blue.

“Indeed, it is. The blade is imbued with a spell to increase its sharpness, and my armor is also enhanced to improve its defense. This is the least amount of preparation I can do before a fight against the Demon King.”

Al couldn’t even call him out on it, as he was the one who had proposed the fight without checking his equipment first.

Our swordsmanship is about equal. I might have a small edge on him, but his equipment is far superior. He started to regret not bringing his trusty scythe with him. But that doesn’t matter. I have to carry out my plan!

He took up his stance and recklessly swung his sword at Ranbolg.

“Arghhhh!”

“Pointless! You can’t—! Wait, what!?” Al let go of his sword and disappeared from Ranbolg’s sight. “What are you trying to pull here!?”

Ranbolg blocked the sword flying at him and looked around in search of Al. He didn’t have to look very far, as Al had mounted a nearby horse and was making his way toward Sharon.

“Sharon! We’re getting out of here!” he shouted while leaning off the horse, desperately trying to reach her.

“No. I can’t leave.” Sharon slapped his hand away with her words.

Al looked at her in utter disbelief.

“Sharon…?”

“I have a dream to fulfill, and this is the fastest way to reach that! Plus…”

“What? Then—Gbhhh!” Instead of words questioning Sharon’s decision, a river of blood gushed from his mouth.

“A-Al!” Sharon rushed over to him. He had slid off the horse and was violently vomiting blood, countless arrows sticking out of his back.

“Sharon… Get… out…”

“No, don’t talk now!”

This is bad; the arrows punctured his lungs. He needs healing. No, maybe Heavenly Surge is the only thing that can save him now.

“Al, stay put for a bit,” she said and leaned over to him.

“Hahaha! How dare you call yourself a king, coward!?”

Hearing Ranbolg’s sinister laugh, the archers hiding in the thickets showed themselves.

“Ranbolllg!” Sharon glared at Ranbolg as if he were a disgusting cockroach.

“Watch your mouth. Getting married doesn’t mean you can raise your voice to me. Besides, King Alnoa has defiled our sacred duel. Subjecting him to punishment is only natural.”

Despite how fishy his actions were, Ranbolg simply shrugged his shoulders. Judging by the reaction speed of the archers, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that they had been prepared to strike at any point if the duel hadn’t gone in Ranbolg’s favor.

“It’s about time you accept defeat. You’ll become my wife, and that’s the end of it.”

Suddenly, Sharon’s body stiffened up as if she were bound by countless invisible chains. Ranbolg smiled at that and walked over to Al with a couple of armed soldiers.

“Sharon, sit tight and watch. These will be Your Majesty’s final moments!” The soldiers drew their swords and pointed them at the collapsed Al. “Now, finish him!”

The blade of the sword aimed at Al’s neck twinkled under the bright sun as it relentlessly cut through the air.

Al’s going to… die? Something awoke within Sharon as that sinister thought crossed her mind.

“Wraaaaaaaaagh!” She let out a feral growl, yanked her sword from its sheath, and blasted away the soldiers surrounding Al.

“Agh! H-How dare you go against my will!? Have you forgotten your past!?” Dumbstruck after witnessing Sharon’s lightning-fast strike, Ranbolg still managed to squeeze out a threat.

“I won’t let him die! I won’t let you kill him!”

She was like a beast that had broken her chains. She stood in front of Al, protecting him from any and all incoming danger.

“Sh-Sharon! Do you have any idea about the consequences of your actions? If you keep this up, the Lost Children will…”

“Ah!” Sharon froze for a moment, which gave Ranbolg ample time to issue his commands.

“Our Diva has gone mad from the Demon King’s magic! Second and third battalions, capture her!” Sharon had finally snapped back to her senses, but Ranbolg didn’t give her the time to evaluate her options. “Infantry, move in! Spellcasters, bind her!”

Suddenly, countless spider web-like strings attached themselves to Sharon’s body.

“What!? What is this!?”

“Rahhh!” While Sharon tried to set herself free by slashing the thin strings with her sword, the heavy infantry jumped on her from all sides.

“Leave me alone!” She blasted them away with a single swing, but a group of leather-clad soldiers was hiding behind them, all of whom jumped at her.

Tch, I can easily deal with these guys, but they could die if I use even an ounce more of my strength.

That slight moment of hesitation spelled her defeat.

“What are you doing!? Leave me alone! I’m your Diva! Let me go!”

The soldiers restricted her limbs, and the binding strings descended on her body from above.

“I see you’ve caught on. If you try to sever the strings, you’ll end up injuring the soldiers. This is the perfect plan against you, the tool who knows not to kill Freiyan soldiers!”

Sharon glared silently at him.

“Ahaha! They call you a Diva, but you’re truly just a puppet!” Ranbolg didn’t miss his opportunity to insult her.

“Tch.”

He ignored Sharon’s feral stare and slowly walked up to her.

“Sharon, oh, Sharon. Poor little Sharon. I’m so sorry, but your knight will perish at your feet. Don’t you think it would be merciful to end his suffering and deal the finishing blow?” he said as he shrugged and sarcastically shook his head.

No. He’s not dead. Sharon hadn’t given up just yet. If she could somehow manage to perform Heavenly Surge, Al could still be saved.

No, this can’t be happening… I have to do something, or… he’ll die! As that thought crossed her mind, she lost all precaution toward the Freiyan soldiers.

“Al!” Just as she concentrated all her strength into her limbs…

“Fireball! Frost Ball! Lightning Ball!”

…a familiar voice entered her ears, along with a thunderous roar.

“Aaaargh!”

Then, the sound of the ground itself tearing apart.

“Lord Ranbolg! We’re under attack!” The soldiers hiding in the thickets rushed out, running for their lives in a desperate attempt to escape the flames and ice rampaging through the area.

“Stand your ground! We prepared for an ambush by Divas! Make use of your training!” Even with the lack of leadership from their commander and countless spells raining down on them, hearing the command caused the Freiyan troops to act, not wasting a single movement. Ranbolg left the direction of his troops to the man who shouted the order, the soldier who’d stopped Al’s attack upon his first outburst, and turned toward Sharon with a cynical smile.

“Did you really think I was unprepared for this, despite knowing full well that Althos houses multiple Divas?”

“Ice Ball!” Feena aimed her spell directly at Ranbolg, but it didn’t reach him.

“Magic Blockade.”

For each magic barrier destroyed by one of Feena’s spells, another immediately took its place.

“Archers! Two o’clock!”

With the magic blockade still in place, the archers unleashed hundreds of arrows. Feena was rooted as a result of her spellcasting.

“Fire Wall!”

The rain of arrows burned to ash as they tried to pass through the firewall that appeared mid-air, but…

“Cavalry, infantry, charge! Archers, keep up the pressure!”

…a follow-up order immediately mobilized the rest of the army. The plan was to overwhelm Feena with a number of synchronized attacks and use her divided attention to gain an advantage.

“Tch, that’s nothing!”

After burning the next set of arrows to a crisp, she began preparing for the incoming cavalry. She noticed the dim purple glow of not just the soldiers’ armor, but the horses as well, which indicated bolstered magical defenses.

“You leave me with no other choice.” Feena continued to amass as much magical energy as she possibly could.

“Archers, fire!”

Another curtain of arrows was sent her way. The soldiers, whose bodies were protected, stayed their course, leaving Feena with the simple choice of death by arrows or swords. The fact that she was carrying Al’s heavy scythe on her back didn’t aid her chances of escape. She was completely out of options.

At least, that’s what the enemy had hoped for.

“Feena! Sorry I’m late!”

“No excuses. Take the cavalry!” Feena finally spotted someone—Kanon—rushing to her aid.

“Will you forgive me if I defeat them?”

“I can’t hear you!”

Timing her spell perfectly as to stifle Kanon’s voice, Feena deployed another wall of fire, destroying the incoming arrows with a thunderous roar.

“Come on! Why are you always so mean to me!?” Kanon complained, yet wore a smile as she hacked her way through the enemy soldiers. Their armor may have mitigated magic, but it provided the protection of a piece of paper when cut by Kanon’s katana. “The back of my blade is enough to dispose of these small fries.”

“You’re doing all this with the back of your blade?” Feena asked while launching spells toward the enemy archers and mages.

“It’s simple. I just cut through their armor and quickly turn the blade around.”

“I don’t think it’s quite as simple as you think it is. You may be rotten to the core, but you’re still a Diva. Stupid as you are, your swordsmanship knows no bounds.”

“Feena, I think you’re oversharing your thoughts. I don’t know if you’re praising me or cursing me.”

“Both, but that doesn’t matter right now.”

“I know. I’ll make a path, you take care of Al!”

However…

“It’s Eshantel’s Diva! Cavalry, fall back! Infantry, attack!” The cavalry immediately began their retreat, covered by a curtain of arrows.

“I have to hand it to them, they’re impressive. But that’s not enough to stop me!” Kanon sliced through the countless arrows with ease, then readied an attack of her own.

“Hyahhh!” She slashed diagonally through the air at lightspeed. The wave of pressure it created knocked the retreating cavalry off their horses.

“Thanks. I will forgive some of your sins. Now, let’s see…” Feena said as she hopped on one of the free horses. She somehow managed to get on the horse without falling off and kicked its sides. Her goal was Al.

“Al!” Spotting the restrained Sharon by Al’s side filled her with both relief and rage. “Sharon, you musclehead!”

All she wanted was for Sharon to get over to Al and perform Heavenly Surge, but as she got closer, she saw that Sharon’s limbs were being restrained by four soldiers. She kicked the side of her horse once more in order to get to Al as quickly as possible.

“A Diva has breached our defenses! Protect Lord Ranbolg!” The heavy infantry immediately surrounded him, along with Sharon and Al.

“I don’t care for that foolish prince!”

Feena began amassing magical energy. She could easily launch the enemies away, but doing so would risk worsening Al's already severe injuries. He could end up buried beneath the soldiers, or if her spell was blocked, the resulting shockwave could blow him aside. Frankly, she didn’t know how much power she could unleash.

“There’s only one way.” She sped up even more, planning to ride the horse straight into the enemy soldiers and use that chance to get to Al. Close quarters combat was not her specialty, however. “I’ll do anything to save Al!”

“Feena! Get ready!” Sharon, holding Al in her arms despite the web-like threads still attached to her limbs, called out to her just as she finished her mental preparations.

“Aaaaaaargh!” With a fierce shout, she leaped over the guards and headed toward Feena.

“Lady Sharon, what—!?” She glared menacingly at the ring of soldiers she had just escaped.

“Take care of him,” Sharon said as she handed Al to her.

“Sharon, come.” Feena laid the unconscious Al in front of her and reached a hand toward Sharon.

“…”

Seeing Sharon sorrowfully shake her head, Feena didn’t press any further.

“I won’t show gratitude. I’m going all-out the next time we meet.”

“I damn well hope so!”

With that, Feena turned around and rode off.

“Save him for my sake, too…” Sharon whispered as she watched them leave.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Ranbolg shouted from the center of the infantry. “This is our chance to capture Althos’ king! I won’t let it slip through my fingers!”

He raised his fist into the air.

“Archers, mages, mount our fastest horses and pursue them!” The soldier next to Ranbolg, a man named Gatou, gave his orders, and everyone rushed to their horses.

Originally, the Knights of the First Order was nothing more than a band of ruffians that couldn’t be controlled. When Ranbolg was tasked with leading them to stifle a rebellion, however, he discovered Gatou among the uprising.

Gatou’s mercenary group had been destroyed by the Knights of the First Order, so he chose to join them, and immediately showed great prowess. Thanks to his leadership, the disobedient band of scoundrels began following orders. It was also Gatou who had given Ranbolg the crystal, the final push he needed to attempt to usurp the throne.

“I hope you’re prepared, Sharon.”

Sharon was well aware of the fact that their narcissistic leader wouldn’t ignore the fact that she’d made a fool of the troops he had such pride in.

“I will personally take care of Sharon! Restrain her!” Ranbolg shouted, glaring at her with a look sourer than a lemon.

◆◆◆

“Hahaha, they’re hot on our trail!”

The vast field transformed into a playground for a game of tag between the Freiyan army and the Divas. Feena’s horse wore armor and carried both her and Al, which slowed them down considerably; the Freiyan army would catch up before they reached the border. She also had to tend to Al instead of focusing solely on their escape. She had pulled the arrows out of his body and tried to stop the bleeding, but riding on top of the horse may have worsened his injuries, as blood continued to gush from his back and mouth.

“That does it. Kanon, I’m going to perform Heavenly Surge. Buy me some time.”

“Huh!? Ah, jeez! Fine, but I’m next!” While shooting off minor complaints, Kanon stopped her horse. “Sorry, but you can’t peep at Feena! She’s a real blusher!”

Kanon pulled her sword and struck the ground right in front of herself.

Wham!

Her strike upturned the ground, covering the area in a thick cloud of dust.

“Stop! We could be attacked at any time, so don’t wander off!” Sensing the danger, Gatou stopped the Freiyan advance.

Kanon’s strategy was successful, meaning Feena could proceed with the plan.

“Sorry, Al. I know our situation here isn’t the best, but…” Feena said as she turned Al around. The way they hugged atop the horse while she bashfully stole glances at his face was enough to make any young woman jealous.

“But I’ve always wanted to try out this ‘primal play’ stuff! Sluuurp!” The only difference was the dialogue.

Despite the less-than-ideal circumstances and Al’s unconsciousness, Heavenly Surge activated without an issue.

“Fwahhh… Al… Al!” Embracing the unconscious boy, she moved his hand to her breasts. She looked like a sex-crazed pervert.

“Ahhh, Al! Now there’s no one here to stop us!” Judging from the way she tried to strip the unconscious Al while on top of the horse, she was acting like one too.

“Feena, the dust is about to settle! Wait, what the hell are you pulling back there!?”

“Shoot! I was so close too!” She quickly fixed his clothing.

“You talk about shame, but you have the least of it between all of us,” Kanon whispered while running after Feena’s horse.

“Why are they so tenacious!? Feena, can I let loose?” Kanon sighed while dealing with the incoming arrows. The seemingly endless battle was taking its toll on her body, but she could still go at it.

“Let me think…”

Feena had been empowered by Heavenly Surge, and Al had also stabilized, but he was still unconscious due to the massive blood loss.

They still didn’t get payback for hurting Al. Shall we wreak havoc then make a run for it? She wanted to give Kanon the green light, but decided against it when she spotted the person standing a bit ahead of them.

“No. We have to leave some for her too.”

“Who’s ‘her’?”

“You’ll see.”

Feena desperately tried to gallop as fast as possible until they finally reached her.

“I’m counting on you,” she said while galloping past the person waiting for them.

“Oh my, worry not.” Her golden hair gently waved in the wind, catching the attention of the incoming Freiyan army.

“That’s Althos’ Diva! Stick to the plan and surround her!”

They carried out their plan in an orderly fashion, even when facing off against a single person; their cool-headed strategy showed just how much research Ranbolg had done before coming to Althos. The two thousand-odd soldiers formed a circle around Cecilia with the heavy and light infantry at the vanguard, the archers behind them, and the mages at the very edge of the circle.

“Not even you, Althos’ famed Diva, could possibly defeat an army of this size! Now, surrender before we scar your beautiful body! Then again, you’ll be scarred even if you do!”

The sea of soldiers opened up, giving way to the leader of the Knights of the First Order: Gatou. Despite his overwhelming military power and his apparent disrespect toward the sole Diva, Gatou approached her cautiously. The surrounding soldiers were staring at the gorgeous girl with lust, some licking the corners of their mouth as wild delusions overtook their minds. Any normal girl would collapse shivering under such immense pressure, but Cecilia was anything but a normal girl.

“Oh my, do you seriously expect to leave unpunished after everything you did to my lovely, adorable little brother?” Her quiet but stern voice filled the area.

“Hah! Your precious little brother lost because he was a weakling! No, even less than that.” A couple soldiers approached her while throwing insults her way, but…

“Shut up!”

Wham!

…Cecilia’s usual kind and collected demeanor was no more. She mercilessly swung her khakkhara at the soldiers, sending them flying all the way back to the edge of the circle.

“How dare you—!?”

The soldier who’d jumped in to attack Cecilia suddenly froze in place. This infamous band of scoundrels, murderers, and bandits, unafraid of even the gods themselves, were paralyzed by the pure, maddening bloodlust radiating from Cecilia. The entire army of two thousand-plus soldiers was caught up in her inescapable rage.

“E-Everyone! Attack!” Gatou managed to escape Cecilia’s suffocating grasp. With his shout, countless arrows and spells began flying toward her, and the vanguard jumped at her with their swords drawn. Knowing Cecilia’s inability to cast spells, they figured the strategy they used against an expert spellcaster would work on her, but…

“Aaaaah!” A primal roar filled the fields. Freiyan soldiers went soaring through the air in all directions.

“Arghhh!” Cecilia caught a soldier in each hand, using one to repel the incoming spells and the other to fend off the rain of arrows.

“What the hell is going on!?”

Gatou had always thought of Cecilia as a refined lady with a wonderful smile. Or rather, he still considered her as such, and couldn’t wait to see that adorable face warped with terror. What he didn’t expect, however, was to see was that adorable girl lift a soldier by his head with one hand.

“Oh my, walking under the clear skies and bathing in the sunlight is always fun if I’m with Al. But the only place I will walk with the fools who dared to injure my beloved brother is the path of eternal pain and suffering!”

Gatou was terrified. What scared him the most was the way Cecilia’s smile had never wavered since the whole ordeal began.

“D-Don’t falter! She may be a Diva, but she’s alone! We can defeat her with numbers and strategy!” he said while instinctively taking a step back, but not because he was a coward. It was because his instincts were screaming at him to run for his life. However, as the lieutenant general, he couldn’t allow himself to run away even if his very own troops were subjected to torture unimaginable by the human mind. If he ran away, he’d be praying for the sweet release of death once Ranbolg found out about it.

“Lieutenant General! Is that really Althos’ Diva?” a soldier next to him asked in awe. Gatou wondered the same thing as he watched Althos’ Diva brush off his army of two thousand only using her physical capabilities, not relying on holy magic at all.

“Oh, there!” Cecilia shouted as she used the soldiers in her hands to mow down the enemy.

“Oh my, what a shame,” she said disappointedly as she threw the long-unconscious soldiers into the crowd.

“Cavalry, infantry, step back! Archers, mages, support their retreat!” Gatou was leading his troops to the best of his abilities, but he’d slipped up.

“Oh my, is it really a good idea to give me space?” Her smile didn’t change one bit, but the air around her did.

“Gentle gods watching over us! Protect your feeble servant from the incoming danger!”

A wall of light surrounded her body, deflecting the incoming arrows and spells. It was a perfect, impenetrable shield against both physical and magical attacks. Naturally, Gatou was concerned about fighting a practically invincible enemy, but he was even more concerned about Cecilia’s words.

“Did she just say ‘gods’!?”

It was common knowledge, a universal law, that any religious figure would only serve one god. Cecilia’s prayer, however, was addressed to multiple gods, and her impenetrable shield was proof of its success. Gatou couldn’t believe the divines would allow her to serve multiple gods.

“Wasn’t she supposed to be a healing specialist?” Gatou whispered in disbelief.

“Oh my, that is correct. My healing prowess is thanks to my powers as a Diva. What you’re seeing here is the power of love,” she answered calmly.

“Sealed, nameless gods, hear my prayer! Scatter the petals of plague! Show the fools who hurt my beloved Al ##### and #####! Pass your divine judgment on them!” Cecilia’s voice reverberated across the plains.

Ah, I see. This is the end for me. Today—right here is where I’ll die, Gatou thought to himself as he watched countless purple petals dance down from the sky. A few seconds later, only Cecilia was left standing.

“Ahh!” She suddenly collapsed to her knees. “Oh my, it is exhausting to pray to numerous gods at the same time.”

Cecilia’s wrath knew no bounds.

“Anyway, I have to get back and tend to Al!” Saying that re-energized her. “Oh my, the power of love truly is absolute!”

Just like that, she set off on the long trip home.

◆◆◆

“Sharon. You must be subjected to punishment for your sins against the Freiyan army.”

After their fight with Althos, the Knights of the First Order set up a camp in the neutral zone for the evening. Sharon was brought in front of a quasi-court in the commander’s tent.

“Do you admit to aiding the escape of King Alnoa?” Ranbolg asked, seated behind a desk with both his legs propped up on it. Sharon, surrounded by soldiers on both sides with her arms restrained, simply nodded in response. She didn’t even feel like playing dumb; she simply wanted to get this over with.

“Our attack squadron hasn’t suffered a single casualty, but they were deeply traumatized by what happened. For any normal soldier, the damage you caused to our country would spell certain execution!”

Well, it was you who ordered the pursuit despite the clear chance of an ambush! She glared at Ranbolg, but he didn’t seem to mind it at all.

“Right. I’ll accept your punishment once we get back.” Sharon averted her gaze from Ranbolg in a theatrical fashion and sulked, expecting a merciless beating once they made their way back to Freiya.

“That would come much too late. We have to increase the morale of our troops before we invade Althos!”

“Huh? ‘Invade Althos’?” Sharon couldn’t believe her ears.

“You said you wouldn’t attack Althos if I went back home with you! Are you going to break your promise!? Let me carry my own sins; leave Althos out of it!” she berated him, still looking away.

“True, I did promise that. But we were attacked by Althos’ king himself. As the prince of Freiya, I can’t let such impudence go unnoticed.” Ranbolg trampled over their promise like it was nothing. “Not to mention that their king is now deceased. Even if he did somehow survive, he’ll need time to recover. This is the perfect chance for an invasion.”

Ranbolg was right. He may have not been aware of the Demon King’s regeneration powers, but he was very aware of the fragility of a country without a leader.

“I already sent a messenger to Althos with a declaration of war. I sentence you to the whip. We are confiscating your sword, stripping you of your status as a Diva, and sending you to solitary confinement with your tent under twenty-four-hour surveillance. Your punishment will go into effect the moment we finish with the preparations. Now, let’s get to work!”

Sharon was more worried about their war with Althos than her own punishment. She stole a glance at Ranbolg, only to be met with his lascivious glare.

◆◆◆

After being brought to the tent which served as a make-shift solitary cell, she was tied to an iron cross.

“Haah, haah… He hasn’t changed a bit, has he?” Sharon mumbled to herself through gritted teeth, her back throbbing. Not only was the whipping as brutal as ever, but Ranbolg had even made it public, subjecting Freiya’s very symbol to grave humiliation.

Furthermore, using the excuse that Sharon’s clothes were the property of Freiya that shouldn’t be torn during punishment, he made her strip to her underwear and take the hundred lashes almost naked. As the so-called knights gathered around her to watch the beating of a half-naked, defenseless girl with lustful eyes, it became clear that Ranbolg simply wanted to humiliate her.

“Is this all? Is this what they call a puni—Oww!” she said, but the burning pain in her back worsened with the slightest twitch.

“Honestly, I’m glad it’s ove—” She was a moment too quick on her sigh of relief. “Who’s there!?”

Feeling a presence different from the guards, Sharon readied herself.

“Hah. The fun is only just beginning!”

Warm candlelight illuminated the tent, but behind that warm light was a face that froze the blood inside Sharon. It was the person who had beaten her with the whip just a bit earlier: Ranbolg himself.

“Your body has changed considerably since the last time we met. You’re nothing like the squeaky brat I once knew.”

A cold sweat broke out on Sharon’s forehead as all her terrible memories came flooding back to her. Back in the day, Ranbolg was not the brute who’d whip her mercilessly, tearing deep into her flesh. He held back and slowly, ever so slowly whaled on her. He beat her hands and legs for hours on end, making her fingers swell to the point where she couldn’t even hold utensils. He reveled in Sharon’s suffering.

There were times when he’d beat her legs so much, she could only drag herself along the ground like a worm. She clearly remembered the taste of the lunch she’d had to eat off the ground like a paralyzed dog. To this day, her body tensed up with fear whenever she saw that whip.

“I have to say, your screams were delicious for a slave.” He poked the defenseless Sharon’s breasts with the hilt of the whip.

“Tch. I’m Freiya’s Diva. You can’t subject me to more humiliation!” Despite being toyed with, she tried her best to keep her spirits up. She couldn’t afford to break now.

“I can’t? Why not? Who’s gonna stop me? The King?”

Ranbolg’s creepy smile set off countless warning signals in Sharon’s mind. She wanted to set herself free and run away, but…

No, I can’t! I’d just suffer even more!

A dark room, candlelight, and a whip. Everything that triggered her childhood trauma was right around her. Ranbolg pressed the whip against her bosom as if he was trying to show it off to her.

“You… Aghhh!” Ranbolg forcefully pushed the base of the whip against her breasts to torture her even more.

“You were a slave back then, but now you’re a Diva! You’ve earned the right to be violated by your gracious prince!”

Sharon wanted to scream, but stopped herself at the last moment. She should’ve been able to fight back; unlike back then, she was strong enough to break those chains with ease. But seeing Ranbolg’s happy yet dirty smile paralyzed her limbs.

“You… can’t…” She squeezed out a tiny word of protest.

Ranbolg was clearly taken aback. A strong stench of liquor entered Sharon’s nostrils as he audibly sighed in front of her, his face distorted with rage.

“Really, now? You may be a Diva, but you’re all mine now. Don’t believe me? Let me show you!”

Her tiny flame of bravery was extinguished; her complexion became paler than candle wax.

No. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Don’t, don’t, don’t don’t don’t!

Sharon lost all hope in her weak, frail self who couldn’t resist the man making her into his own plaything. All she could do was make a wish.

Save me, Al…

She knew all too well how futile her wish was. She had willingly turned her back on Al and refused his helping hand, but as Althos’ invasion was imminent, she had nothing to show for her actions. She knew that to Al, she was nothing more than a traitor.

“Gehehe. You’ve grown quite a bit, haven’t you?”

“Ah! No…”

Ranbolg didn’t plan to wait for Sharon to collect herself. He began caressing her bloody back, then slid his hand down her waist and all the way to her bottom. Clenching her teeth, she tried her best to endure the humiliation, but tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. It was unclear even for Sharon if they were tears of regret.

“Hehehehe, I’ll explore every nook and cranny of your body tonight,” Ranbolg said lustfully and stepped closer.

No. No no no no no! If I have to be ravaged, to be toyed with by this man, then… At that moment, Sharon made a decision. Deep in her heart, she said one last goodbye to the boy referred to as the Demon King, pushed her tongue forward inside her mouth, widened her jaw, and…

“W-We’re under attack!” The guards screamed from outside.

“Tch, just when we were getting to the good part. What’s going on!?” Infuriated, Ranbolg stormed out of the tent.

“I-I’m safe?” After being dazed for a few seconds, Sharon finally sighed the pent-up air out of her lungs alongside words of relief. She tried to recall what had just happened. “Tch, that bastard!”

All she wanted was to run to the river and scrub her body until her skin peeled off, but just as she was fantasizing about removing the filth from her body, she felt another presence approaching.

“Sharon, ya there?”

“Airi, is that you?” Sharon asked, realizing she’d heard that voice before.

“Yah, yah! Oi, Sharon, been a while!”

The person entering the tent answered in a lively tone.

“Airi! You’re alive!”

“You betcha! I ’ave all me digits, too!” Despite being bound by chains, Airi wiggled her toes for Sharon. “Wait, we can’t be foolin’ around! We ’ave to get yer back sorted ’fore it gits worse an’ leaves a scar!”

Airi took a step closer to Sharon.

“Merciful God watchin’ over us, bless me wit yer ’ealin’ ’ands.” She placed her hands, glowing with warm light, on Sharon’s back.

“Wait, when did you become a priestess?”

“Nah, I ain’t a priestess! I’m a paladin!” she declared with a smug smile. “Fer goodness’ sake, what was ’e thinkin’, beatin’ ya up like this! That’s how ya’d treat a girl!? What if ’e left scars on yer beautiful skin!?”

She treated Sharon’s injuries one by one while mouthing off against Ranbolg.

“I’m not a girl, I’m a proper woman!”

“Huh!? Whatcha mean, ‘woman’? Didja do somethin’ naughty wit Alnoa? Ya got all plump an’ jiggly since we met; didja let ’im play wit ’em? Ya can tell me, I’ll keep it ’tween us!”

“Haah… It’s good to know you’re the same old perv I know so well.”

“You betcha! Boobs’re me life!”

“I was just kidding! You don’t have to boast about it!” Sharon acted upset, but deep down, she was grateful for Airi’s unexpected visit. “I also have to thank whoever planned this night raid.”

Despite coming a bit late, she was still grateful for the distraction.

“Hmm? We did that! Well, we really just burned tha storage tent, but at least Ranbolg’ll be out all night lookin’ fer tha attackers.”

Her mysterious savior seemed to be standing right in front of her.

“Wait, then you…”

“Yep! It ain’t no coinkydink! But dun worry, Ranbolg’s lettin’ us Lost Children look after ya!”

“Does that mean all of you are fine!?”

Sharon made a single request of the king before she accepted her duties as a Diva: “Don’t kill any of the Lost Children as long as I am serving as your Diva.” The king had accepted her request, probably because he planned to use them as hostages against Sharon.

“Yah. All five ’undred Lost Children’re alive.”

“Thank goodness.” Sharon released all her worries with a deep sigh.

“Ain’t much ’as changed since then, but at least we’re fed an’ allowed ta go inta battle. They dun rob us of our chastity, neither,” Airi said with a wry smile.

The Lost Children were used as sentinels for encampments. Despite serving under Ranbolg himself, he viewed them as dirt, so he’d never so much as touch them. It was probably a blessing in disguise.

“An’ we can move ’round an’ do a whole buncha things when we’re outside Freiya!” she said happily, but the chains dangling from her legs denied that claim. “But that’s enougha that. Sharon, ya saved our lives! We’re free ta live as long as ya listen ta them, but if ya go against their wishes ’r die, we’ll be killed too.”

“I-Is that so?”

Sharon averted her gaze. She wasn’t used to being regarded as a savior.

“So we trained ’ard ta always be there fer ya when ya need us!” Airi said while gently caressing Sharon’s back. She was done healing her wounds.

Haah, so doing all this wasn’t in vain!

“Okey-dokey, artichokey, I’m done ’ere! Yer still gonna feel pain fer a couple o’ days, but it should be ’unky-dory after that.”

Sharon felt blood rush to her cheeks when she heard Airi’s lively words.

“I appreciate your consideration, Airi, and I think what you did is wonderful. Hearing about it nearly moved me to tears, but could you stop touching me?”

“Huh? How come? Ain’t like they’ll get smaller!”

“Maybe not, but my gratitude certainly will!”

If not for Airi groping her, theirs would have been a perfect, ideal reunion. Regardless, Sharon was incredibly happy to see her again.

◆◆◆

“Sharon! Ah! Grkhhh!” Al awoke from his nightmare drenched in a cold sweat, but he immediately recoiled from the throbbing pain in his back.

“Is this… my room?”

Battling his terrible headache, he tried to recall what had transpired before he got into his bed.

“Oh, that’s right.” He remembered reaching out for Sharon, but nothing after that. More specifically, nothing after Sharon declined his help.

“So, what should I— Huh?” He spotted Cecilia by his bed, dozing off. She’d probably spent several days and nights nursing Al, as he could clearly see dark circles forming under her eyes.

“Thank you, Cecilia.” He gently pet her head, being careful not to wake her up.

“Nh! Hehehehe, don’t be so rash, Al… Mhhh…”

I wonder what kind of dream she’s having.

Seeing Cecilia’s delighted smile, Al’s face also bloomed into a smile.

“Mhhh, nooooo! Al… we’re siblings… Nahhh! ♡ Not there… Ah, stahhhp… Ahhhn!♡ Jeez… You naughty little boy…”

Seriously, what sort of dream is that? Al felt betrayed by his previous, soothing feelings triggered by Cecilia’s sleeping face.

“I always have to rely on others to save my neck.” Al thought he had finally become more competent as a king, but based on his recent actions, that wasn’t the case. He’d once again let his emotions control him, leading him to run headfirst into battle and have the tables turned on him.

“That is not true at all!” While he was blaming himself, Cecilia awoke from her slumber.

“When did you wake up?”

“When you said, ‘Thank you’.”

“Yeah, right! I’m sure you were awake all along! Urgh!”

A sharp pain ran up his back as he overexcited himself.

“Oh my, calm down! I closed your wounds, but you haven’t fully recovered yet!” she said as she expertly undressed Al to check on his wounds.

“You didn’t mindlessly charge into battle against Freiya. You were fulfilling your duties as king.”

Cecilia’s calm explanation left Al with a couple of questions, the first of which being if she was biased toward him. After all, they were siblings, and the care she showed him didn’t go unnoticed. But instead of confirming his suspicion, Al used his chance to say what had been on his mind for several days.

“Then you should rely on me, too. I noticed that you’ve been feeling down lately. Is there anything on your mind?”

“Oh my, really? Well, yes, very much so! The bill I handed you the other day—” Cecilia averted her gaze after a moment of thinking, and started talking.

“You don’t have to lie to me. I always have my eyes on you, so I know when you’re telling the truth.”

For the record, he meant that as her brother, nothing else.

“Eep! Y-You’re… always watching me!?”

That small detail went right past Cecilia, of course, but Al decided to go along with the slight change in nuance and nodded to further the discussion.

“Oh my, I never thought you would see me as a woman.” Cecilia was getting more and more flushed, which led Al to the conclusion that the conversation was going further off the rails than he originally anticipated.

“Anyway, please, tell me if anything happens! I may be unreliable, but we’re siblings!”

Cecilia looked into Al’s eyes with a smile.

“Oh my, you’ve grown quite a bit, haven’t you? I will cherish my memories of the days when you were running after me.”

Wait, I don’t remember anything like that. Al couldn’t bring himself to deny that dazzling smile.

“My goodness. Now that you’re all grown up, I want nothing more than to push you down on the bed and partake in some… adult activities. I will restrain myself, however, and explain what happened.”

Proposing something so normal for siblings was strangely abnormal coming from her.

“Keep calm and listen to what I tell you. You collapsed on the battlefield and have been unconscious for two days. During that time, Freiya declared war on us. Their reason was our alleged restriction of the Freiyan Diva and our attack on the prince of Freiya.”

Her words helped Al remember some of the events, but they also raised numerous questions.

“How should we proceed after this?” Cecilia asked in a kind tone, paying extra heed not to blame Al.

“I’ll do what I feel is right,” he said, staring straight into her eyes. “I’ll save Sharon and fend off the Freiyan invasion! I can’t do that alone, of course; I’ll need all the help I can get. Would you please lend me your strength?” He phrased it like a wish, but in reality, it was only his cowardice talking.

“Oh my, have I ever declined any of your requests? Of course I haven’t! I’d gladly throw myself into a smoldering pit of fire, the depths of the ocean, or even the comfort of your bed!”

She had never denied a request from him before. Her answer was slightly uncanny, but Al showed his genuine appreciation for her undying support with a smile.