Chapter 1: The Two Brides

“A royal marriage!?”

A few days after repelling the Freiyan army, the royal castle was busy with the post-battle dealings. In the royal chambers, the young King Alnoa was having an unexpected conversation over lunch with his sister, Cecilia.

“Yes. I agree with forming an alliance, but I’m not too fond of this royal marriage idea.”

Cecilia was gorgeous, as one would expect from a member of the royal family. Her golden hair was bundled up into a perfect bun, and she looked at the young king with sorrowful blue eyes.

“How did it come to this?”

Alnoa’s father, the legendary Witch King of Althos, had wielded numerous spells and fought valiantly alongside the Freiyan army. He’d passed away a year earlier due to an epidemic.

With his passing, Alnoa’s influence over Freiya weakened. Cecilia, Althos’ Diva and the rightful heir to the throne, declared herself a priestess and abdicated the throne. Alnoa, next in the line of succession, was crowned king instead.

The Witch King’s passing had destabilized the entire kingdom. Most of the ministers and generals who had loyally served the late king either resigned or retired. Many of the nobles gathered their riches and fled the country. The only ones who remained were citizens who lacked any means of escape and former slaves abandoned by their masters.

The legendary empire had been reduced to a minor power, not unlike those it once held dominion over. Severely lacking in manpower, even Cecilia had to help out with the diplomatic matters. Alnoa didn’t know what to think of a royal marriage while his own kingdom was in such poor shape.

Cecilia placed a cup of tea in front of her brother and explained the situation.

“To summarize, immediately after our battle with the Freiyan army, both Freiya and the neighboring kingdom of Subdera petitioned us for an alliance. As a proof of their good intentions, both countries wish to send their Divas here to marry into the royal family.”

The Divas were seven girls who’d inherited the power of the Valkyrie.

Long ago, the Valkyrie defeated the Demon King by sacrificing her own life to seal him away. In order to prevent the Demon King from ever returning, she created seven artifacts to be passed down to seven maidens each generation. Cecilia was one of them.

The original seven Divas were blessed by the Valkyrie with strength far surpassing that of a normal person’s. Each founded their own country, and the Valkyrie’s devastating powers were passed down in each kingdom’s royal bloodline. The current Divas, as descendants of the gods, were heralded as symbols of their respective countries and only rarely appeared on the battlefield.

Alnoa didn’t have to ask why they proposed to him so suddenly, as he instantly understood the issue at hand. The corners of his mouth curled up into a cynical smile upon hearing the details of the arrangement. The Divas would visit one month apart, and he’d have to make a choice between the two of them. The pieces were all laid out in front of him; he just had to play his cards right. The neighboring countries’ intentions were as clear as the sky.

His sister thought otherwise.

“You don’t need to marry anyone, Al. You have me.”

Cecilia gently hugged her brother’s head.

“Um, Cecilia!? I think I’m old enough to get married.”

He tried to resist her embrace. The constant physical contact from his half-sister had taken its toll on the 15-year-old Alnoa’s mind.

“The first visit is scheduled for tomorrow. How dare they force my little brother into a marriage?“

She looked affectionately at her precious brother.

“But I suppose you are a king. It’d be a good idea to at least meet them.”

“I’d appreciate it if you asked for my opinion once in a while, too.”

Alnoa couldn’t escape his sister’s suffocating embrace, despite his best efforts. He resigned himself to his fate upon seeing the look on her face.

“I’ll meet them if you want, but...”

Cecilia released her brother from her grasp and interrupted him by placing a finger on his lips. She then brought her face right in front of his.

“Don’t worry. You will never have to get married. I’ll always be here for you.“

Al didn’t know if she was joking or not, and he was too afraid to ask. With their noses nearly touching, he could feel the warmth in her gentle gaze.

“But you should be more proactive about meeting new people.“

She dealt the finishing blow with a smirk on her face.

The next day, Alnoa was standing at the gates under the warm sun, garbed in formal dress. He looked more like a young actor cast in the role of a king than an actual member of the royal family.

He suppressed his reluctance and waited patiently for the first of his marriage candidates. This would be his first foreign visitor since he was crowned king. The citizenry had caught wind of the royal visit and congregated near the castle gates to catch a glimpse of the foreign Diva. It felt as if a festival was taking place in the city. Alnoa was tired and grumpy, but looking through the sea of people warmed his heart.

“All this just because a foreign princess is visiting.“

Cecilia had informed him that the first candidate would be Subdera’s Diva. Subdera was a magically advanced neighbor of Althos, lying just over the mountains. They were a major producer of magic goods, dominating the market due to their advanced technology. Their royal castle was the Floating City, which floated in the air thanks to their technological prowess. It was rumored that the castle had once traveled through the skies, but such rumors had never been verified.

Did Subdera desire the kingdom’s lands, its king’s life, or both? Or perhaps they were simply interested in the legendary Witch King’s son?

Alnoa’s idle thoughts were soon interrupted.

“Miss Lesfina has arrived!”

The guard’s voice resounded through the city, signaling the arrival of their guest. The crowd grew excited in response.

“Unbelievable. She’s a minute late! Her tardiness reflects poorly on her ability to lead. Don’t you think, Al?”

“I’m more worried about you and how you’re turning into a mean mother-in-law.”

He sighed, as this was not the first time he’d had to warn his sister about her comments.

“Oh, was that mean of me?”

She asked with a straight face.

Meanwhile, a dazzling black cart, escorted by a number of knights, pulled up right before the two of them. A servant opened the elaborately painted carriage door.

Time stopped for a moment and Alnoa’s heart skipped a beat as the Diva stepped out of her carriage. He even forgot about the boisterous crowd around them.

“I’m Lesfina, Subdera’s Diva of Sringara. Hello.”

Her greeting was plain and terse, possibly indicating a hint of nervousness on her part.

The crowd’s reaction was only appropriate, considering her title as the Diva of Sringara. Sringara was one of the eight elementary rasas. It was the principle that defines the love and adoration that sweeps through a performer’s audience.

Lesfina’s blue hair stopped just past her shoulders. Her somewhat plain blue dress emphasized her fair skin. With her short blue hair and sorrowful violet eyes, she was like a captivating Gorgon. Lock eyes with her and you’d freeze up on the spot, unable to look away.

Captivated by her beauty, Al absentmindedly responded.

“Yes... Hi there.”

He barely managed to escape her gaze and mutter those words.

Lesfina tilted her head at Al’s response, clearly confused.

“Why can you respond to me? Did my charm spell not work?”

“Huh? What was that?”

Al tilted his head in kind, mimicking her.

Lesfina straightened her neck and then murmured,

“Fireball.”

With her clasped hands and magic chant as the only warning, she shot a fireball right in front of Al’s feet.

“Wha!?“

Al leapt into the air in panic.

“What are you doing!?”

Lesfina looked at him in disgust.

“...Worm.”

“What?”

Worm? What does she mean by that!?

“I found a worm.”

I guess I didn’t mishear her.

“Oh, okay.”

Al finally managed to collect his composure enough to give a half-hearted response to her baffling actions.

There were no traces of whatever she might have seen on the ground. A crater was all that remained after her fireball. The hole resembled one left by a tree stump being torn from the ground. Any critter caught up in that blast would have turned to ash in an instant.

One mistake and her husband-to-be’s legs would’ve been burnt to a crisp. Lesfina didn’t show the slightest concern about this near-disaster.

Al looked back and forth between the crater and Lesfina’s face, dumbfounded

“Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, I won’t let any lowly worms anywhere near you... Alnoa.”

Al could feel a faint sense of achievement radiating from Lesfina’s stoic expression.

“R-Right... Thanks.”

He quietly thanked her in an attempt to hide his astonishment. She was looking to be quite a handful to deal with.

“Our little Diva here may not be very talkative, but she’s not half-bad.”

Al couldn’t catch what Cecilia muttered under her breath.

“Anyway, thank you for visiting. Ours is a dull country with not much to see, but I hope you’ll enjoy your stay nonetheless. Lilicia, please show her to her room.”

He finally recalled and issued the opening lines he had rehearsed.

Lilicia, the castle maid, was standing behind Al in full maid dress, waiting to escort the princess to her room. While she looked to be the same age as her young master, she had been serving the family as their head maid ever since the Witch King’s coronation. She was a truly mysterious woman.

“Certainly.”

Lilicia bowed her head.

“This is our head maid, Lilicia. Feel free to call on her if you’re ever in need of anything.”

“Thank you.”

Lesfina bowed to the maid and handed over her luggage.

That was a pretty intense introduction, but it was still no excuse for fumbling my greeting. At least now I can finally take a break.

But just as he thought that...

“Miss Sharon’s carriage has arrived from Freiya!”

The guard’s voice once again boomed throughout the city.

“What!?”

Alnoa shouted in surprise.

“Oh, what’s happening?”

Al and his sister struggled to grasp the situation. A magnificent carriage rolled through the gates and stopped right in front of them.

What’s going on? Why is the other candidate here already!? She was supposed to arrive next month! This is bad! This is real bad!

Fate was deaf to Al’s petty concerns. Without giving him any time to collect his thoughts, the doors of the carriage slowly opened.

Oh crap!

But no one stepped out of the carriage. In fact, the carriage was empty. Even the guest’s entourage was surprised.

“Huh!? The princess is missing!?”

But then, a loud shout came from above.

“King of Althos!”

Alnoa clearly remembered that voice.

“It’s time for you to die!”

---

---

---

Alnoa also remembered that exact arrogant line.

“Wait, are you—”

Before he could finish speaking, a girl in a red armor leapt off from the carriage roof and swung her giant sword at Al’s neck.

“I’m taking your head!”

Screams filled the air. The guards didn’t have the chance to react to the girl’s ambush. All they could do was hold their breath and expect the worst case scenario. But...

Boi-oi-oi-oing!

“Again!? What’s with this!?”

She couldn’t understand what was happening, but it was clear that she couldn’t hit him. Something was deflecting her sword.

The girl’s blade and Al were almost like magnets with two like poles facing each other. Both would be repelled backwards if they got too close.

“Gahh! What the hell do you think you’re doing!?”

Al, disregarding the common diplomatic etiquette and his position as king, shot a crude remark towards Sharon. But whatever further rebuke he was planning was quickly forgotten once he laid eyes on her again.

“Ah!”

Instead of crashing into the carriage, as Al expected, she was hanging onto the door with her legs.

“Are you for real?”

She readied her next attack without a moment’s hesitation.

“Haaaah!”

The battle was not over yet. She leapt off the carriage once more, launching herself directly at Al. The carriage was left shaking behind the crimson maiden as she advanced towards her target.

This time, she was sure she had him dead to rights.

“Dieee!”

“Alnoa... I’ll save you.”

The icy-blue maiden approached from behind Al.

“I won’t let lowly worms anywhere near you.”

Lesfina, the other marriage candidate, had come to his help.

“Hey, be careful! Can you handle this?”

Lesfina nodded.

“I’m Subdera’s Diva, after all... And my plans would be... if you died now.”

Al couldn’t quite make out last part of her sentence.

But there was no time to waste, as the crimson maiden was still charging at him.

“Hey, what are you doing!?”

“Don’t worry. I’m deploying a shield. Oh, oops.”

“What’s the problem?”

“I gave my wand to the maid.”

“WHAT!?”

“It’s okay. I’ll figure something out.”

She discarded her plans for erecting a shield and readied herself for physical combat. Her fighting stance was less than impressive. It was apparent that she was a complete novice when it came to hand-to-hand combat.

She’ll get chopped up in a second.

“What are you doing!? Move! You’ll get hurt!“

He grabbed Lesfina from behind and swung her around, placing his back between her and the incoming sword.

“You’re dead!“

The blade closed in on Al’s back, and...

Boi-oi-oi-oing!

Repelled again.

“Ahh!”

The unexpected deflection of the red-haired Diva’s attack knocked her off balance.

“Huh?”

Al let Lesfina go and turned around, only to see Sharon flying towards him. She appeared equal-parts astonished and confused.

“Ugh!”

Sharon crashed into Al before he had the chance to say anything. Both of them tumbled down to the ground, with her landing on top of him. This made for the second time the two of them had ended up in such close proximity.

“Watch your hands!”

Al reached out with his hands in an attempt to get away, but...

Squishy squish.

“Kyah!”

Al’s right hand came into contact with something soft and springy.

Crap. This is bad.

Even an inexperienced young man such as Alnoa could figure out what he had ended up grabbing.

It’ll be hard to talk my way out of this one. This is so unfair! Is there no justice in this world!? If there’s a God watching over me now, then please, I’m begging you. Save me!

“Oh my, Al...”

Cecilia gasped in surprise.

“......”

He felt compelled to silence by the ominous presence of his sister and Lesfina standing at the edge of his vision.

But then reality gave him a crude awakening.

“You filthy cur!”

At the source of the voice, he found her burning-red face. And just a little bit lower, he saw his hand right on her chest.

“Th-This was just an accident. I swear!”

“You...”

“Wait a second!”

“Let go of my chest, already!”

Small clouds dotted the warm spring sky, and the sound of bells reverberated through Althos. The crowd that had gathered in front of the castle slowly dispersed once the gates shut. They assumed that the farce they had witnessed was a planned play to entertain the masses.

“So is this how the King of Althos welcomes his future wife!? By groping her in front of the whole city!?“

“Yeah, right. Let’s not forget how about how you just tried to assassinate me! Wait, you are the Freiyan Diva, aren’t you?

“Hahaha, that’s right. Do you feel sorry, now?“

“No. Not even a little.“

They looked like a couple of fierce dogs snarling at each other before an underground dogfight. Not the sight you’d expect to see between a (potential) married couple.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, King of Althos. I’m the princess of Freiya, Sharon. I’m looking forward to spending the following ‘month’ with you.”

After a few minutes of intense glaring, Sharon introduced herself with a fake smile and proper, ladylike manners. It was almost enough to make Al forget she was furiously after his head just moments ago. She was now nothing other than a maiden trying to win the heart of her potential fiancé.

“Oh my. I didn’t expect this from a Diva of such a war-ridden country. Here I thought you’d just be a big, hulking gorilla, but I have to admit—it was very sly of you to seduce my brother with your body like that!”

Sharon didn’t flinch at Cecilia’s crude remarks. Her fake smile remained intact, even under everyone’s questioning gaze.

“Is there a problem?”

There’s a huge problem!

The problem wasn’t how she had just tried to kill him. Nor was it her captivating eyes as she cutely tilted her head in confusion. The real problem was something else entirely.

She’s the one I clashed with on the battlefield, and she even introduced herself. There’s no mistake that she’s Freiya’s Diva. But then, why...

“Weren’t you not supposed to come here for another month?”

“What?”

Sharon didn’t seem to have a clue as to what he was talking about.

“Ah!”

She gave a shout, realizing who was standing next to Al.

“Wait. I thought that I was supposed to come here first.”

Sharon was clearly confused. If this was an act, then she could have fooled even the best detectives in the world.

“......”

She crossed her arms and thought about the situation. She was already here, so she may as well make the best of it, she figured.

“I was so excited to finally meet King Alnoa that I came a bit early! Hehe!”

“That’s not how it works!”

She seemed like a pretty easygoing girl for a princess who shouldered the fate of an entire country.

The crimson-eyed girl puffed out her chest proudly, having given a supposedly perfect excuse for her early arrival, but even with that wonderful smile on her face, her reasoning didn’t satisfy Al.

However, Cecilia felt differently about the issue.

“What’s the problem? You would have met sooner or later, anyway.”

Sharon immediately took her side, acting like as this was her plan all along.

“That’s right! I just wanted to get this annoying ordeal out of the way!”

“Annoying”!? Did she just call this an “annoying ordeal”!?

Al shot a glare at Sharon, who seemed oblivious to his anger.

With that exchange out of the way, Al decided to show the two Divas through the palace and introduce them to the staff. Of course, Sharon left her sword with Lilicia.

I guess I’m safe now... hopefully.

“They have pretty fitting nicknames, huh? The Diva of the Sword, and the Diva of the Wand,”

Al mumbled to himself as he showed the group the way down the stone-tiled castle corridors.

The rumors stated that Freiya’s Diva was a legendary swordswoman who was blessed by the Goddess of War, while Lesfina could cast countless spells without any preparation or chanting. Seeing Sharon and Lesfina in action first-hand cemented those rumors into fact in the young king’s mind.

“Which means they can probably go toe-to-toe with Cecilia.”

The day’s events had also lent credence to the myth that the only ones chosen to wield the power of the Valkyrie were beautiful women.

Al was pulled out of his thoughts by Sharon turning around and looking at him with disgust, as if he were a filthy molester.

“What are you staring at!?”

She was still on edge due to the incident at the courtyard.

“Nothing. I’m just looking where I’m going.”

Being caught off-guard, he couldn’t give her a proper answer. Instead, he chose to break eye contact with her.

“I’ll let this slide this time, but if I catch you staring at me again, I’ll rip your head off.“

“......”

From her glare, it would be easy to assume the only reason for the Freiyan princess’ visit was to assassinate Al.

“You can stare at me, if you want...“

Lesfina’s bashful attempt at lightening the mood left Al dumbfounded. His pure mind raced, without success, to find the proper reaction. Seeing her rival’s flustered, rose-colored cheeks, Sharon took the opportunity to take a jab at Al.

“Her face is burning red. You didn’t do anything to her, did you?”

I can’t believe she’s still treating me a like a pervert because of that accident.

“We only met an hour ago. What could I have done?”

Al wished to dispel Sharon’s concerns, but she wasn’t having any of it.

“How should I know!?”

The barest hint of blush began to spread on Lesfina’s cheeks.

“I forgive your affair. From what I’ve read, our ‘aggressive cuddling’ earlier makes us... husband and wife.”

Lesfina casually dropped that bomb in her usual quiet manner.

“Wait, hold on a second. I think you’re misusing that expression! And ‘affair’!? That was just a mishap!”

“A mishap!? How dare you! You—”

“Oh, we’re here. Please follow me.”

Cecilia interrupted Sharon just before another long-winded argument broke out.

“Yes, Cecilia.”

On her way into the parlor, Lesfina’s eyes met with Al’s for a moment. She covered her face in embarrassment and rushed inside.

“When did you two... Argh! You’re the worst! You’re scum!”

Sharon let out her frustration on the flabbergasted Al and then followed Lesfina inside.

They were led into the most extravagant parlor in the castle. The room was filled with the late Witch King’s personal collection of exquisite furniture, gathered from all around the world. two beautiful sofas sat next to a mastfully made fireplace, brought in from the kingdom of Girlgon. The furniture was expertly coordinated, lending a sophisticated air to the room.

“Please have a seat.”

Al offered the girls one of the sofas, and he sat on the opposite sofa.

“Thank you, darling.”

Cecilia took the opportunity to prepare tea, a hobby of hers.

Al mulled over how he should start the awkward conversation he had to have with the two Divas sitting across from him. But before he could finish his thoughts, he found himself facing down a blade once again.

“Got you!”

“Whaa!”

The crimson-haired princess had just launched her third attack on King Alnoa.

Didn’t she leave her weapons with Lilicia!?

Al pulled his head away just before his face could get sliced open.

“Tch.”

Sharon clicked her tongue in frustration.

With that, another staredown began.

“What, did you think my sword was the only weapon on me?”

Sharon twirled her knife around and taunted Al with a smug look on her face.

“Why do you have a knife on you!?”

Al questioned Sharon while peeking his head out from behind the sofa he’d previously been sitting on.

“Would you cut it out, already?”

“With pleasure!”

“Whoa!”

Sharon lunged at Al behind the sofa. He narrowly dodged her attack.

She’s going way too far! Time to put a stop to this.

“Don’t underestimate me! Do you think I’ll just keep running forever!?”

“Too slow!”

Al’s attempt at a counter-attack was thwarted by Sharon, who had anticipated such a maneuver.

“Take this!”

“Wahh!”

Al was unable to react to her swift attack. He lost his balance and collapsed onto the sofa.

Sharon stood over the defenseless Al. She smiled victoriously. Certain of her victory, she raised her knife and swung down with all her might. However...

The knife blade broke clean in half before it reached him. Even with all her strength put into an attack, she still couldn’t reach him.

“Again!? What’s going on? Why can’t I ever hit you!?”

Fuming with rage, Sharon brought her right hand to her chest and pulled out another knife. They say that a woman’s body holds many secrets, but nobody would ever expect those secrets to be so deadly.

“Stop resisting, cur!”

Sharon once again went in for the kill without even trying to hide her intent.

Clang!

This time, it wasn’t his usual trick that saved him. Help came to his aid in the form of an ice ball flying in from the side and knocking the knife out of Sharon’s hand.

“That’s not how a princess... That’s not how a Diva should act.”

Lesfina, who had been quietly watching until now, pulled out her wand and drew a magic circle in front of her.

“And... it would be an issue if you killed my future husband before our wedding.”

An “issue”? That’s it? What, is my death on the same level as her losing her house keys!?

The two of them ignored Al’s displeasure, instead preferring to angrily face each other down.

“Wait a second! You can’t fight here!”

“It’s okay, darling. I also once read that you should protect your beloved at all costs.”

“Forget about that book. Just listen to me for a second!”

But Al’s desperate cry could not penetrate the thick veil of tension surrounding the two.

Lesfina thrust her arms out, a fireball starting to form in her palms. The rumors were true. She was able to use magic without chanting first.

I guess that’s the power of a Diva. Wait. Is she planning on blowing up this entire room!?
“Hah! Do you think that’s enough to scare me?”

Sharon smiled as the vicious ball of flames closed in on her.

“It’s pretty rare that I get to fight another Diva!”

She deflected the fireball with a skillful swing of her knife.

“Wait, how is that even possible!?”

Al was stunned. Too stunned to move out of the way of the incoming fireball.

Kaboom!

The explosion launched him spinning through the air.

Huh? What the heck happened?

To Al, the explosion wasn’t very hot or painful.

However, the beautifully arranged furniture wasn’t so lucky. Caught in the blast was the pride and joy of the royal family.

“Nooo! That clock was my father’s favorite! Do you have any idea how much it cost!?”

“Don’t worry. I made sure you wouldn’t get hurt, darling.”

Alnoa could see Lesfina focusing on the threat in front of her as he soared through the air.

That clock was a national treasure. Would it kill you to feel at least a little bit of remorse?

“I’m fine, but that doesn’t mean—Gahh!”

Al hit the ground mid-sentence.

The impact hurt more than the damn explosion.

“Are you okay!? That fireball blew up right in front of you!”

Al’s would-be assassin checked on his health in a concerned tone.

“I just put on the tea. Could you please wait a few more minutes?”

Al fought off the pain and looked over to the side. There was Cecilia, peacefully preparing the tea with her personal tea set.

Right. Cecilia’s a Diva too. It’s almost impressive how unperturbed she is by this whole ruckus.

“A-Anyway... Back to assassinating Al!”

“Is that really something you should say out loud!?”

As a king, countless assassins had made attempts on Al’s life. Assassination was a wicked and cowardly act he would never respect.

“Sh-Shut up! This is my first time doing this!”

She’s awfully moody for an assassin...

Even Sharon realized that her blatant murder attempt was on the aggressive side.

“I too wish to have my first time with King Alnoa...”

Lesfina injected an innuendo-laden remark from the sidelines.

“What do you mean by that, Lesfina? Actually, sorry. Forget I asked.”

Al’s headache was becoming the most painful part of this ordeal.

“King Alnoa, please call me Feena. That’s what those who are close to me call me.”

“Ah, alright! Then, please call me Al!”

“Al... Okay.”

Feena nodded in agreement. If you looked close enough, you could see a slight trace of happiness on her face befitting a teenage girl. For a moment, Al was captivated by the beautiful, bashfully smiling princess.

Feena puffed her (hopefully) developing chest out and shot an ice-cold glare at Sharon, who was standing next to Al.

“And to the brute over there. Make sure you address me as ‘Miss Lesfina’!”

“Hey, who are you calling a brute!?”

Sharon met Lesfina’s cold gaze with a fiery glare. Her expression was that of a wild beast, ready to attack.

“Sorry... I meant fiend.”

Feena pressed on without even flinching at Sharon’s fierce look.

“Oh, is that so? Don’t think that I’ll let you get away with this!”

She was fuming, grinding her teeth in frustration. A red aura began to emanate around her.

“Hey, hey, calm down...”

“Al. Watch out.”

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Feena jumped in front of Al to protect him.

“Oh my. Sorry to keep you all waiting. The tea is ready.”

Cecilia defused the bomb that was about to explode with a single, casual remark.

“Come on, sit down!”

She directed her gentle smile at Al and hurried him to the table. Al’s nerves settled down a little, but he still felt the need to warn his sister about the brewing storm.

“This isn’t the time for that, Cecilia!”

“I understand that you’re all wary of each other since you’ve just met, but would you mind joining me for a relaxing cup of tea? Oh, did something happen?”

Cecilia tilted her head in surprise, as if she had no idea what kind of situation she’d just walked into. Whether she planned this all along or was simply oblivious, Althos’ Diva was a master tactician who commanded a great sense of authority.

“Now, would you care to join me for a drink?”

Paying no heed to the intense showdown transpiring, Cecilia stood between the two girls and offered them each a cup of tea.

“Shut up! I didn’t come here to—Ah!”

A faint metallic clank reverberated through the room. Sharon’s knife knocked against the beautiful tea cup of tea being offered and a few drops spilled onto the floor.

It was an honest accident, yet Cecilia’s smile turned from warm to unsettling. She just stood there, quietly holding out the cup of tea to Sharon.

“Ah, um, I didn’t mean to...”

Sharon hurriedly took the cup from Cecilia’s hand.

Is she afraid of Cecilia? I wouldn’t be surprised. This could get ugly.

“Thank you, Miss Cecilia.”

Feena got the message and took her cup as well.

“I’m honored to—Ah!”

Something crashed on the ground.

“Ah... I’m... sorry...”

Feena turned pale in an instant. Cecilia again stood there quietly with an unsettling smile on her face.

Feena understood the situation after Sharon grazed the cup with her knife, but she was perhaps too tense. Her shaking fingers dropped the cup as she was taking it, and it crashed onto the ground.

Okay. This is definitely going to get ugly.

The tension in the room was palpable. You could nearly see the anger seeping out of Cecilia. Get too close to it, and it would tear you apart.

“Oh my... It’s one thing ruin the extravagant furniture my father collected and cared for over his entire life, but how dare you break my tea set?”

In the midst of this suffocating situation, Cecilia made her move.

Crap, this is bad. This is really bad!

The three of them held their breath in front of Cecilia’s unnerving smile.

Then, a few minutes later...

“There’s plenty of tea left, so drink up!”

Cecilia watched on as Al, Sharon, and Feena sipped their tea, her smile as unsettling as ever. The three of them bowed down and complimented her.

“It’s delicious!”

Their smiles were stiff. It was a thin rope they were walking across.

“This tea comes from plants from my personal garden. How do you like it?”

“I-It’s very... aromatic...”

Sharon answered, forcefully curving her mouth into a smile, while Feena’s answered in a quivering voice.

“It’s... delicious.”

“N-Nothing beats your tea, dear sister!”

And finally, Al responded. The three of them tried their best to placate the still-smiling Cecilia.

“I didn’t do anything! How did I get mixed up in this!?”

Al whispered in complaint to Sharon and Feena the moment Cecilia turned her back.

“Why would I know!? Why didn’t you tell us how your sister turns into a monster when she gets mad!?”

“Not like I had the time. You jumped on me the moment we entered the room!”

Their quiet argument was on the verge of turning into another full-blown fight.

“Oh, would you like seconds?”

As Cecilia turned back, all of them straightened up again.

“Ah, I forgot the cakes!”

Cecilia rushed out of the room. Sharon waited a few seconds and then snapped at Al.

“Explain yourself to me right now!”

“Huh, what are you talking about?”

So many things had happened between the two of them already. Al struggled to pinpoint what, exactly, Sharon was talking about, though he could make some educated guesses. Why couldn’t her attacks ever hit him? Why did she intensely heat up when he held her in his arms?

“Did you really think that I would overlook you fondling me!?”

You tried to kill me, and I accidentally touched your chest a little when you fell on top of me! Which of those two do you think is worse!?

“Ah... I want to hear about that too.”

Why are you betraying me, Feena!?

“Please explain yourself nice and slowly.”

Sharon stood up and walked towards Al. He looked away, overpowered by Sharon’s unforgiving crimson eyes.

Cecilia returned to the room and stood next to Al. She took a sip of tea and then addressed the other girls.

“Were you talking about how the Demon King and the Divas are related?”

“Cecilia!”

She held up her finger, stopping Al’s interjection.

“It’s okay. It would be unreasonable to have them stay here for a month without knowing anything.”

You’re right, but...

“And by my power as a messenger of God, I’ll have them swear to never talk about this to outsiders.”

She turned towards Sharon and Feena and started chanting a spell in a melodic tone.

Cecilia was not only Althos’ Diva, but a priestess as well. She had been a cheerful little girl, but after a certain point, she had become unable to erase her smile from her face. And so everyone in the kingdom—be them peasants, nobles, or naval officers—praised her as the eternally kind Smiling Diva.

Of course, everyone had expected her to become the next monarch of Althos. But after her father’s death, Cecilia insisted on becoming a priestess instead.

It wasn’t rare for Divas to join the church, which revered the Valkyrie, but Cecilia had her own very special set of reasons. One of which was so Al could succeed the crown. But her main reason for abdicating and becoming a priestess was because...

“Once I become a priestess, we won’t be recognized as brother and sister anymore. I can finally marry Al!”

Becoming a priestess would nullify her legal ties to her family, rendering the two of them brother and sister no longer. Even better, the church conveniently allowed their clergy to marry.

But Cecilia had failed to account for how gentle and caring Al was towards her. One day, when she was pretending to be devastated over their relation being nullified...

“Don’t worry, Cecilia! God may not recognize us as siblings anymore, but you’ll always be my big sister in my heart!”

It was a critical blow to her aspirations. But building on that experience, she was now working behind the scenes to make her dream of brother-sister marriage a reality, a fact unknown to all but Lilicia.

Without letting her true intentions show, she finished the ritual, raised her left hand, and then recited the binding words.

“I am a messenger of God. Those who swear an oath to me shall never break it.”

Her left hand lit up with a divine light. Looking at her sublime form, one could mistake the room for a sacred church.

All they have to do now is make their pledges to God.

But Cecilia’s lips curved up into a mischievous smile.

“If these filthy peasants dare to break their promise to my dearest Al, have them experience xxxx and then xxxx their xxxx, so that they can never xxxx again♪”

She can’t just end it normally, can she?

“What!?”

“M-Miss Cecilia?”

Sharon and Feena looked at their soon-to-be sister-in-law in bewilderment. They couldn’t process what they had just heard.

“Cecilia, what are you saying!? What kind of god are you making an oath with!?”

“Oh, don’t worry. There won’t be a problem as long as they keep their promise.”

Fair point.

Sharon and Feena meekly nodded in agreement, running contrary to their usual confident behavior.

“Alright, let’s do it! I swear!”

“I understand.”

With that, their vows were complete.

“Well then... Al!”

When the spell completed, Cecilia looked at Al.

“Okay. I’ll explain everything.”

Unaware of his sister’s true intentions, Al reluctantly agreed.

“The Demon King’s reincarnation!?”

Al’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at the girl’s puzzled expression. He had no idea why Cecilia would have him tell them such a closely guarded secret, one only a select few people knew before.

Is she planning on scaring them away by revealing my lineage?

“You know the story of the Demon King and the Valkyrie, right?”

Al asked them, partially out of frustration.

“Of course. A really long time ago, some king hosted the Demon King in his body to fend off an invasion from his neighbor. He couldn’t control the Demon King inside him and went crazy. Seven of his beautiful servants sacrificed their lives to summon a Valkyrie who sealed the Demon King away.”

Sharon proudly puffed her chest out upon finishing her explanation. Her breasts were a sight to behold, but Al didn’t have the luxury to appreciate them.

“To prevent the Demon King’s revival, the Valkyrie split her consciousness and strength into seven parts and distributed them between seven girls. That’s how us Divas were born. They say one of the chosen maidens was even a three-year-old child.”

Feena indifferently picked up the story from where Sharon left off.

“Exactly. So, what do you think, where is the Demon King sealed?”

Al crossed his arms and gave his best teacher impression as he lectured the Divas.

“Wait... You don’t mean that...”

Feena gasped.

“Exactly. Right here!”

Al let out an exaggerated sigh and pointed down.

“Under this castle!?”

Well, it’s not like I’ve seen it myself, but they don’t have to know that.

“And I’ve been chosen as the Demon King’s vessel.”

He dealt one final blow at the puzzled girls.

“That’s right! My dear little brother possesses the attributes of the Demon King of legend!”

In contrast to the depressed Al, Cecilia triumphantly puffed out her chest.

“Which probably means that he has the Demon King’s powers, too.”

Sharon, deep in thought with her hand on her chin, seemed to have accepted the explanation.

“Yes. I’ve been chosen to inherit his power. I can’t use much of it, since he’s still sealed, but he can’t take over my body either.”

“Wait a minute!”

Sharon looked up at Cecilia.

“Cecilia is a normal Diva. She has no involvement in this matter.”

“So... You’re the Demon King’s vessel, and your sister is a Diva...?”

Feena raised her eyebrows.

It was the truth, as improbable as it seemed.

“Oh, that’s not exactly right. We’re from different mothers,” Cecilia said, as she played with her golden locks.

“Cecilia is from the previous Queen, while I’m from my dad’s second marriage.”

“Exactly. Which also means we can get married!”

“No, we can’t.”

Al let out a heavy sigh at his sister’s sparkling eyes. Her increasingly intense come-ons had started to wear more and more on him.

I hope she was just trying to make a joke to lighten the mood. I really, really hope so.

“Don’t worry! God says that there’s nothing stronger in this world than the power of love!”

Even if he did, who would interpret that statement this way!? I somehow doubt that God intended to promote incest.

By this point, Al’s head was held firmly in his hands.

“So then, what’s up with that crazy technique of yours?”

Sharon led the digressed conversation back on track.

“I don’t know.”

Al raised his hands and shrugged. He hadn’t experienced anything like this before.

Out of the three Divas, Al was closest to his sister. But Cecilia loved him more than any sister should. If the world was doomed and Al’s death was the only way to save it, Cecilia would happily sacrifice the world. She would never raise a sword against him like Sharon had.

Not counting that one time...

Cecilia had been clingy with Al ever since she was a little girl, asking him questions like if he loves her, and if he would marry her when they grow up.

I would often tell her that she was making a scary face when she asked those questions. She’d just look at me curiously and let go. Oh, now that I think about it, that’s around the time when she started permanently smiling.

“Hey, are you listening!?”

“Ah!”

The crimson Diva snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Maybe the Demon King inside Al is reacting to the Valkyrie’s power that resides deep inside you, Sharon. Or maybe...”

Cecilia answered her question with a brimming smile on her face. And then she snuggled up against Al.

“Maybe the souls of the seven beautiful servants still reside within the Divas, and they’re unable to hurt their beloved King. Ah, that’d be so romantic! Right, Al!?”

“We usually fight using our weapons and magic... the artifacts and power of the Valkyrie. The Demon King might be reacting to the remnants of the Valkyrie that sealed him.”

Completely ignoring Cecilia, Feena confidently offered her own proposal.

“So that’s why my sword couldn’t hit you!”

Sharon seemed convinced by this explanation as well.

“Now I know why my charm spell didn’t work.”

Feena murmured to herself.

“Ah, and that’s why when you touch me, I... um...”

Sharon blushed a little and glanced at Al.

“Oh, could that have been a Heavenly Surge?”

“What’s a Heavenly Surge?”

Sharon looked dumbfounded at Cecilia, who was calmly sipping her tea. It was Feena who responded to her question.

“‘Born is the power to control the world when the Demon and the Saint come together.’ Is Freiya so far in the boonies that you don’t even have the scriptures?”

“Ah! I’ve heard about that! I haven’t read it myself, but it’s written in a book from about a thousand years ago.”

Al followed up Feena’s provocation before Sharon could respond.

Wait, why does she look mad!?

“...Don’t worry, Al. I’ll tell you all about it later, when we’re alone,” Feena responded, in a polite tone.

“Hey, aren’t you a bit biased towards Al?”

Sharon glared at the fidgeting Feena.

Al absentmindedly shrugged.

Things are getting awkward again...

“So, what exactly is this Heavenly Surge , anyway?”

He desperately tried to get the discussion back on track before they could wreck the room again.

“Basically, it’s when holy and evil energies mix, which then gives birth to power capable of going toe-to-toe with the Gods themselves. I bet that your power flowed into Sharon, which resulted in her extreme reaction.”

Cecilia recited the details from memory, with her finger on her lips.

Al had resistance towards Sharon’s attacks. Since Sharon received the Valkyries’ divine protection, her attacks were unable to reach the Demon King, restrained by the same Valkyries’ seal. But the same could not be said in reverse. The Divas had no resistance to the Demon King’s powers.

“Wait. Are you telling me I can’t hurt him!?”

It was exactly as she thought. Attempting to attack Al was for her like trying to defeat a chess grandmaster with only a king on the board.

Cecilia glanced at Sharon as if she just realized something.

“I also heard that when your powers mix inside a Diva, the Valkyrie’s power protects them from harm. But a byproduct of this is that they experience something akin to sexual arousal.”

“What!? How did you... Ah, I mean...!”

Sharon was obviously flustered.

“Oh, did you get turned on by his Heavenly Surge?”

“Naughty Sharon... The Diva of Obscenity.”

Sharon shot up from the sofa at Feena’s provocation.

“Wh-What did you just say!? One more word, and I’ll cut your tongue out and feed it to the horses!”

Sharon was shaking with a bright-red face. It was hard to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment.

“Horses are herbivores. You don’t even know that? What an idiot.”

“That’s it, you’re done for!”

Did I just hear something snap?

Sharon, who’d had enough of Feena’s insults, brought her hand to her chest.

Wait, she’s hiding something else there!? What manner of sorcery is this!?

Beside the awe-stricken Al, Feena was getting ready for battle as well.

“Time to put you down.”

An eerie silence settled in the room as the two of them stared each other down. It felt like the calm before the storm. A storm that had been building in strength over the last hour thanks to a countless number of spats. The time of its landfall was imminent.

“Oh, I know! Let’s give them a live demonstration!”

With that, the storm was downgraded from hurricane strength to a mere passing thunderstorm.

I’ll just have to weather the storm for now. Though I’d prefer if we could all get along in the future.

Just as the situation was about to explode, Cecilia gracefully hopped between them and grabbed Al’s hands.

“Al, if you’d please.”

“Cecilia, what are you...”

“Hehe...”

She gently placed his hands against his chest.

“Wait, Cecilia!”

Cecilia wouldn’t let this opportunity slide, even if her life depended on it. She ignored her brother’s protest and squeezed his hands even tighter on her chest.

“Hyahh! Ahhh!”

Her immodest cries echoed through the room.

“Wh-What are you doing!?”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m just demonstrating a Heavenly Surge.”

Cecilia managed to calm her heavy breathing enough to squeeze out a reply.

“Does it only work if I’m grabbing your boobs!?”

Cecilia’s grasp on Al’s hand held firm, no matter how much he struggled against her.

Cecilia’s breasts were soft to the touch and elastic.

What are you doing in front of my future brides!?

Cecilia’s smile turned devious upon her seeing the desperate look in Al’s eyes.

“Enough! Let go of my hands already!”

“I’m not done yet. I need to confirm if it works!”

“Let me go!”

“No! I’m not letting you get away from me!”

“Cecilia!!”

“Hehe!”

“Miss Cecilia is scary...”

Feena murmured that under her breath, but Cecilia still heard it.

“Scary...?”

Cecilia winced at Feena’s statement and let go of Al’s hands. She was shaking like a leaf.

What in the world happened?

Her flushed cheeks immediately lost all their color.

“Huh!? What’s going on!?”

Al fell into a panic upon seeing his sister’s reaction. Unbeknownst to him, all the times he had told her she looked scary shook her to the core. It was a childhood trauma that never left her.

“I’m scary...?”

“Cecilia?”

“Al, I am not scary, am I?”

“Cecilia, what’s wrong!?”

“Don’t play dumb!”

Al noticed a sharp gaze on his back. Sharon, who had been boisterous just moments earlier, was staring at him in dead silence.

Al didn’t have to see her to know what kind of face she was making. Scared for his life, he decided to turn around and explain himself, but Sharon cut him off at the pass.

“How low can you get, fondling your own sister like that!?”

“Even as your wife, I’m not sure if I can support this...”

The two quarrelling Divas were brought together by a mutual disgust for the act they had just witnessed.

What was that all about?

Maybe the method used was wrong, or maybe Cecilia simply meant the whole thing as a joke. Either way, no Heavenly Surge occurred, and the siblings learned nothing new from the experience.

“Oh, sorry. I was just excited to try it out!”

Cecilia had finally calmed down. The other girls, though, were still glaring coldly at Al.

Why is it always my fault!? Do they not know the meaning of the word ‘accident’? Or is it the fate of men to always take the blame, every time an indecent mishap happens!?

“Don’t you dream of laying your filthy hands on me ever again!”

That was Sharon’s takeaway from the situation.

I know how you feel, believe me. But hearing that from such a cute girl still hurts, you know!

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t, even if you asked me.”

“Grr... Good! That’s all I want.”

Cecilia took a sip of tea. She might’ve seemed calm on the outside, but on the inside, she wanted nothing more than to flee into her room and curl into a ball.

Sharon, on the other hand, was an open book. Her fake smile failed to hide her anger.

“Oh, Lilicia! Would you please prepare a room for Miss Sharon as well?”

Lilicia quietly opened the parlor door and answered Cecilia.

“Certainly. The room has already been prepared.”

Since when was she standing there!?

“Thank you. Sharon, Lesfina, allow me to guide you to your rooms. I’ll show you through the castle on the way there.”

Cecilia left the parlor with Lilicia closely following behind her.

“Thanks for letting me stay here and all that, Your Majesty.”

So shallow!

With a mocking smile, Sharon gracefully stood up and followed Cecilia as well.

“......”

Feena gave a quick bow with her usual expressionless face and left the room.

The young king was left in silence, now free of the naked animosity he had been facing for the last hour.

“Finally...”

Having successfully ridden out the storm, Al let out a sigh of relief, leaned back in his seat, and rested his legs on the table.

Life is full of surprises, huh?

In the end, it was decided that both of them would stay here for the next month.

What should I do now? I wasn’t prepared for this.

“What an absurd turn of events.”

He recalled the battle Althos and Freiya had fought a few days earlier.

Against all odds, they were victorious. No one expected an army led by a young, inexperienced king to triumph over Freiya’s military might. Seeing their fall, the neighboring countries changed their strategy. They were still certain of an eventual victory, but they feared the possibility of a long, drawn-out war. Any victory would have left them weakened, making them easy prey for their neighbors.

Which would mean it’s better to take over our country without a fight.

And so, two of Althos’ neighbors sent in their trump cards, the Divas, maidens capable of felling thousands of soldiers on their own. Both countries had reached the same conclusion, but their approaches differed. One sought to take control of the King and, in turn, his kingdom. The other sought to take the crown more aggressively by killing the King. Freiya refused to give the initiative to Subdera, so Sharon was sent in a month early.

How obnoxious. I almost would’ve preferred an all-out war.

Al let out a heavy sigh and gulped down the last of the tea left on the table.

The next day, while rumors of the King’s arranged marriage plans spread across the country like wildfire, Al was quietly doing paperwork in his room. He had been neck-deep in work ever since the arrival of the two marriage candidates. It was complicated business hosting two princesses.

Al had to send out confirmation of their arrival to their respective countries as soon as possible, while making sure to keep as many of the details as he could to himself. He did not want to find out what Freiya and Subdera would do should they ever learn of what had transpired the day before. He could only imagine the outrage he would face.

The other challenge was taking care of their needs during their stay.

“Al, do you have a moment?”

The door to his office opened without a knock. Though one could hardly call it an office. It had a bed for napping and a collection of Al’s favorite books for leisure, making it more akin to a bedroom.

“What is it, Sharon?”

“I was just thinking, what if I gave up on murdering you and tried to become your wife for real?”

His unexpected visitor was none other than Sharon. She wore the same dress as yesterday, but she looked much more attractive now. For the first time in Al’s eyes, she looked like a real, beautiful princess.

Wait, are you sure you want to admit that you came here to assassinate me? Though I guess that much was already obvious.

Al was silent as she approached him. He was very suspicious of this change in attitude. Something was telling him that this wasn’t going to end well.

At some point, Sharon had started calling him “Al” instead of “Your Majesty.” He decided it was best not to ask why.

She probably changed because “Al” is just easier to say.

“...Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

“This isn’t a ploy to attack me, is it?”

“..... No, it’s not.”

“Well, I’m happy to hear that, but would you mind telling me what it is you’re hiding behind your back?”

“That’s a secret. Teehee!”

Al wanted nothing more than to be able to trust Sharon, but unfortunately for her, her secret was peeking out from behind her fiery hair.

Assassins this bad at deception are exceptionally rare.

“Okay, drop the act. I can see your sword behind your head.”

“Really?”

Sharon looked at Al, perplexed.

“Yes, really! Are you stupid? Do you think I’m that dumb!?”

“Tch. And here I thought this would fool him.”

“I heard that!”

Al let out a sigh.

We only met yesterday, and she already thinks that I’m an idiot?

“Didn’t you give that sword to Lilicia?”

“Hey, I’m a princess. I just told the maids that keeping my sword from me would lead to an international incident!”

“Oh, for the love of...”

Sharon gripped the hilt of her sword with devious smile on her face.

“That’s enough talk!”

“Is it!?”

They were trapped in a small room without any space to dodge.

“You’re really gonna try this again?” Al added quietly.

Yesterday’s events vividly flashed through his mind. The outcome was obvious, but having a sword swung at him was still scary. He tightly closed his eyes.

“Dieee!”

Sharon swung her sword at Al’s head, but, just as expected, it rebounded before it could reach him. The table took the hit in place of his face. It was sliced clean in half, along with the stack of documents resting on top of it.

“No! I just finished those!”

“Who cares? You won’t need them where you’re going!”

She looked at him with a smug face, as if she didn’t even process what just happened.

“I’m pretty sure you’d still need those documents even if I died.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make your death as painless as possible!”

Crap... There’s no talking to this girl when she’s this excited.

In the face of this reckless assault, Al could only think of one option. The moment Sharon swung her sword, Al lunged forward.

“Listen to me!”

Longswords are useless in close-quarter combat. I just have to push forward!

“There!”

“Gahh!”

Al pressed forward. Sharon shrieked and backed off like a frightened animal. Feeling cornered, she collapsed to her knees, tears forming in the corner of her red eyes.

“What’s the problem?”

She flinched at Al’s words. With her hands covering her breasts, she scowled at him.

“What do you think you’re doing!?”

“I should be the one asking that!”

What’s with this reaction!? I was just aiming at her chest—wait, no. I mean I was just trying to restrain her arms. I never expected her to react like this.

“D-Didn’t you promise to never touch me?”

“This was self-defense!”

Oh, right! She’s afraid of the Heavenly Surge. That makes sense, but it still hurts to see her like this. Am I really that scary?

“B-Back off! I’ll scream!”

Sharon desperately scurried back like a scared puppy.

I wonder what she thinks of me now.

“H-Hey...”

“I told you to back off!”

“You’re the one who charged at me!”

“Sh-Shut up!”

As charmless and unreasonable as ever.

Al had a sudden, devious spark of inspiration.

Wait, this is pretty fun. It’s time for some payback. Maybe I can even stop her from trying to kill me.

“Hey, back off!”

“Apologize.”

“For what?”

“For ruining my work.”

One step.

“Why should I!?”

Two steps.

“Okay, okay! I’ll apologize!”

Three steps.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry that I destroyed your documents! Well? Are you happy?”

Sharon looked up at him with wet eyes. She was on the verge of crying.

“Still not enough.”

Al whispered.

“Swear me that you won’t try to assassinate me anymore.”

Al, unwavering, continued his advance.

“B-But that’s my mission.”

Four steps.

“Okay, okay! Stop! Please stop! I’m begging you!”

Five steps.

“Why won’t you stop!?”

Six steps.

“Ahh!”

She bumped into Al’s bed. She had nowhere left to run.

Al reflected on his actions while looking down on the whimpering girl.

Maybe I went too far.

Sharon’s powerful crimson eyes had lost their light and were now filled with tears.

“You coward! How dare you play such dirty tricks!?”

Ugh, this girl...

“Are you still resisting?”

I guess talking down to others is part of her nature. But I think this is enough. She’s a princess, after all.

“I’ll never lose!”

Sharon rolled onto the bed and reached to open the nearby door.

“I’ll put this battle on hold for now, but next time, next time I’ll get you!”

“Hey, that’s—”

Al intended to say ‘that’s the door to the storage room, a room filled to the brim with documents,’ but Sharon was in too much of a rush to listen. She flung the door open with a loud creak.

“Wait, don’t!”

“Ahh!”

“Watch out! Whoa!”

The force of the door opening sent large stacks of documents tumbling down. Al gasped and rushed in to protect Sharon. Documents collapsed all around them with a loud thud.

“Ouch...”

Dust from the old documents filled the room. Al and Sharon remained silent for a moment, having narrowly avoided disaster.

I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened if Freiya found out that their princess got injured in my office by a pile of old, dusty documents dropping on her. I hope she’s al...right... Wait, are those her panties!?

Let’s review the unfortunate chain of events that led to the current situation.

1) Sharon, while kneeling on the bed, flung open the storeroom door.

2) Still on the bed, Sharon fell on her rear.

3) Al rushed onto the bed and stretched over Sharon to protect her.

And now, this scenario was about to reach its obvious end.

“Get off of me, you perv! Stop pushing your crotch into my face! You freak!”

Sharon hurled a barrage of insults towards Al with a burning-red face.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

Is she like this because of a Heavenly Surge?

Sharon pulled in her legs, blocking her panties from view.

“Now I’m forever sullied.”

Sharon mumbled to herself in a weak, shaking voice.

“What?”

“Nothing!”

She looked away.

“Just get off me, already!”

“Ah, yeah. Sorry.”

She let out a relieved sigh once Al climbed off her.

Did she just say she was sullied?

Just as things were settling down, a sound rang out through the room. The rambunctious couple jolted up and directed their attention towards the source—the room’s entrance.

Oh crap! Of course someone would hear all that noise!

“Really? Doing... the sechs on the second day?”

“No! We absolutely are not!”

Al was hoping that his savior had just walked into his room, but what he got instead was a demon. A demon in the form of Lesfina, his other marriage candidate.

“Wha... What does she mean by ‘the sechs’?”

“Nothing! Don’t worry about it!”

“Well, you see, when a man and a woman really...”

“Feena! Don’t say it! Please!”

“Huh?”

Feena was curious as to why Al stopped her.

Sharon couldn’t fully understand what Feena was referencing, but she eventually realized it was something quite obscene.

“I am NOT like that with this pig!”

Sharon had calmed down a little. Feena took the opportunity to look Al in the eye and say what she came to say.

“Al. I made my decision.”

“What decision?”

Al met her gaze and stood up from the bed like nothing had ever happened.

“I want become a good wife. I want make you mine—a puppet for my use only. So even if you cheat on me, even if you sleep with your sister... I’ll do my best to look the other way.”

She had a really good thing going there until the whole “puppet” part.

“I’ll try my best at doing... what you two were just doing together.”

“You’re still misunderstanding. She was trying to kill me!”

Al’s denial fell on deaf ears.

“However...”

Feena cast her gaze over towards her rival, disgust worn plain on her usually-expressionless face.

“What?”

---

---

---

Al was seeing Feena serious for the first time. It was a sight that sent shivers down his spine.

“You!”

Sensing Feena’s anger, Sharon braced herself.

“I’ll never forgive you! I’ll protect Al, no matter what!”

Feena firmly stepped in front of Sharon.

She’s so cool! That’s the kind of line that would make any woman swoon if they were spoken by a guy.

“Stop getting in my way.”

“I can’t do that. I won’t let you hurt my husband.”

Sharon shot a glance towards Al, hoping he’d back her up. Al didn’t want any part of this, however.

Feena once again directed her cold, sharp gaze at Sharon.

“By the way...”

“What?”

“What’s your goal?”

Sharon raised her eyebrows at the unexpected question. It was a slight gesture Feena didn’t miss.

“I’m here to kill that man!”

“No. I want to know what you hope to achieve by killing him.”

She keeps saying that she’s here to kill me like it’s nothing!

“Tch.”

“I knew it. You can’t be trusted. You came here to—”

Sharon launched towards Feena before she could finish her sentence.

Clash!

A sharp metallic clank reverberated through the room.

“Hey, is that your...”

“...I won’t be letting you get the upper hand today.”

Feena held her wand above her head, blocking Sharon’s strike.

“Oh? You’re pretty good! Okay, bring it on! Let’s see whose relic is stronger!”

Feena blocked Sharon’s strike with one hand, and she didn’t even flinch doing it.

“So that’s Subdera’s relic?”

Al could only watch on in awe. Her wand was made of a mysterious material, possibly obsidian.

These relics were regarded as the symbol of Divas, and were said to have been created by the Valkyrie herself. Another theory was that these relics were the favorite weapons of the seven maidens. Each Diva had their own relic, including Cecilia, whose relic was a khakkhara, a kind of staff also known as a crosier.

“You’ve been pretty talkative today, haven’t you?”

“......”

“Your cold and silent farce is now gone! Don’t worry. I’ll cut you down! That way, you can stay silent forever!”

Sharon tightened her grip on her blade’s hilt.

Wham!

With that, a true tragedy occurred.

“Nooo! My books! My documents!”

Sharon’s deflected sword had sliced clean through his bookshelf. Al’s cry filled the tense room.

“My precious books...”

Sharon and Feena were undisturbed by Al’s sobbing. They didn’t take their eyes off of each other for a second.

“Hey, get out of the way!”

Sharon grasped her sword in an attempt to scare him off, but Al couldn’t think straight. All he could see were the destroyed documents in front of him.

“Hey you!”

Al turned to Sharon and reached out for her.

“Watch where you’re swinging that thing!”

“Ahh!”

“I’m sorry!”

Sharon panicked and shouted out an apology in order to stop him.

“If you two want to go at it, then do it outside!”

Al let out all of his pent-up stress on the two Divas.

“Okay. I’ll be a good wife and listen to my husband, but...”

Feena stopped.

A good wife wouldn’t wreck her husband’s room!

“No... My documents!”

He wanted to break down and cry after seeing how much of his work had been destroyed. Feena lightly tapped his shoulder in an effort to comfort him.

“Don’t worry. At least your secret stash isn’t in this room.”

“Yeah, at least... Wait, how do you know about that!?”

“That’s a secret.”

Al wondered for a moment if maybe Feena was the more dangerous of the two.

“Ugh. You pervert!”

Sharon glared at Al from across the room and covered her chest with her arms.

Wait, how did I end up being the one under attack?

“I see everyone’s having fun. But according to Cecilia, in this country, illicit sexual relations with foreign princesses is a crime punishable by death.”

Al looked over at the voice of his savior and found Lilicia gently smiling at him.

She’s joking, right? I really hope so...

“Lilicia, what are you—”

“An urgent notice came in from the reconnaissance.”

Lilicia cut Al off and stated her business, but then she stopped.

“Um...”

“It’s an urgent letter, Your Majesty!”

The letter in question was stuck between her breasts.

Is she pushing her breasts out a little?

Al quietly grabbed the letter. Lilicia let out an aroused moan in response.

Why did she have to do it this way? This is ridiculously embarrassing.

“Is that one of your fetishes, darling?”

“No, it’s not!”

“You’d force your maid to do something that kinky? You freak!”

“Why do you just assume I asked for this!?”

Al tried to ignore their potshots and instead focus on the letter in his hands.

Let’s see...

“Lilicia! Tell my sister that I’ll need her later.”

Al’s expression changed in an instant. He promptly issued that order and left the room.

“Certainly. I’ll also tell Jamka to prepare the troops and have them follow you at once.”

“Lilicia, did something happen?”

Lilicia ignored Sharon’s question and saw Al off with a smile.

“Al...”

Feena quietly watched through the window as Al left the castle. A spring breeze blew past her face and guided her vision upwards. Althos was basking in the gentle rays of the sun. In that moment, the kingdom appeared as a proud nation, not the minor power it was said to be.

Al read the letter again from atop his galloping horse. He never expected things to come to this. A group of former citizens living in the northern plains of Althos were under attack.

They must be the ones who fled the country when I was crowned.

It wasn’t surprising for people to abandon their country during troubled times. The Witch King had built this country himself, which made his death was especially troubling. His passing reduced Althos to the status of a minor power. If they were to lose a war and become a vassal state, they would’ve been as good as slaves.

Al closed his eyes and murmured to himself.

“They may have thrown their country away, but they’re still Athos’s citizens to me!”

He opened his eyes to vast, boundless plain. The soft sun shone brightly, enveloping the plains before him in light and filling him with hope.

Al dreamt of a world bereft of hunger, void of thievery and crime, where everyone could live happily, even in the hottest of summers and the bitterest of winters. And the first step towards achieving this dream was freeing all the slaves. Across the land, they toiled day and night just for an ounce of food. They were abused and disposed of at their owners’ whims.

I will change this rotten world.

After a long ride through the green fields, signs of civilization come into view.

“I’m finally here. Wait. No...”

Smoke billowed on the horizon. He had heard that there were just a few hundred people living here, but it really didn’t seem like it. Although it was still developing, it was a pleasant town with streets lined with brick buildings. Under any other circumstances, Al would’ve been impressed.

“What the...”

The reality of the situation hit hard, rendering him speechless. He was late, and the budding town was engulfed in flames. The desperate cries of fleeing townsfolk filled the air and merged into a single wail, as if the village itself was weeping. Their lives were hanging by a thread.

“Damn it...”

Armored soldiers marched through the burning town. The letter made Al expect bandits or mercenaries pillaging the village, but he was naive. The soldiers wore matching uniforms and moved with purpose, clearly carrying out orders. This was an army he was dealing with.

“Wait, what are those!?”

A group of bizarre creatures mixed in with the enemy forces caught Al’s attention. They were roughly human-sized, but their limbs were long and twig-like, and their heads were embedded inside their chests. They looked like they had walked straight out of a horror story, but they also carried with them an air of longing and loneliness. Al had never seen anything like them.

He shook his head, trying to brush aside their overwhelming loneliness.

This is bad. I came here to get rid of some thieves. I wasn’t ready to fight monsters. But I can’t just leave these men and women to their deaths. I don’t know if this will work, but...

Al galloped forth and reached into his knapsack. He pulled out a leather pouch filled with oil and threw it onto the ground between the mysterious army and the fleeing townspeople.

“Fire!”

The patch of oil was lit ablaze with that simple chant. Red flowers bloomed on the verdant plains.

“Whoa!”

Al’s battle-hardened horse didn’t flinch, but the marauders’ horses were sent into a frenzy upon seeing the burst of flames. Al pulled on his horse’s reins and turned towards his former citizens.

“Help is on the way! Run to the south!”

The townsfolk headed south as instructed. Seeing this, Al unsheathed his shortsword and turned his attention back to the enemy. But before he could even turn around...

Wham!

Al hit the ground hard. He found himself lying flat on his back, staring up at one of the headless creatures.

“Gahh!”

The pain only came after realizing how he must’ve been knocked off his horse by that monster’s long, lanky arms.

Al cowered on the ground in pain. A plump armored man, likely the group’s commander, shouted triumphantly.

“Excellent! Capture him! If he resists, feel free to break an arm or two!”

All the commander’s soldiers rushed towards Al.

“I call forth...”

Al sluggishly picked himself up and began a chant under his breath. He allowed himself a smug smile at the soldiers surrounding him, and then...

“Wind!”

He completed the chant and released the spell. A whirlwind emerged from Al, quickly turning into a sandstorm.

“Argh! My eyes! I can’t see!”

“Where was he hiding the catalyst!?”

Al did not need a catalyst such as a wand or a ring; he never did. It was possible that the Demon King’s powers allowed for this, or that Al’s body itself became a catalyst as a byproduct of hosting the Demon King. Al didn’t know. However, his magic power was low enough to still require a chant. In practice, this meant his power was only useful for surprise attacks. And the surprise attack worked this time. Both the soldiers and the creatures alike were stuck shielding their eyes from the sandstorm.

“Sorry, but I don’t have the time for this!”

Caring not for appearances, Al crawled away from the scene. But one soldier was separated from the rest—the commander. He spotted Al and charged towards him, spear in hand.

“You cheating bastard! Die!”

He rushed forward and thrust his spear at Al’s neck. Al narrowly dodged the attack, at the cost of a few strands of hair. With the commander now off-balance, Al bashed him in the stomach with the pommel of his sword.

“Ugh!”

It was a hard hit that the commander felt through his many layers of armor and fat. The impact sent him tumbling down off his horse.

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you.”

The commander was out cold, lying on the ground. Al stood over him and held his sword above the commander’s neck.

“That’s enough! If you want him to live, drop your weapons and release the townspeople!”

Their eyesight finally returning, the soldiers looked towards Al.

I hope this guy isn’t as unpopular as he looks.

Al’s plan would’ve failed had the soldiers thought rationally about the situation, but...

“You coward!”

The soldiers reluctantly dropped their weapons.

I guess it somehow worked out.

“Phew, I’m glad everyone got away unsca—”

Al’s statement went unfinished, his words replaced by a rush of blood entering his mouth.

“Gahh!”

An intense pain radiated from his right shoulder, forcing his shortsword out of his hands. A twig was sprouting from his shoulder. He turned his head, trying to find the source, and saw one of the tree-like monsters in the distance, stretching its arm across the battlefield and right through his shoulder.

“This isn’t fair!”

Al somehow managed to blurt that line out before before collapsing onto his knees.

Having come to at some point, the commander stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and then shouted out a new order.

“Alright! Leave him to the abominations and continue with the plan. Got it?”

“W-Wait!”

Al tried to stand up again and pursue the commander, but another twig came, this time piercing one of his legs.

The commander snarled at Al and returned to his unit.

“Wait! I’ll be your opponent! Leave the people out of this!”

Immobilized by the tree-like abominations, Al was powerless to interfere.

“Thanks to your little prank, most of the rabble managed to escape.”
The commander furrowed his brow and stepped up to Al again, this time with a bullwhip in his hand.

“Oh, thank goodness. If they’re just rabble to you anyway, then let them go and—Gahh!”

Al’s impudence was met with a merciless crack of the whip across his cheeks. The pain was agonizing. It felt like his whole body was aflame.

The plump commander looked at Al’s pain with delight.

“But we’re still over our quota, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”

The commander smiled sadistically.

“The Imperial Army is happy to take any healthy man as a slave, but you... Bastards like you are too insolent to be a slave.”

The Imperial Army? Good, keep it up. Leak more information, you babbling pig!

Al hung his head in an effort to bear the pain and make his face harder to read for the commander. Looking down at the ground, Al couldn’t see the dark flames burning in the commander’s eyes.

“Guh!”

Al was sent rolling on the ground with a kick to his gut.

“I’d love to keep playing with you, but I’ve got places to be. Abominations, join up with us once you’re done with that joker!”

After giving out his orders, the commander and his cohorts left the scene.

They’ll take those civilians as slaves if I don’t hurry!

Al had an ace up his sleeve for this occasion. For the last while, he had been preparing a secret move, even as he was on the ground, writhing in pain. He waited for the abominations to close in, then...

“Now!”
He struck his palm out towards them and released his magic spell.

“Be banished in these flames! Fireball!”

Fireball was Al’s most powerful magic spell. It should’ve easily torn through the tree-like monsters, but...

“What!?”

Al recoiled. Not in pain this time, but in shock. He was sure that would’ve been enough to dispose of the monsters, but the fireball had no effect on their tree-like bodies.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Guhuhuh! Gahaha!”

One of the monsters closed in and attacked. One strike was all it took to send him flying. Broken in both spirit and body, he no longer had the strength to stand up again. He lay there as the abomination’s twigs coiled around him.

Ahh, so this is how I’ll die?

Al, his face still on the ground, looked up at the monster. A part of him was certain that he wouldn’t die. What kind of king would die here? How could someone with a dream as splendid as his perish now? He was the Demon King’s vessel. He couldn’t die.

But the cruel reality of the situation was that he couldn’t defeat a single one of these tree-like monsters. Just as despair was setting in, a new hope arrived. With a satisfying thud, the twigs coiled around him lost their grip and fell to the ground.

“You’re much more dashing than the last time we met!”
“Sharon?”

The crimson-haired Diva leaped in between Al and the monster.

“Why?”

Al was too baffled to show gratitude.

“Why? Not to help you, that’s for sure! It would have been a problem if someone else killed you instead. That’s all!”

Does it really matter who kills me?

Al figured it’d be better if he kept his thoughts to himself for the time being.

“I’m here too.”

The quiet, blue-haired Diva fired off a massive fireball, detonating right between Sharon and the monster.

“Hey! Are you trying to fry me, too!?”

“My bad.”

“Should I split you apart instead of this tree monster!?”
“Now, now, that’s enough. You two will have plenty of time to fight once we’re done here.”

A familiar voice stopped them.

“...Cecilia too?”

“Oh, Al. Didn’t I tell you not to go too far?”

His sister’s kind voice and gentle, healing touch was almost enough to lull Al to sleep.

“I’ll obliterate you!”

“How dare you. I’ll turn you into charcoal!”

But he was quickly pulled back into reality by the Divas’ merciless war cries.

“No... Don’t kill it.”

Their target was the monster that was trying to kill Al just moments ago. He didn’t have a reason for trying to save it, but his intuition was telling him that they shouldn’t kill it.

“Huh. Well, if that’s what you want, then I’ll let it live this time.”

“I’m a good wife, so... I’ll listen to my husband’s request. I’ll just freeze it.”

The two of them understood the seriousness of Al’s request. Together, they prepared their next strike.

“Here we go!”

Sharon set off, charging towards the monster at tremendous speed with a smile on her face.

“Haahh!”

She mightily swung her sword downwards, aiming at the creature’s center.

“Wait, that’s too much power!”

Al expected Sharon’s attack to split the thing in half, but it withstood the impact and was flung backwards instead.

Holy crap. That thing’s sturdiness is impressive, in a way.

“Ice ball.”

Feena sent an ball of ice towards the tumbling monster, freezing it in an instant.

They honestly make a pretty good team.

“Did you really think I’d kill it after you specifically asked me not to?”

Sharon frowned at Al. She explained that she only hit the monster with the flat of the blade. Even an inhuman abomination wouldn’t stand a chance against one of the Divas, maidens capable of taking on hundreds of soldiers at once.

“So, Cecilia, what happened with the captured civilians?”

Cecilia answered Al’s question with a sad smile. He had failed to save everyone. This wasn’t Cecilia’s or the princess’ faults; it was his own, and he knew it. It was naive of him to think he could handle everything alone.

Sharon stepped in front of Al and scowled at him.

“Why? Why would you risk your life to save people who abandoned you and your country?”

It was easy to mistake Sharon as being confrontational, but Al recognized how serious she was being.

“You didn’t expect the vessel of the Demon King to go and try to save his ex-citizens... to save people in need?”

Al sat up with Cecilia’s help and looked Sharon deep in the eyes. After taking a deep breath, he continued talking.

“I want to rid of this world of war.”

“What?”

She’s more perplexed than I expected.

“I won’t kill anyone. Even if my enemy is not a human.”

Killing leads to sadness, sadness leads to rage, rage leads to more killing. It’s a vicious cycle. Al insisted on putting an end to it and ordered his army to never take a life, no matter how many scoffed at his ideals.

Sharon could laugh at him, Feena could call him stupid, and they could both go home; Al didn’t care. He would share his dream with anyone, and should they refuse to follow him, then so be it.

“A benevolent Demon King, huh? Sounds kinda cool...”

Sharon murmured this under her breath and avoided eye contact, hoping he wouldn’t hear her.

“Anyway, what was that freak that was pinning you down? I was going pretty seriously on it, but it didn’t seem to care too much.”

Sharon pointed towards the frozen monster. She felt that if it was just a simple tree, it would’ve been blown to shreds by her.

“I don’t know. The imperial soldiers called it an abomination.”

“The imperial army? An abomination?”

Sharon raised her eyebrows at the first statement and tilted her head at the second.

Feena chimed in with the answer to her questions.

“I heard that the Northern Empire was using barbaric soldiers they called ‘abominations’ to help expand their territory. They were said to be very strong.”

“Wait, so that’s an imperial soldier?”

Sharon pointed her sword at the frozen creature.

“Huh...?”

Am I just seeing things, or did the tree monster shake a little when Feena said its name?

“I wasn’t just seeing things. That thing’s still not done!”

Not yet fully healed, Al staggered to his feet and readied his weapon as fast as he could.

“You want another go!?”

Sharon grabbed her sword and prepared for round two with the tree monster.

“It’s okay, Al. I’ll protect you.”

Feena stood in between Al and the creature. Cecilia wordlessly stood up next to Al, grabbing her trusty khakkhara. The four of them watched as cracks spread through the frozen monster’s body. What poured out wasn’t blood, but a blinding flash of light. By the time they had regained their vision, the tree had withered and sprouted a large crystal.

“What in the world?”

The crystal shattered, giving birth to small and incredibly frail child.

There was a slave mark on his arm.

“Hey, are you alright!?”

Al limped over and cradled the boy in his arms.

He’s light, even for a kid.

Surprised by the child’s light weight, Al fell on his backside. He called out for help, not caring for appearances.

“He’s still breathing! Cecilia!”

Cecilia laid the little boy down and immediately started chanting a miracle. Feena couldn’t take her eyes off of his arm.

“That’s the mark of the Gaust Empire. He’s a slave of the Empire.”

Hearing Feena’s explanation, Al was even more confused than before.

Are their soldiers not enough? Do they really need to bring these monsters on their manhunts?

“I’m glad you don’t kill anyone.”

“Whoa!”

Feena’s sudden whisper took Al by surprise. He thought she was still a few meters away from him.

“I’m using a spell that masks my presence and form.”

“Is this really worth using such high-level magic!? Anyway, what do you want?”

“I just want you to know that it’s okay. I don’t mind.”

Al wasn’t entirely sure what Feena was talking about.

“Tch.”

He stared in the direction of the departed troops and rued his helplessness. He almost clenched his fists hard enough to break skin and draw blood.

“But are you sure, Al?”

“About what?”

His dark thoughts put him in a dark mood. Feena was taken aback by Al’s agitated response for a moment before continuing.

“The empire will find out about us now.”

“Oh. Right...”

The Gaust Empire. Situated north of Althos, it was a vast realm home to the largest army on the continent. Its previous emperor, Meldis the Ashen Emperor, did not expand much and squandered the country’s resources.

Their current emperor ascended to the throne at roughly the same time as Alnoa’s ascension. His first action was to invade their weakest neighbor and annex them completely. Gaust executed their royal family and entire noble caste, and the rumors said they enslaved the entire populace.

“True. They might see us as a threat if they knew that we currently host 3 Divas.”

Despite saying that, Al had not the slightest hint of hesitation in his eyes. He knew that Althos didn’t stand a chance if Gaust invaded now. But he also knew that they were unable to strike immediately. It was not easy for an army to reach Althos. The Gaust Empire had only three avenues of invasion.

One was through the forest bordering Althos and Freiya, but passing through it with a large invasion force would require burning it to the ground first. Freiya would surely step in to prevent that from happening. Even the Gaust Empire wouldn’t be able to wage war against two countries at once.

Another route would be through Labona, a free city situated between Althos and the Empire. It was a city governed by merchants who preferred neutrality to taking sides. The Empire would have to offer quite the deal to make them budge.

The last possible route would be through Esanthel, Althos’ northwest neighbor, governed by the Diva of Vira, the rasa of envy. But the Empire’s relations with Esanthel were poor and the Esanthel army was said to be resilient.

Negotiating alliances or conquering the controllers of these routes would take a lot of time.

“Anyway, we don’t have to worry about them for now. Let’s focus on the problem at hand.”

Al put aside his exhaustion and looked at the barely breathing slave.

“An imperial slave... What could they be planning?”

Al turned towards Feena, but she was gone again.

“Feena?”

He finally spotted her collecting the crystal shards.

“I want to look into these.”
She continued collecting them in silence.

“What is this?”

Sharon uncharacteristically joined Feena and helped her collect the shards, perhaps due to her having experienced the monster’s power first-hand.

“I can’t say until I look into them, but... It takes slaves, as human experiments... Uses their magical power... Amplifies it...”

Feena’s disjointed thoughts shed some light on the reason for the Empire treating their slaves the way they did.

“Hmmm, there are three Divas in Althos? And they defeated an abomination without breaking a sweat?”

In plain room paved in stone and containing only a desk and a chair, a young man with fierce eyes listened to his subordinate’s report.

This was Gil. He’d fought in the arenas as a slave to find a place in the Imperial Army. He’d climbed through the ranks to become Commander in Chief. And now, he navigated the political landscape to become de-facto ruler of the Empire, or so the rumors said.

A girl garbed in a servant’s outfit, said to be his sister, shadowed Gil wherever he went.

“Gil, how should we strike back against Althos? Should I dispatch an army?”

“Just leave them be. This is not the time to deal with them.”

Gil turned to a soldier in the room.

“We need to make haste with our current plans.”

“Yes sir!”

The soldier respectfully bowed and promptly left.

“Gil...”

After confirming that they were alone, the girl quietly hugged Gil from behind.

“Don’t worry, Eleanor. I have something planned for Althos. And I have something else I’d like to ask you. Something that only you can do. Will you do this for me?”

Gil gently looked at her and rested his hands on hers. His sharp gaze relaxed a little.

“Yes, Gil!”

A light blush appeared on Eleanor’s fair cheeks. She allowed herself a few more moments of Gil’s comforting warmth and then left the room, leaving him to himself.

“The King of Althos, huh? I see, I see...”

He murmured in the empty room to himself. He wore a complex expression, one that could have been either happy or sad.