Chapter 3: Dreams and Despair
Chapter 3: Dreams and Despair
For the first time in a while, Al woke up in his own room.
Waking up in your own room is so relaxing. I feel completely refreshed and well-rested. It feels so good, but... something is off.
“I hope I’m wrong...”
Al stared at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. Unable to bring himself to leave the comfort of his bed, he bathed in the warm spring sunlight shining through his windows.
Show me a person who’d hop out of bed in this situation and I’ll show you a fool. I’ll just stay in bed until Lilicia comes around to light the fireplace. I’m sure that will be soon.
Wrapped in his blankets, Al looked around the room, but he couldn’t find anything that could have been the source of his earlier unease.
“I guess it’s nothing. Speaking of which, I haven’t even had the time to get a good night’s rest lately with all the ruckus going on in the castle.”
Al snuggled up in his soft blankets. He surrendered to the siren call of his bed and started to doze off again.
“It’s okay if I take the day off, right...?”
“It’s fine... I have room for seconds...”
An unexpected voice coming from another part of the room jolted Al awake.
I’m not just dreaming, right?
He could sense someone in the corner of the room. Or, more precisely, he could hear a certain someone talking in their sleep. He reluctantly sat up, still wrapped in his blankets, and looked towards the sofa in the middle of the room. It was empty, but to its side was something that caught Al’s attention.
“Seriously?”
Al sighed. He wanted to ignore his surprise guest, turn around, and go back to sleep, but he couldn’t risk getting attacked and having his bed destroyed while he was happily snoozing away. Al rubbed his exhausted eyes and looked more closely at where the voice came from.
There he saw a large, suspicious-looking basket covered with a blanket. The basket was large enough to fit a person inside, and it definitely hadn’t been in the room when he went to sleep.
You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you really expect me to play along with your assassination routine so early in the morning?
He considered getting up and quietly leaving the room, but the mysterious basket piqued his curiosity.
What is she planning for today?
Giving in to the temptation, he quietly crawled out of his bed, but started shivering as soon as he was free of his blankets.
It’s so cold! I should just go back to bed and pretend I haven’t seen anything.
He bore with the morning chill and sneaked towards the basket.
“Anyone there?”
The blanket twitched in reaction to Al’s question. Al nervously pulled the blanket off of the basket, prepared for whatever ambush might lie in wait.
“What!? Sharon, what in the...”
Al’s eyes popped wide open at the scene that welcomed him upon pulling off the blanket.
“Hmm? Morning.”
Inside the basket lay Sharon. A single long pink ribbon wrapped lightly around her was all that covered her nakedness. Al could hardly believe this was part of an assassination ploy.
“Nngh... Ahh! I fell asleep! Um... Surprise!”
I bet she was pretending to be a present and then planned on ambushing me when I went to ‘open’ it, but she fell asleep instead. Is she really taking this seriously?
Even her target was concerned about how full of holes her ideas were.
“Fwahhh!”
Sharon sat up, rubbed her eyes, and then stretched herself out like a cat. Considering she was clad in only a thin ribbon, her stretch gave Al quite the view, something Sharon was slow to realize due to her sleepiness.
“Hmm? Why are you staring at me so much...?”
Normally, this would be the point where Sharon made a huge ruckus and Al let out an exaggerated sigh, but this time was different.
“Ah! Nooo! Why am I wearing this!? What’s going on?”
Realizing the situation she was in, Sharon bashfully tried to hide her breasts with her arms, but she couldn’t escape Al’s unusually cold gaze.
“Don’t... Don’t just stare at me! Say something! Don’t you have anything to say to a cute girl presenting herself to you!?”
She glared at Al, her cheeks flushed pink from embarrassment.
“When did you come in?”
“Um... Just now.”
“There’s no way. Tell me when.”
Flustered by Al’s stubborn questioning, Sharon forgot her anger for a moment and carefully thought back on how she got there.
“Last night... I think.”
“So you’ve been here since last night, wearing that?”
She nodded anxiously.
As if he was waiting for that answer, Al reached out towards Sharon silently.
“Wait! I just wanted to ambush you! I had this plan and everything! I called it ‘Surprise, you’re dead!’”
Under the threat of Al’s arms closing in on her, Sharon confessed her intentions while shivering.
“Sharon, are you okay?”
Her light-purple lips trembled. Not only because of the cold, but also because Al’s touch had become a traumatic experience for her.
“Don’t come any closer! I have a knife here in the basket I was planning on stabbing you with, so stay where you are!”
The fearful Sharon glared at Al. Al had to wonder whether her revealing all her plans to him was the smartest idea. He continued reaching out and then forcefully grabbed her shoulders.
“No! Wait, what?”
Al was right in front of her, just as she planned, yet she was trembling in fear. However, her fears proved to be baseless. No Heavenly Surge activated.
“...Why?”
“What? Disappointed that nothing happened?”
“N-No...!! Why would I be!? Get real!”
“It seems like I can touch you if it’s like this.”
Al gently covered Sharon with his jacket. Heavenly Surge wasn’t activating through his indirect touch.
“I don’t need it!”
Sharon furiously tossed the warm jacket back at him. Al couldn’t bear looking at the trembling, crumpled up girl and raised his voice as a result.
“Stop screwing around! You’re freezing cold! Do you have any idea how cold the nights get during springtime in Althos!? It’s no joke! You spent the entire night wearing nothing but a ribbon? Are you out of your mind? Are you trying to catch a cold!?”
“Ah...”
Sharon was taken aback by Al’s unexpected outburst.
“I-It’s not that cold. I’m totally fine!”
Al furrowed his brow for a moment, and then wrapped his jacket around the frowning Sharon and picked her up.
“There! You’re much lighter than I expected.”
“Ah, hey!!”
“Sharon, stop wiggling! I can see, um, you know...
“Wha!? Why, you...”
Her shyness won out over her anger. Sharon put aside her conflicted feelings and stopped resisting, though she made sure to continue glaring at him the whole time.
“You’re completely pale from the cold, so you have no right to complain. You’re going in my bed right now!”
Al gently tucked her into his bed.
“I’ll go get you a warm cup of milk.”
“Ahhh. It’s so nice and warm.”
Sharon made herself cozy in Al’s bed. The shivers she had denied previously disappeared before long.
“Wait right here. Don’t move!”
Sharon, tucked in all the way to her nose, watched Al leave the room.
Silence descended on the room once the sound of Al’s footsteps faded.
“What’s wrong with him... I didn’t even ask for his help.”
Sharon puffed out her cheeks and clutched the end of her blanket in anger. She wanted nothing more than to show Al what was what by jumping out of the bed, but his residual warmth wrapped around her and bound her in place.
“Ahh... So warm.”
Her defiance was no match for the bed’s comforts. Its warm coziness brought to mind a memory she held near and dear to her heart.
“Oh... This is kind of like that one time when I was really little. I crawled into Father’s bed after having a scary dream... He was so warm and kind...”
She tried resisting the nostalgic warmth out of fear that this was some kind of trap set up by Alnoa, but she couldn’t. She grabbed onto the blankets and rolled to the side.
"This smell is kinda nice..."
She dozed off with those moments she spent with her father lingering in her mind.
“...on... Sharon!”
“Mmnn... Daddy? Huh? Al!?”
Hearing a familiar voice, she quickly sprung up in the bed.
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t know you fell asleep.”
She looked around with a sleepy face, trying to find the source of the voice. There she saw her assassination target holding a warm, steaming drink. She immediately changed her expression to a more hostile one.
“How low can you go? You lull me into a false sense of security with your amazingly warm and cozy bed, only to do all sorts of creepy and perverted things to me in my sleep! You’re the worst!”
She appeared angry on the surface, but the blush on her cheeks indicated to Al that she was only lashing out due to the embarrassing content of her half-asleep mumblings.
“It’s true that I tucked you into my bed, but you fell asleep on your own, didn’t you?”
Al found her reaction rather cute. He handed her the cup of steaming-hot milk with a smirk. Despite being on guard, she took the cup. Milk had been her preferred drink since coming to Althos.
Sharon shot Al another quick glare but thanked him inside her head. She blew on the milk and carefully sipped it.
“Mmm, that’s good.”
Her mouth relaxed into a smile at the faintly sweet taste.
“I added a couple spoons of honey for you. That’s how you usually drink it, right?”
Al sat down at the edge of the bed and took a sip from his cup.
“Wha!? How did you know that? Are you shadowing me everywhere I go? Are you one of those stalkers you hear city-dwellers talk about?”
Instead of showing gratitude, she barraged him with insults.
“Why is that weird for me to know? We’ve eaten together every day since you arrived!”
Al took another sip from his cup after firing off his comeback. Sharon did the same while scowling bashfully at Al.
“Ahh, this is so calming.”
The warm feeling coursing through her made her quietly murmur to herself.
“Huh? Did you say something?”
Al didn’t quite catch what she said.
“Nothing. Anyway, don’t even think about doing something creepy like not washing your sheets and storing them for your lonely days now that a peerless beauty like myself has slept in them, got it?”
“The only creepy thing here is your thoughts.”
“Trying to peer into an innocent girl’s mind? You creep.”
“Oh, just shut up and drink.”
Their usual quarrel somehow felt more relaxed and kind this time.
“Just so you know, I haven’t given up on killing you,” Sharon said, and then continued under her breath, “but I don’t want you to think I’m completely heartless, so I’ll let you live for today in exchange for this wonderful milk.”
Then, while pretending that she was sulking, Sharon turned her head away and smiled a little. Just as they both were starting to enjoy the gentle atmosphere together, the door to the room flew open, triggering the alarm spell cast on it.
“Al, why aren’t you in your usual bed? And I finally got my hands on a bewitching costume!”
Feena burst into the room.
I guess she was expecting me to be in my office. Anyway, how did she manage to open that door so easily!? I had the best magician in the country cast defensive magic on it last night! And how did Sharon get in, for that matter!? Ahh, the more I think about this, the more questions I have! Though now is not the time to worry about this crap... What’s up with that outfit!?
“Hahh... Don’t I look cute? I borrowed this uniform from Lilicia. I once read that men can’t resist maid uniforms, so now I can... have you... all to...”
Feena began proudly describing herself in her usual monotone voice, but trailed off part way through. The red-haired girl lying in Al’s bed caught her attention.
“A-A-Al, wh-wh-what are you...”
Al was sitting next to the mostly nude Sharon tucked into his bed, and they were happily sharing a hot drink together.
“Ah, Feena, this is just a misunderstanding. I can explain!”
“No, wait, Feena! We didn’t do what you’re thinking!”
Both of them were shaking. Looking at them, one would immediately think that something had happened between them last night.
“Al... You kiddie fiddler! Sister mingler! Philanderer!”
She drew a magic circle large enough to destroy not only the room, but the entire castle.
“Wait, I don’t have anything to do with this guy! Actually, well, I guess I do.”
“You bet you do. You thief!”
“I don’t want to steal him from you! I want to kill him!”
“I won’t let you do that, either.”
They were at each other’s throats already. Al tried to figure out what he should do in this situation, but he couldn’t keep his thoughts together.
“That’s right, I only came to Althos to murder Al!”
Sharon found her own way out of this predicament, dubious as it was.
“Al, prepare yourself!”
Murdering Al was her only option. She swiftly pulled her sword out of who-knows-where and charged at Al.
“Why does it always come to this!?”
Sharon rushed forward, not giving Al the time to react, but Feena suddenly cut in between them.
“Don’t worry, Al. Even if you are a kiddie fiddling, sister mingling pervert, you’re still my puppet. I’ll protect you!”
Her wand held firmly in hand, Feena stood between them. The tip of the wand crackled with electricity.
“Aren’t you being a bit unfair? I’m not that bad of a guy!”
With his fingers pressed against his temples, he protested her claims, despite knowing she was unlikely to listen to him.
“Don’t worry about it!”
Sharon’s overhead swing was met by Feena’s lightning attack.
“Nice try!”
Their attacks deflected off of each other. Sharon’s sword blasted through the floor, leaving behind a huge hole, while Feena’s lighting hit a bookshelf, burning the neatly organized books to charcoal. The two continued brawling as if Al wasn’t even there.
“I wanted to take it easy today, but I guess that plan went up in flames, just like my books. Why does this keep happening?”
Al had given up on trying to stop them. He climbed into his bed and buried himself under his blankets in an attempt to escape from reality.
“Oh my. It pains me to see you two fight over my lovely little brother every single day. I hope you didn’t forget about me.”
Al’s savior, Cecilia, gracefully entered the room with a bright smile on her face.
“Stay out of this! This is just between me and her.”
“You can’t stop this, Miss Cecilia.”
Absorbed in their battle, they had completely forgotten their original goals by that point.
“Oh my. How dare you say that to me? I love Al more than anyone in the world! I think I’ll have to teach you all a lesson.”
Cecilia walked right next to Al and crossed her arms.
“Cecilia, you really don’t have to—”
Even though he knew it was futile, he tried resisting her.
“Oh, then you just want to sit on your hands and watch as your room gets destroyed?”
“Ugh, well...”
“You’re mine!”
With Al busy thinking about what could happen to his room, Cecilia seized the opportunity and made her move. She grabbed Al’s hands and placed them against her chest.
Squish.
“Ah! Noooo!”
Oh, for the love of... Fine, whatever.
Al focused his magic into his hands in desperation. Lust swelled within him, and his sister had the look of euphoria plastered on her face. Al summoned the mental fortitude to withstand the immeasurable lust conjured up by the Heavenly Surge he was undergoing.
“Ahh... Al!”
“Cecilia!”
He felt a sudden urge to embrace his sister upon hearing her sweet voice but he managed to separate himself from her just as he was about to lose his mind.
“Ahh, I wanted to keep playing.”
“Aren’t you enjoying this a bit too much, Cecilia?” Al asked, panting heavily.
“No, not at all. Let’s try going a bit further next time,” Cecilia said, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. She brushed away her disheveled hair and pouted in dissatisfaction, then looked at Al as if she had wanted their Heavenly Surge to go out of control.
It was intense enough for Al as it was; he was mentally drained. Meanwhile, Cecilia was brimming with physical and magical energy. She had taken quite a bit of magical power from him during the Heavenly Surge.
I’d rather there not be a next time. For my sake and everyone else’s.
Cecilia let out a deep breath, sounded the bell on her khakkhara, and turned towards the two Divas who were responsible for trashing the room. They were standing motionless, aghast at what they just witnessed.
“Your playtime is over, girls. I wish to spend some quality alone time with my little brother now, so may I ask you two boorish extras to leave?”
Am I imagining things, or does her voice have an awfully erotic tone to it?
“Watch your tongue! Don’t get full of yourself just because you’ve powered up using Heavenly Surge!”
Sharon bit the bait. She adjusted her grip on her sword and charged at Cecilia. Of course, she held back enough so that Cecilia wouldn’t die.
“Huh?”
Before she knew it, Sharon was lying on her back staring at the scorched ceiling.
“Huh? What just—Ahh!”
While Sharon was still baffled, Cecilia grabbed her flailing arm and launched her through the air and directly into a wall outside the room.
“She was my prey!”
Proclaiming herself as the next challenger, Feena drew a horizontal magic circle.
“Ultimate Ice Wall!”
Without any chanting, Feena erected a massive ice wall in the middle of the room, cutting Al off from Cecilia and herself.
“Oh my!”
Cecilia’s smile didn’t falter. She focused her magical energy into her hands and effortlessly shattered the huge wall. It blew apart like a termite-infested tree trunk being smashed by a sledgehammer.
“What? No way!”
Feena could hardly believe her eyes.
Even Al, who was not very adept at magic, knew that Feena’s ice wall was not shattered so easily. He could only gape in awe at the scene. Not just at Cecilia’s raw, unmitigated power, but also at her bewitching demeanor.
“Well, now. It’s time to end this little game. I’m sure you’re tired after all this exercise, so go and take a hot bath. But don’t forget to have some breakfast first!”
Feeling Al’s gaze on her, Cecilia grabbed the dumbfounded Feena by the nape and gently threw her out of the room.
“Let me show you the way out.”
“Ouch!”
Feena tumbled across the rough stone floor. Al actually felt a bit sorry for her.
“Is this the power of Heavenly Surge?”
Sharon murmured next to Feena.
“See you later.”
After gently bowing to the perplexed girls, Cecilia turned towards Al with a suggestive grin on her face and hurried towards him.
“Now that we’re finally alone—”
“Thank you, Cecilia. Now I can finally relax.”
Returning his sister’s grin, Al took her hands and elegantly led her out of the room.
“I couldn’t be more grateful, Cecilia. Honestly. Thank you.”
After she was out of the room, Al bowed in an exaggerated manner, and then promptly shut the door on them and turned the lock.
“Ah, that’s right...” Feena said.
Al and the Divas were enjoying an after-lunch dessert together—strawberry cake, at Sharon’s request.
“What? I hope you’re not about to start another argument again,” Al responded while patting his stuffed belly. It was an uncharacteristically blunt response for him.
“I learned something about the crystals.”
“Oh. What did you find out?”
Al immediately changed his attitude towards her. He tried to hurry her by looking straight into her eyes, but she decided to keep up the suspense for a bit longer and finish her cake before continuing.
“Thank you. It was good.”
She gracefully wiped her mouth with a napkin and then moved on to the main topic of the conversation.
“The crystals are cheap. You can get them anywhere. What’s interesting is what’s inside...”
Feena took out a small jar from her dress and put it on the table. Inside was a red, crystal-like lump.
Was she hiding that jar in her cleavage!?
“What’s this?”
Sharon, having finished off her second slice of cake, cheerfully got up and went in to poke the jar, but Feena quickly slapped away her hand.
“Hey! What’s your problem!?”
Feena’s slap caught Sharon off guard and killed her merry mood.
“This is probably what transforms the slaves into those monsters. You shouldn’t touch it carelessly.”
“What? So I’ll turn into a monster too if I touch it?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Feena’s explanation eased Sharon’s anger. She was repulsed by the very idea of a Diva transforming into one of those monsters. Her surprise and disgust were apparent.
Al could picture it easily—Sharon the red-haired gorilla, climbing around the castle and smashing the place to pieces.
“You just imagined something incredibly rude, didn’t you?”
“Oh, uh, not at all!”
What, can the Divas read the Demon King’s thoughts or something? If so, goodbye privacy...
“So, Feena, tell us more about the crystals.”
In an attempt to fend off Sharon’s all-seeing gaze, Al desperately tried to steer the conversation back on track. But he received no answer. Instead, Feena silently stared in front of Al, straight at the last remaining piece of strawberry cake.
“Would you like this?”
Feena audibly gulped.
“You can have it later.”
This time, she gently shook her head.
“You don’t want to continue until you have it?”
Another loud gulp could be heard from her.
You’re just as bad as Sharon!
He shot a displeased look her way, but she didn’t react.
“Well, okay. You can have it if you... Huh? What’s up?”
Al started sliding the cake her way, but Feena stopped him.
“Feed me.”
“Excuse me?”
She closed her eyes and opened her mouth. Even though Al wanted to resist, past experience taught him that it was better if he just played along. He could raise a fuss all he wanted; he’d still lose in the end.
“Okay, but you have to tell us everything first.”
Instead, he decided to use the cake as a bargaining chip. Of course, he didn’t think that a simple slice of cake actually held that much value.
“Hmm, let me think about it:”
Feena took a moment to seriously consider the proposal. She looked back and forth between Al’s hand and his face, like a puppy whose owner told her to wait.
“Deal.”
Yes! I won!
His inevitable fate was only delayed, so it wasn’t a total triumph, but even a minor victory was enough to make Al happy.
“The crystal is enchanted with three magical properties—physical enhancement, illusion, and metamorphosis. I call it a magic crystal.”
Feena began her explanation at once. Al was tempted to remark on her unimaginative naming convention, but this was a serious topic, so he decided to hold his tongue.
“This is just a hypothesis, but I think that magic crystals are used to transform their user based on what they imagine to be the strongest or scariest thing out there.”
Al recalled the abominations. They had certainly looked like creatures from a picture book.
“Oh my. I’ve never seen magic like this before,” Cecilia added.
“Neither have I. I’ll need to study it more to fully understand it,” Feena said.
The two Divas, experts on healing and destruction magic respectively, tilted their heads in surprise.
“I see. Feena, continue your research. Brusch should be back in a day or two. We might be able to learn something from her, too.”
Sensing that they wouldn’t get any further that day, Al ended the discussion there.
I wonder why Jamka hasn’t come to me with his usual barrage of complaints yet.
Feena casually put the jar containing the catalyst for transforming into a monster back into her dress.
“Oh my. Isn’t that dangerous? Is a simple jar enough to hold that?” Cecilia asked, interrupting Al’s thoughts.
“Don’t worry. I cast a protective spell on the jar.”
Feena puffed her chest a little. She was quite confident in her spell.
“Wait a second! If you cast protection magic on it, then why did you slap my hands earlier!?” Sharon snapped at Feena.
“I wouldn’t have wanted you to shatter the jar with your gorilla strength.”
“Watch your mouth!”
As per usual, Sharon immediately lost her temper and was about to start another fight. She shot a quick glance at Al and smirked.
“I’ve got you now!”
“Ah!”
In one smooth motion, Sharon snatched the slice of cake in front of Al and stuffed it into her mouth.
“Hahahah! Dis ish what you get fo skwewin wif me!”
“Noo! My precious cake! I want my lovey-dovey spoon feeding moment with Al!”
Feena was despondent, but she refused to give in, even in the face of Sharon chowing down the cake she wanted so badly.
“It’s time to exterminate the Freiyan Red Gorilla species once and for all.”
Wait, are there any animals like that in Freiya? I’m pretty sure there aren’t...
Feena focused her magical energy, creating a visible aura around her.
“Oh, bring it on! Let’s settle this!”
Sharon wiped the cream off her face and then reached for the sword behind her back.
“This looks bad. Forget the room; she could destroy the whole castle with that much magic!”
“Oh my. That wouldn’t be good.”
“Why aren’t you taking this seriously, Cecilia!?”
In the midst of this life-threatening situation, Cecilia casually signaled to Lilicia with her eyes.
“Excuse me for the delay. I have brought more cake.”
A second serving of cake arrived, bringing with it a period of dead silence. The Divas’ bloodlust slowly dissipated.
“May I ask that you three keep it down a little? I’m delighted to see you enjoying your lunchtime, but you’re disturbing the others,” Lilicia said.
“Me too? I didn’t do anything!”
“Of course. The two ladies are your bride candidates, so you share in the responsibility.”
Lilicia shot down Al without a moment’s delay. The three of them quietly returned to their seats and started eating their cake.
At least I don’t have to feed Feena anymore, right?
“Oh, Miss Sharon. A letter for you has arrived from Freiya.”
After ensuring everyone settled down, Lilicia handed Sharon a letter. The spotless parchment was sealed with a red stamp. It was obvious at a glance that it was a high-class letter.
“Oh. Thank you.”
Am I imagining things, or did she look kind of sad for a moment?
Sharon returned to her usual expression, leaned back in her chair, and read the letter.
“That you for lunch; it was splendid. Sorry, but I must return to my room.”
Her face drained of color, Sharon read the letter again, then promptly stood up.
“Oh my. You haven’t finished your dessert, Sharon. That’s not like you.”
“Are you full, maybe?”
Sharon left the room without responding to their comments.
Al didn’t think much of it. He had no idea about the brewing storm the letter foretold.
“Ah, the day is finally over.”
Al plopped down on his bed and stretched out. He’d spent the whole day working after his eventful lunch.
“I feel like I finally made some progress today.”
But something felt lacking for Al. He shifted around in bed, unsatisfied. Feena and Cecilia were occupied studying the magic crystal, and he hadn’t seen Sharon at all since she returned to her quarters. She’d said that she had to think about some things by herself. Al had the decency not to pry any further, but it still bothered him, so he had asked Lilicia to watch over Sharon, under the pretext that he had important work to do and couldn’t be interrupted by another assassination attempt.
Thanks to that, he’d actually had a productive afternoon for a change. But then Sharon didn’t even show up for dinner, leaving him shocked. Al had started believing that Sharon could pop up out of nowhere a moment’s notice, and so he spent the rest of the day on edge. Every little sound gave him a start. By the end, his nerves were worn down more than he had realized.
“My life was so much more peaceful until a few days ago.”
He missed being able to take things easy and relax every now and then, but a part of him found his old life kind of boring in comparison.
Things have become incredibly chaotic. I don’t have any time to relax or think to myself anymore. But on the other hand, I’ve been sleeping a lot more soundly ever since the Divas got here.
“Well, at least it’s fun,” Al murmured to himself, anxious about the fun times eventually coming to an end.
“That’s just the way it is, though.”
Al let out a deep sigh and then climbed out of bed with a disgruntled look on his face.
“I need to clear my head.”
He opened the windows and mindlessly stared outside to help calm his mind.
“The trees are getting in the way of the stars...”
Because of Althos’ tiny workforce, the castle groundskeeping had gone neglected for years, and the overgrown trees blocked Al’s view of the night sky. He hadn’t been planning on stargazing when he got out of bed, but now that his view was blocked, that was all he wanted to do. That was just the kind of guy Al was.
He leaned out of the window and shifted the branches around to clear the view. But as he was reaching out, something shot by his head and hit the wall behind him.
“Who’s there!?”
Al leapt aside and peeked out the window to spot his attacker, using the wall as cover. Another projectile flew past him, narrowly missing his face. It was a silver arrow. Al’s assailant clearly wanted him dead.
“I’ve been waiting for your daily assassination attempt. This time you’re trying to snipe me, huh?”
Al’s thoughts immediately went to a certain crimson-eyed girl. Her attempts had been rather sloppy, but it seemed like that she was serious this time. Al carefully closed the window while staying out of sight, suspecting that Sharon wouldn’t want to incur Cecilia’s wrath by breaking the window.
Al suspected wrong. The assassin burst through the window, hell-bent on ending Al’s life. Their identity was concealed by a black cloak and a cloth wrapped around their face.
“Oh, come on. Is this why you didn’t come to dinner? I hope you’re ready to explain yourself to Cecilia and—”
Al stopped mid-sentence upon getting a closer look at his assailant.
Wait, was Sharon always taller than me? And I’m certain she wasn’t this burly, either.
Woosh!
Taking advantage of Al’s confusion, the assassin produced a large knife that had been strapped to their chest and swung at Al’s throat.
“Whoa! Watch out!”
Al was just barely able to detect the knife’s trajectory in the dark room and dodged backwards. That convinced him; there was no way this was Sharon attacking him.
“If you’re not Sharon, then you must be a real assassin!”
Al clicked his tongue and lowered his posture, readying himself for battle. He maintained a distance of about five meters, keeping the assassin out of striking range. A thick tension filled the room as they both considered their next moves.
The only weapon here is a decorative sword on the wall, and it’s too far away. I wouldn’t make it there.
The sword was only a few steps away, but the assassin was too close for Al to make a move.
Just then, someone knocked on his door.
“Al, are you awake?”
It was Sharon, calling on Al with perfect timing. But her voice was flat, bereft of its usual self-assured tone. Al put aside his unease and screamed at the top of his lungs without taking his eyes off his attacker.
“Sharon, we’re under attack! Run!”
Al immediately realized his mistake. Knowing Sharon’s personality, it would have been wiser to keep quiet about the attack. But now...
“Hey, Feena! I’m the assassin here! Hey, why won’t this open!?”
Sharon was never one to heed danger. She kicked the newly-repaired door down with a bang and stormed towards the assassin before stopping in surprise.
“Wait, that isn’t Feena!?”
“Does that huge person dressed entirely in black look like Feena to you!?”
Al’s assailant was much too tall and burly to be Feena. Al planned on never telling Sharon that he’d suspected it was her at first.
“So that’s a real assassin!?”
Al nodded. He wondered why Sharon chose this exact time to visit him, but he didn’t have the luxury of asking. But for whatever reason, this was the first time since her arrival that she didn’t have her trusty longsword with her.
That wasn’t about to stop her from springing into action, however.
“Al, I’ll be borrowing this!”
She quickly reached for the sword on the wall. Her adeptness at handling life-and-death situations was evident by her quick judgment. With two threats in the room now, the assassin was put on the defensive and unable to react.
“It’s not the best, but it’s better than nothing.”
She rested the blade on her shoulder and glared at the attacker like a wild animal. Sharon was ready for battle.
“Prepare yourself!”
She strengthened her grip and leapt towards the assassin, but was met with a knife flying her way before she could reach him. The attacker had read Sharon’s moves.
“This is nothing!”
With a swing of her sword, she knocked the knife away, but the assassin had more where that came from.
“Shit!”
Another knife followed closely behind the first, with the exact same speed and trajectory. It was flying straight towards the defenseless Sharon, still in mid-air and recovering from the previous swing.
“Gah!”
Clank!
The knife struck her square in the face. But a dull sound rang out, as if the knife had struck a hard object.
“Sharon!”
For a brief moment, time froze for Al. He shouted at Sharon, now lying on the ground.
“I’m fwine!”
Her voice trembled. She stood up and forced a smile.
“Yer chweap twicks won’t work on mwe!”
One would certainly hope not, for a Diva!
She turned towards Al, showing off the knife she had caught in her mouth before spitting it onto the floor and turning back towards the assassin.
“You’re not half bad. I guess I’ll have to get serious too. If you don’t want to come at me, then I’ll bring the fun to you!”
“Ice Ball... Destroy him!”
Sharon stepped forward, but an unexpected voice interrupted her before she could make her move.
From the corridor, Feena shot a lump of ice the size of a fist through the wall, right at the assassin. It was an uncharacteristic level of recklessness that surprised even Al.
“Tch...”
The assassin calmly dodged to the side. It was a move Feena had anticipated, however. She sent another ice ball crashing through the wall towards her target, only for it to be dodged again.
At least the commute between my bed and the hallway has been reduced...
“Not bad... Time to get serious.”
Feena appeared behind the destroyed wall and focused her power.
“Stop! Do you want to destroy the entire castle!?” Al shouted at her.
“Oh. No, I don’t.”
“You weren’t even thinking, were you?”
“Of course I was. About tomorrow’s lunch, for example...”
Bashful, Feena broke eye contact with Al.
“That’s something Sharon would say! Either way, focus on the fight!”
“Stop playing around and help me out! And for the record, I’m not thinking about food 24/7!”
Sharon was still facing off against the assassin in the corner of the room. Al wanted to retort that they weren’t playing around, but he understood that Sharon must have been frustrated at not being able to go all-out, fighting in this narrow space.
“You’re starting to seriously piss me off!”
Sharon swung the decorative sword, aiming at the assassin’s flank. The assassin just barely moved out of the way in time.
Sharon kept on attacking, and the assassin relentlessly countered at every opportunity. With the way he was keeping up, it was clear that he was a veteran.
In the midst of that fierce battle, Sharon took a few steps back and spoke to Al without taking her eyes off her target.
“Also, Al, we need to talk later. Wanna grab a snack after this? I skipped dinner, so I’m pretty hungry.”
Is this really the time for this? There’s a trained assassin currently trying to murder us! What is with these Divas?
As they were talking, Feena shot another ice ball, this one sinking into the floor at the assassin’s feet.
“Wait, didn’t Lilicia bring you your dinner?”
Al even recalled asking Lilicia to bring her more than usual.
“Oh, um... I mean...! I didn’t finish my dessert at lunch, so I’m craving some more. So, um, if you’re free, then would you mind joining me after this?”
Sharon was emphatic about spending time with Al.
How strange... Is she planning another clumsy assassination attempt? Out of the frying pan, into the fire, huh?
Feena joined the conversation, taking a break from firing ice balls.
“I want some tea, so I’ll join you.”
“You were drinking tea when I went down to the dining hall earlier! You must be leaking tea out of your ears by now!”
“Sharon, you’ll get fat if you eat too much at night.”
Unfazed by the mortal peril they were in, the two Divas got into yet another spat.
“Just focus on the assassin already! I’ll give you as much tea, food, and whatever else you want later, but let’s get this done with first! Please!”
Al could hear the assassin chuckle a little from under his hood.
“Oh, you better believe I’m taking you up on that offer!”
“Same.”
With their conversation over, Sharon charged forward with such force that the floor caved in a little underneath her. And in perfect synchronicity, Feena let loose her next attack.
The assassin was completely cornered. He attempted to parry Sharon’s attack, but she plowed right through, breaking his knife in half in the process. The assassin tried to escape backwards, but Sharon matched his movement perfectly and landed a slashing attack on his shoulder.
“Tch! So close.”
Having narrowly missed dealing the fatal blow, Sharon clicked her tongue in frustration. Still, it had become clear that the Divas had the overwhelming advantage.
“Ugh. This isn’t gonna work,” said the assassin. He had finally grasped that he was at a serious disadvantage. He threw the shattered knife at them as a distraction, dodged Feena’s next attack, and then made a break for the window.
“No you don’t!”
Al tackled the attacker from the side before he could escape, knocking them both down to the ground.
“You’re trying to flee after barging in here and wrecking my room? I mean, I guess most of that was done by the girls... but still! I won’t let you escape without a good walloping!”
Al straddled the assassin and raised his fist, but the assassin’s mask was caught on his sleeve.
“Wha!?”
The assassin’s face stopped Al in his tracks. He couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Is this some kind of sick joke... Jamka?” Al asked, his voice trembling. Al should have had the upper hand, but his strength had left him upon seeing the face of his attacker.
“It’s not a joke. I... I can’t accept your dream.”
Jamka’s cold words struck Al hard.
“What? Why?”
“Why, you ask!? Do you have any idea what happened to the slaves you freed from Freiya!? They have no place to live! They’re dying of starvation on the streets! They forced into crime just to eat, only to end up executed by our guards!”
“But, I was just...”
Al knew nothing of the hardships that the slaves he’d liberated went through on a regular basis. He thought, being freed from their chains, that they would all lead happy lives. But the fact was, neither he nor Althos was strong enough to save the souls he fought so hard to free.
“You were just what? You and your kingdom lack the power to make your dream come true.”
Jamka bitterly spat out every word. He blamed himself just as much as he blamed Al.
“Even if you could make your dream reality, then what? What comes next? You want to treat everyone equally? Royalty, nobility, citizenry, and freed slaves all placed on equal footing?”
Jamka had ceased his physical struggle against Al, but his words hurt more than any attack could.
“Yes... I will treat them all equally!”
Steeling his battered heart and passionately returning Jamka’s gaze, Al fought back with renewed vigor in his voice. He had no basis for his claim, but agreeing with Jamka would’ve meant tossing his dream away, which he could not let happen at any cost. Jamka couldn’t stand looking at Al’s bright eyes filled with determination.
“Then does that mean that you would marry a liberated slave? Would you marry my sister, Brusch?”
“What!?”
Al was taken aback by Jamka’s sudden question.
“I mean, I like Brusch, really, but marriage...?”
Despite having two marriage candidates, Al didn’t see himself getting married in the foreseeable future.
“You could never bring yourself to do so, could you?”
Jamka interpreted Al’s hesitation as him balking at the idea of marrying a slave.
“No! It’s not about whether I could bring myself to. I just think of her as a friend, just like you!”
Jamka’s glare wavered for a second, but he quickly regained his composure.
“You’re just watering down your rejection, giving her the ‘let’s just be friends’ line!”
Jamka shoved Al off of him and stood up.
“Ah!”
Al crashed into Sharon behind him and fell to the floor with her. Jamka took the opportunity to once again dash for the window, but he stopped for a second before making his escape.
“Al, let me warn you. If you’re still spouting your nonsense next time we cross paths, then...”
Jamka disappeared into the darkness before finishing his sentence. Al could only catch a glimpse of his friend’s back before he left.
“Al, should we chase him?” Feena asked. Her words failed to reach Al, however.
“Why, Jamka... Why?”
Al bashed his fist repeatedly against the floor, torn apart by his conflicted feelings.
The next day, Al was working in his office as usual. To most bystanders, he would appear as the same diligent king as always.
“He’s pushing himself.”
“He very much is.”
“Oh my. This isn’t good.”
Feena, Lilicia, and Cecilia stood behind the slightly open door, peeking in. Sharon stood further back in the corridor with her arms crossed, lost in thought.
“I guess I’ll just cheer him up with these.”
Blushing slightly, Cecilia began to untie the string binding her blouse together.
“Stop. I once read that repeating the same routine is bad. I’ll take care of him.”
Feena rolled up her skirt and took a step forward, but Cecilia grabbed her by the neck right before she could open the door.
“Oh my, Feena. I just want to let you know that stealing the job of a government official is a serious offense in Althos, one that is punishable by death.”
“It’s okay, my dear sister. I’ll get him up and running in no time. At least, a certain part of him.”
“What was that!? I didn’t expect such vulgarity from you. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall ever becoming your sister-in-law!”
Ignoring Cecilia’s grip on her neck, Feena stared directly into Cecilia’s eyes.
“Oh, would you like to try me?” Cecilia said, taunting Feena.
“I won’t lose to you.”
Their smiles were just as cold as their glares.
“Excuse me, but you will give yourselves away if you argue right outside his door,” Lilicia said.
“But then what then what do we do about Al?”
A red shadow approached Cecilia from the corner of her eye as she was considering her options.
“Sharon, I hope you don’t intend to steal my job like Feena.”
Sharon turned around and looked at Cecilia with sadness in her eyes.
“Sorry, but I’m not in the mood today.”
“Using that face is cheating... Alright, go ahead,” Feena said, answering in Cecilia’s place. Feena realized Sharon had something serious to say to Al.
“Thanks.”
After a taking a deep breath, Sharon shot the other girls a lonely smile and then barged through the door, leaving her gloomy mood behind her.
“Hey, Al, are you free?”
Sharon stood in the doorway with a radiant smile on her face. However, Al dismissed her with a single glance and silently got back to work. The sight of Sharon barging in on him used to send Al scurrying for cover, but this time he didn’t even flinch.
“At least give me an answer!”
Sharon menacingly approached Al’s desk, but he still refused to take his eyes off of his work. That failed to deter Sharon, however.
“Um... I want to talk about something, so, well... wanna go out on a date today?”
“No, not particularly.”
Al shot Sharon down without even giving her a glance.
“Come on, why not? We didn’t have a chance to have more cake last night like you promised!”
Al tensed up as he listened to Sharon’s nagging.
The other girls glared at Sharon from behind the door. They wouldn’t have ever dared to bring up the previous night’s incident, but Sharon wasn’t like them. She pressed on, undaunted.
“So technically, you broke your promise last night! But I’ll forgive you if you take me to the city. Don’t worry, I promise I won’t try to murder you today!”
Sharon said that last part with a chuckle, but upon seeing no reaction again, she got serious.
“Al, do you really think that holing up in your room will change anything? Do you think Jamka’s mind is going to change on its own? If you're really at a loss for what to do, then just shut up and come with me!”
Al and the girls were awestruck by Sharon’s impassioned speech. She managed to strike a chord in Al’s heart.
“Okay, fine. I need a change of pace, anyway.”
Defeated, Al sighed and smiled bitterly, then got up from his desk.
“Yeah, that’s the spirit! I won’t try anything funny today, so you better show me a good time!”
Sharon took a step forward, grabbed Al’s collar, and started dragging him towards the door.
“Let’s go!”
“Hey, wait! I’m still in my pajamas! Let me at least change!”
Sharon disregarded his complaints and pulled him along like a how mother pulls her child when they’re throwing a tantrum. Like that, they set out for the city.
“Hey, where are you taking me!?”
Sharon delightedly dragged Al to the castle gates.
She’s making me look like a fool here.
Here he was, walking along with his potential fiancée on a date, except it wasn’t with held hands or linked arms like in his dreams, but with Sharon forcibly pulling him along by the wrist.
“There!”
Sharon finally linked arms, taking Al by surprise. He gave her a spiteful glare, which she returned with a cheeky smile. She was much more relaxed than usual, even accounting for her promise of not trying to murder Al for the day.
Thankfully, she had let him change before leaving the castle. Al wore his usual city-going clothes, while Sharon had borrowed a cute dress from Lilicia. The two of them looked like a perfectly ordinary couple as they walked around with their arms linked.
Wait... This is the first time I have ever walked around the city with a girl other than Cecilia, isn’t it?
Al grew flustered upon coming to that realization. An awkward silence fell over them as they walked through the castle gate. That silence held firm until they reached the main street, whereupon Sharon forced a cough and attempted to strike up a conversation.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-Yes, I’m fine.”
“Oh, okay.”
And so their conversation concluded.
This is so awkward.
They could hurl insults at each other all day long, but when it came to ordinary conversation, they were at a complete loss. Al racked his brain to find some way to put an end to the uncomfortable silence. But the streets were nearly empty, and the roadside flowers weren’t even in bloom. There was nothing.
Why can’t I find anything to talk about!?
Sharon walked a step behind Al. She was desperately searching for a topic of conversation. She saw how Al gazed at the sky and noticed the cloudless weather, and she knew what that meant. Al cleared his throat and was about to deploy his master plan when Sharon interrupted him.
“Wooow! Look at all these shops!”
Sharon’s delighted yell broke up their silence at long last. Undisturbed by the preceding awkwardness, Sharon looked around the central square in admiration. She was genuinely enjoying herself as she took in the sights of the city. Few other countries could match the variety of shops, and the smiles here were unequalled. The upbeat central square of Althos was one of Al’s biggest points of pride.
“There are so many! We might not even be able to visit them all today!”
“Wait, are you planning on visiting every one!?”
Sharon’s excitement was contagious. Al found himself genuinely having fun.
“Ah!”
Al was struck with the sudden realization that, despite being crestfallen just a few moments ago over Jamka’s departure, he had somehow forgotten all about it as he was swept up in Sharon’s enthusiasm.
Huh. Am I really that simple?
“So, where do you want to start?”
I wonder if she’s forcing herself to be cheerful in order to make me feel better.
“Hm? Is there something on my face?”
He caught himself staring at her, but he shook his head in denial and forced a wry smile.
No, there’s no way she’s that observant and smart.
“You just thought something incredibly rude, didn’t you!?”
Sharon leaned in and squinted at him.
Al desperately searched for a way out but could only come up with one possible solution.
“Let’s grab something to eat!”
Surely the way to Sharon’s heart would be her stomach, Al thought.
“You see, I missed lunch, so eating out sounds perfect! Or are you full?”
“...Okay. Let’s go.”
Embarrassed by her own gluttony, Sharon’s cheeks flushed crimson. Al had hit the nail on the head with his proposal.
“Okay, then let’s find us a good skewer place! I’m dying for some!”
Al marched off ahead of Sharon. She gasped, rushing to catch up.
“Hm? Oh, I doubt you’ll have to worry about getting lost in this crowd. It’s fine if you lag behind a bit.”
“Huh!? What do you mean by that? I’m just making sure that you don’t get lost!”
Sharon turned away, pouting.
“I mean, this is my own country’s capital, so...”
Actually, nevermind. Let’s avoid the pointless arguments for today.
Sharon’s nose suddenly caught the scent of the delicious skewers, turning her mood around in an instant. She grabbed Al and pulled him to the source.
“Al, Al, look! What are they selling there? And there!?”
With a skewer in one hand and Al’s clothes pinched in another, Sharon was once again enthusiastically pulling Al around.
“So much for a relaxing day on the town!”
Al complained, but did so with a smile. Sharon dragged him to a wide variety of eateries. They did little other than walking and eating, but he was still having a blast. They had skewers, sponge cake, sandwiches, and even some extra spicy soup. It was now the tail end of their eating frenzy. They walked around the town, enjoying some dumplings.
“Wow, I’m full. That was good!” Sharon said with a satisfied smile. She had just finished her last dumpling, which had been at least twice as large as normal.
It’s been a while since I had the chance to stroll around the city. And I don’t think I’ve ever eaten this much before.
Al couldn’t help but loosen up a bit upon seeing Sharon’s smile. With no particular goal, they continued wandering through the city while digesting all the food they had eaten.
“Ah, that was so good!”
Al found it strange how insignificant his own problems seemed when he looked at Sharon’s delighted smile.
“Hm? What’s up?”
“Ah, nothing. I’ve just never seen you smile like that before.”
With him being in such a relaxed mood, Al was fully honest with Sharon.
“Huh!? I smile a lot! I’m a cheerful girl! Seriously...”
Caught off guard, Sharon looked away with bright red cheeks. A silence fell over the two after that. Part of Al wanted to escape that awkwardness, while another part wished they could walk around together like this forever.
“So, what should we do next?”
Al switched topics and turned to Sharon.
“...Sharon?”
But she was nowhere to be seen.
“Where did she go?”
Al scanned the crowd, looking for any trace of her.
“There she is!”
She was standing at one of the nearby stalls.
“Really? More food? Look, I’m stuffed. I can’t eat anymore.”
As he strolled up to Sharon, he noticed something was off
“Hey, Sharon, this isn’t...”
His instincts were right; something was seriously wrong here. The stall she was standing next to... did not sell food . It was a crowded street stall selling flashy earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets, and more. In other words, it was an ordinary jewelry shop.
“Sharon, I think you should know... This stuff isn’t food...”
Al said in a wavering voice.
“Of course I know! What, do you think I’m only interested in food!?”
Clearly surprised, Al stared at Sharon in amazement.
Wait, she really does have interests other than food?
“You just thought something rude about me again, didn’t you?”
Sharon sneered at Al.
“Oh, uh, no, of course not... Oh, I know! I’ll get you something from here! Pick anything you like!”
Al perused through the merchandise, then paused when he found a familiar hair ornament. Sharon noticed it at the same time.
“Hey, is that...”
It looked a lot like the ornament Sharon had given Al during his negotiation with the slave trader.
“It’s like the one you had, right? Wasn’t it important to you?”
I recall her mentioning that she got it from someone as a gift.
“Not really. It was just a gift. This one just caught my eye for a second, is all. Though this one looks a lot cheaper than the one I had.”
Al could sense the shop owner’s glare on them. They didn’t seem to like Sharon calling their product a cheap knock-off.
“Let’s go, Sharon.”
He grabbed her wrist and left before the owner could come up to them and complain.
“Wait, why!? I’m still—”
He ignored Sharon’s protest and promptly left with her in tow.
After passing the skewer stall and turning right at the sandwich place, they were finally free of the crowd.
“I guess we’re good here. Sharon, you need to be more careful about what you say around other people.”
“Sorry.”
The person beside him was not the rude and combative Sharon he knew, but a blushing and apologetic girl.
“Hey, what’s the problem? Did you eat something funny? We ate the same things, though...”
For a second, he thought he might have accidentally activated a Heavenly Surge, but it didn’t feel like it to him. He’d made sure to grab her wrist over her clothes. But even if one did activate, this is not the effect it should’ve had on Sharon. Her bashful and honest response puzzled Al.
“You can let go of me now.”
Sharon was focused on his hand.
“Ah! Sorry!”
Crap. She’ll probably snap at me again.
“Thanks.”
Al was once again taken aback by Sharon’s response, spoken with a lonely expression on her face.
“Oh, uh... Yeah.”
His heart skipped a beat at Sharon’s unusual reaction. With the murmuring crowd in the distance, the two of them faced each other with downcast eyes, unsure of how to proceed.
“Hehehe,” Sharon chuckled, breaking the silence. “It’s weird. Up until today, I wanted to kill you. But when you grabbed my wrist back there, I...”
“It is weird! I never heard of an assassin who gets flustered when their target grabs their wrist.”
“Maybe I should just kill you after all, then,” she said jokingly. “I’m happy you’re feeling better, Al.”
Sharon smiled. It was the kind of beautiful, caring, and perfectly natural smile that Al had never seen on her before.
“Seriously... How did I end up with an assassin who worries about me so much?” Al said in a low murmur. For the first time, Sharon’s presence was reassuring. Burdened by his conflicted feelings, Al stared blankly up at the sky above him. A sudden idea came to him.
“Oh, I know just the thing!”
Looking at the beautiful late-afternoon sky, he recalled a place he’d frequented with his mom and brother back when he was little.
“Sharon, I want to show you something! Come with me!”
He reached out to grab Sharon’s hand, but then suddenly stopped when he realized what he was doing.
“Oh, sorry! Um... Just follow me!”
He found it difficult to look her into the eyes, so he turned around and started walking towards their destination.
“Huh?”
Al felt a tug on his sleeve.
He looked and saw Sharon holding on and bashfully averting her gaze. She was being the kind of timid girl you’d never expect to see swinging a longsword around.
“D-Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think that I’d get lost. I just...”
Sharon’s gentle tug on his sleeve put Al at ease.
“Let’s go!”
He quickly set off to hide his embarrassment with Sharon in tow. He felt that he’d remember this scene for the rest of his life.
“Al, you aren’t leading me to some abandoned place for anything bad, are you?”
Sharon gave him a look of disdain. Her suspicion was understandable. With twilight descending on the city, Al was pulling her through now-empty streets lined with shops closing for the evening.
“This is it!”
“This is the place you wanted to show me?”
A set of stone stairs winding up the side of the city wall lay before them.
“No, we have to climb these stairs first.”
Al began climbing the stairs at once. After a moment of hesitation, Sharon followed suit.
“Where are you taking me?”
Still suspicious, Sharon trailed behind Al, who was practically leaping up the stairs.
“We’re nearly there!”
Al’s face lit up once they reached the top.
“We’re here!”
Al gestured out towards the cityscape before them, offering Sharon the most scenic view in the entire capital.
“Wooow! It’s gorgeous!”
The starry night sky above was illuminated by the gentle glow of the flickering city lights below. The sight brought warmth to Al and Sharon’s hearts in the chilly Althos night.
“You know, there’s something I’ve been thinking about. Under every one of those flickering lights are people living their lives. They laugh, cry, and fight, spending their days just like we do.”
Al’s eyes sparkled with wonder.
“The number of lights right now doesn’t compare to the number of stars in the sky. But one day, these lights will outnumber the stars. I hope to fill my kingdom with more warm lights than one can count, all twinkling happily, regardless of their social status. Whether they’re ex-slaves or royalty, I want each one to shine just as brightly as the others. That is my dream.”
Al’s voice cracked a little as he embarrassedly recounted his dream. He had only ever told this to his sister before and no one else. He didn’t know why he felt the need to share his dream with Sharon, but he knew he wouldn’t regret doing so.
“Liberating all the slaves... I think that’s a wonderful dream,” Sharon murmured, mesmerized by the city below her.
Maybe I told her because I was hoping for that answer?
His heart skipped a beat. He never thought that he’d find another person who’d share his dream.
Ever since his mother and brother died, everyone rejected his dream of true equality. Even if someone did accept it, they’d run away once they discovered Al was the Demon King’s vessel. There had even been times when he was accused of being the Demon King’s puppet. Not even his dear friend Jamka could share his sentiment. But Sharon was different. She not only accepted his dream, but found it admirable.
Will she help me make my dream come true?
“Sharon, I...”
His words were stuck in his throat upon seeing Sharon’s sorrowful eyes. Her bittersweet smile and frail appearance as she looked down at the warm cityscape was a far cry from the cheerful girl Al spent the day with.
“It’s wonderful. It’s even more beautiful than Freiya.”
After hearing that change of topic, Al had to ask a question he didn’t want to hear the answer to.
“Do you want to go home?”
He intended to make it sound like simple small talk.
“No, I don’t want to go home!”
But it didn’t work. Sharon lashed out at Al.
“Freiya is not my country... It’s not my home.”
She bit her lip in frustration.
“I, um... I wasn’t born into the Freiyan royal family. I’m a girl from a small tribe their army destroyed. They crushed my tribe and took me as a slave.”
Her face was as white as porcelain, and her eyes were devoid of life.
“The king of Freiya adopted me only because I was compatible with the Valkyrie’s relic, but they treat me like a parasite leeching off of their country!”
Sharon shook her head as she recalled her painful past.
Al didn’t know what to say, so he just kept listening in a daze.
“I’m nothing more than a puppet. A puppet they call a Diva. A puppet that is forced to obediently carry out its master’s commands. So I came to this city pretending to carry out his orders!”
She buried her face in Al’s chest.
“I hate that place. I hate being a puppet. So even if it means using the Demon King’s power, I want to fulfill my dreams and abolish slavery in this world. I want finally live my own life...”
Realization slowly crept up on Al. He knew then why her attacks seemed slower and duller than you’d expect from a Diva, why it had felt like her attacks held no intent behind them, why she only attacked him once a day, and why she had to come up with such wild schemes for his assassination—though he still felt that her methods underlined some questionable aspects of her personality. Everything she had done in Althos since her arrival was indicative of her past. Her assassination attempts were never meant to succeed. She wished to keep failing in order to delay her return to Freiya as much as possible.
If I’m right, then I’m sure I could become friends with her.
“If that’s the case, then...” you can stay here for as long as you want. Al couldn’t finish his sentence out loud after seeing the lonely look on Sharon’s face.
“But for now I have no choice but to remain his puppet. If they order me to return home, then I must oblige.”
“Huh? Did they...?”
Al’s heart skipped a beat.
What did she just say?
Unfamiliar emotions swirled around Al’s heart. His mind was on the verge of breaking down as he listened to Sharon’s dizzying revelation.
Sharon turned to Al, her usual determined smile nowhere to be seen. With blank eyes, she delivered the finishing blow.
“Al, I’m going back to Freiya.”
Al tried to respond, but his throat was an arid wasteland. He forced himself to gulp, but there was nothing in his mouth to swallow. And the bad news from Sharon was far from over.
“I received a letter from Freiya yesterday. My stepfather said that I should give up on assassinating you and return home at once.”
That must have been the letter Lilicia gave to Sharon during lunch yesterday.
“Um... When will you leave?”
Al tried to act calm and collected, but his constant fidgeting gave away his agitation.
“In two days.”
“Two days!?” Al shouted in surprise. “That soon, huh? Wow... Well, you’re free to stay at the castle and enjoy yourself until then, even if your mission here is over.”
He was thoroughly conflicted, and he didn’t have any time to cool down and get his thoughts in order. He should’ve been delighted to rid himself of the menace that has been plaguing him, but he still offered her to have fun as long as she was there.
Sharon hesitated for a moment, but eventually gave in.
“Thanks, I’d really like th—I mean, I guess I’ll hang around until then if you really want,” Sharon said. She then got serious again. “Al, this is supposed to be a state secret, but should tell you something. The Empire seems to be after Althos.”
Al wasn’t surprised by that information. It was clear that, after taking over the Free City of Labona, their next target would be the frail and declining Althos.
“My stepfather wrote that they expect the Empire to attack Althos soon. He doesn’t want me caught up in the war, so he’s pulling me out.”
Al recalled the slaves who had been forcefully transformed into abominations, making him even more agitated.
“But Al, I...”
“He’ll leave my death to the Empire and will clean up while they’re still recovering from the conflict, huh? That’s a pretty good plan.”
“Huh?”
“He sends his own stepdaughter to toy around with us, and then pulls out the moment something doesn’t go to plan. I never thought that the king of Freiya would be such a coward.”
“Al... That’s a little uncalled for...” Sharon said, taking Al’s remarks personally.
“Nothing will change if I put it nicely. I’m just saying it how it is.”
Al was getting more worked up the more he talked. He vented his frustration on the confused girl before him.
“I mean, what do you want me to do!? You come to my country and try to kill me every single day, then you use Jamka as an excuse to drag me around the city, and now you just say goodbye like it’s nothing!? How am I supposed to respond!?”
Al realized that he was being irrational, but he was letting his frustration get the better of him. Before he knew it, Sharon’s fiery eyes were filling up with tears.
“Al, I’m sorry...”
Sharon turned and ran before Al could react.
“Great... I really screwed up.”
His shoulders drooped as he watched Sharon leave. He realized all too late from her sorrowful look and teary eyes that he wasn’t the only one hurt by this development.
“Damn it!”
Enraged, he kicked the wall hard enough to make him grimace in pain.
“Screw this day.”
It was the middle of the night before he realized it. The city below him seemed much lonelier than before as the flickering lights turned off one by one.