“*Haaa…*”
In the bustling heart of the institution,
passersby occasionally glanced toward a girl sipping coffee at an outdoor cafe on the noisy street.
She had dark skin, quite rare in the institution, and long ears.
Yet no one among the crowd could imagine that she was a princess from the most intense conflict currently raging in the desert.
“*Ugh. This coffee is bitter. Bitter.*”
Serika grimaced after taking a sip.
She had been drinking it nearly every day since coming here, but it still tasted horrible.
Despite that, Serika never skipped a day of coffee.
She savored its exotic taste daily,
to ponder her current situation.
“*Hmm.*”
Crossing her legs, Serika gazed at the bustling street where carriages hurried by.
It was truly a lively city.
Behind that vibrancy lay issues like the exploitation of slaves and workers, but it remained an undeniably radiant city.
Its population was endlessly growing, and innovations and inventions in magic took place daily,
the heart of the continent’s hegemonic nation.
As she observed the institution, she felt like she understood how the colossal Freya Empire had managed to sustain itself this long.
Serika was living a free prison sentence in that vast city.
On the surface, it seemed she could escape at any time.
However, escaping the eyes of Schlus was impossible.
With her opponent being an omnipotent god,
the idea of escape was not just near impossible, but completely out of the question.
Serika wasn’t foolish enough to confuse passion with idiocy.
Thus, she decided not to harbor empty hopes.
She merely chewed on her bitter situation daily and savored its taste,
praying that one day Schlus would whimsically allow her to return to the desert…
“*I want to go home-*”
*Kwahng!*
Suddenly, a deafening noise shook the ground.
The fear of terrorism that she had almost forgotten returned in a flash.
Instinctively, Serika jumped up from her chair and ducked, only to spot something strange in the middle of the street.
A large hole had appeared in the road, and a face popped out from it.
“*Cough, cough! What the heck is this? Someone is blocking the road!*”
“*Hey, what’s going on all of a sudden…*”
“*Ah, sorry! I accidentally teleported with a rat that was crawling through the sewage.*”
“*W-Wait! Schlus?!*”
“*Oh! If it’s you, of course, I should just turn around! You can keep doing what you’re doing!*”
“*But I’m about to move out of the way…*”
Schlus proceeded to crawl out of the broken road.
Once completely out, he shook off the dirt and with a simple wave of his finger, restored the chaotic street to its original state.
Serika, who had been staring with her mouth agape, felt so embarrassed when Schlus approached, she turned her head as if he were a stranger.
“*Serika! Long time no see?*”
“*Who are you…?*”
“*What’s with that? Aren’t you happy to see me?*”
“*I don’t exactly have anyone who emerges from a sewage system in my contact list.*”
“*Come on, just go ahead and serve me an espresso here.*”
Schlus nonchalantly sat across from her and even placed an order.
At that moment, face-to-face with Schlus, Serika did not hide her displeasure.
He was the one responsible for keeping her confined here, claiming she was the key to the rebellion of the desert elves.
She had no intention of buttering him up.
“*Why are you being so rude?*”
“*You probably know best why.*”
“*How would I know…? Well, I just happened to see you and thought I’d drop by, but the timing wasn’t very good.*”
“*Hmm. You seem busy going around everywhere.*”
Of course, he had to be busy.
Rumor had it he had more than three wives.
Some even speculated he might have more than that.
“*I’m busy. There are more than a few places with immediate danger brewing. I usually try not to meddle in the conflicts between the species,
but when they fight over trivial things, I have to moderate a little.*”
“*…*”
He usually tried not to interfere with conflicts among the species?
How ridiculous.
He had locked her up to prevent the elves from uniting.
He was the definition of a hypocrite!
Normally, she would have brushed it off, but for some reason today, Serika felt annoyed beyond measure.
She knew she shouldn’t, yet her mouth moved on its own.
“*You love peace, don’t you?*”
“*Well… if I had to choose between violence and peace, I guess I’d pick peace?*”
“*Ha. Just because there’s no direct violence, it’s peace? You say you aim for peace among the species, yet the human nations hoard the elves’ water sources and farmlands, treating them like slaves.
Ignoring that is the path to peace, right? Locking me up here to prevent the elves from becoming a united force to threaten humans is also for peace? Regardless of the elves’ and subhumans’ situations, as long as there’s no war, it’s peace for you, right? Huh?*”
“*…*”
With everything she had bottled up spilling out, Serika glared daggers at Schlus’s empty eyes.
Only then did she realize she had made a mistake.
Perhaps she could have negotiated her release with the condition of never stepping into politics again in a few years.
But she had just kicked that last chance aside.
Yet Serika felt no regret.
If her only crime was speaking the truth, then so be it.
At least that’s what she believed.
“*I don’t understand what you’re saying.*”
“*What?! Hah! Are you saying right now-*”
“*Didn’t I tell you it was okay for you to return to the desert?*”
“*Huh?*”
Seeing Schlus’s bewildered expression, Serika became momentarily angry, only to be left confused as well.
She could return to the desert?
She had no memory of hearing that.
“*I didn’t say that.*”
“*Sorry. I must have forgotten. You’re free. In fact, you’ve been free for quite a while now.
Lately, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had the time to pay you any attention. I just thought you’d stayed because you liked the institution more than your hometown.*”
“*That can’t be right!*”
“*Then why didn’t you just ask to go home? If you had, I would have remembered and told you you were free.*”
“*You piece of…*”
Serika felt dizzy, leaning back as if she were about to fall over.
In truth, she had been free for ages, fearing nonexistent surveillance and making no attempt to escape,
all because she wanted to preserve that guy’s pride, leading her to trap herself in this massive prison.
It was so ridiculous she burst out laughing.
“*Heh. Uhuhuh. Hehehe.*”
“*U-um, are you okay, Serika?*”
“*Ah, seriously. Hahaha… I really hate you…*”
What on earth was she supposed to say when she got back home?
That she hadn’t been able to return because she had locked herself up?
Absolutely not.
There was no way she could face her people back home.
“*Schlus…*”
“*Yes?*”
“*I think I’ll just live here.*”
“*Weren’t you the one who wanted to go home?*”
“*I don’t know. Shut up, you jerk.*”
“*I’m sorry, okay.*”
She might as well stay put.
Serika hastily downed the rest of her coffee.
She’d have to get used to this awful bitter taste as soon as possible.
*
“*Hmm? Hmm?*”
In a cozy and comfortable bedroom,
Erica stood in the center, arms crossed, sighing.
It had already been an hour since she had been waiting quietly in one spot.
“*What am I doing here?*”
She decided to slowly retrace her steps back to the past.
The one who had summoned her here and told her to wait was none other than Emilia.
“*Erica Onee-chan, Erica Onee-chan. You haven’t forgotten what I told you last time, have you? It’s tomorrow, so keep your schedule clear.
When I call, come home quietly.*”
That cute girl who could now call her Onee-chan was somehow still annoying.
Not knowing why she was here, Erica had been summoned to Schlus’s bedroom.
It wasn’t right to just use someone else’s bed, so she had no choice but to stand.
Now, what had she even mentioned last time?
What on earth was that?
Erica rubbed her throbbing head and went further back in her memory.
While she could recall complex magic spells with ease, vague remarks from the past rarely stuck in her mind.
“*Ah!*”
Finally, Erica clapped her hands, recalling a significant clue.
Emilia had clearly stated,
she would help Schlus successfully do “that.”
“*That?*”
However, Erica hit another wall.
What on earth could “that” be.
It seemed to be a euphemism set to be understood in context, but Erica couldn’t infer its identity at all.
*Click…*
“*Ah, I’m tired.*”
“*Liar. You don’t feel tired anymore, do you?*”
“*It’s just a figure of speech.*”
“*…!*”
Just then, the door opened, and Schlus and Emilia appeared, causing Erica to jump in surprise.
Trying to awkwardly wave and greet Schlus, she realized he wasn’t looking her way at all and opened her mouth wide.
She had completely forgotten that there was a barrier in front of her.
The barrier allowed all light to pass through but perfectly blocked the mana ripple effect.
This meant Erica could hear and see the sounds and sights beyond, but Schlus couldn’t see or hear her.
“*What’s this? A barrier?*”
“*Pelaine is sleeping downstairs. I don’t want to wake him up…*”
“*Then what’s the problem?*”
“*No way… I want to hog him all to myself today…*”
As sweet voices exchanged between them, Erica felt a pang in her heart.
Soon, the two grew closer, and their lips began to meet.
As the sounds of their hands roaming over each other’s sensitive spots grew louder,
Erica’s eyes widened in shock.
Something was definitely wrong.
Schlus couldn’t see beyond the barrier, so that could be excused, but
Emilia must be able to see her just fine!
“*Crazy…*”
Emilia’s gaze flicked her way, and she flashed a smirk.
Only then did Erica realize what Emilia was trying to show her.
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