Khan was in his room, with Krone standing silently at his side, awaiting any command.
With a sigh, Khan kept reading the docunts in his hand.
Looks like money will be hard to get circulating among the common folk... they’re already used to having most things for free...
Thinking about the issue in front of him, he set the docunt aside and stood up for a break.
Gazing at the window, where an orange sunset spread across the sky, he thought,
Coins are still just used for trading materials, and even that’s limited to the governors... the only coins being handled are gold and a bit of silver...
Stopping for a mont to simply watch, the castle lights began to turn on, and below, several maids were already working.
At least the view isn’t empty anymore.
Taking in that brief pause, he turned and sat back down.
"Krone, tell how the new maids’ training is going."
With a calm voice and eyes on her master, Krone replied,
"So far, no problems, Master." After a short pause, she added, "Lady Iris requested that a few children be allowed to participate as well. I’ve put the request on hold, awaiting your approval."
Khan leaned on the table, resting the side of his face on a closed fist.
Hm... not sure if that’s a good idea... maybe I could turn them into one of my creations?
It didn’t take long before he answered,
"That’ll have to wait a bit longer... I’ll request a Blood Star from Azathoth."
Understanding what that ant, Krone simply said,
"Understood, Master. I’ll notify Lady Iris."
"Alright... I’ll head out now."
Krone nodded slightly, bowing her head.
Khan stood up and left the room, walking toward his quarters.
As he approached, he sensed soone’s presence.
A figure rose from his shadow — the form of a woman with catlike ears.
"Looks like you’ve already gathered the information..."
Her tail swayed lightly as she responded,
"Yes, nya~"
Reaching his door, he opened it and asked,
"Want to co in?"
Her eyes widened, tail puffing up, ears twitching. She couldn’t answer, so Khan continued,
"I asked that because... I figured it would feel weird just standing outside the room talking..."
It’d make feel bad... like I’m not welcoming her.
She cald down and replied,
"I-If Khan wants it, then okay, nya~"
Entering the room, Khan said, trying to sound kind,
"Feel free to sit anywhere."
She looked around for a mont and sat on the couch.
Why did I even say that? The only places to sit are the desk chair and the couch...
Sighing at his awkward phrasing, he sat beside Alice.
As he did, she tried to stand — thinking it disrespectful to sit next to him — but he gently held her by the arm.
"You don’t need to get up..."
...She’s completely different from Lilith...
"I-If that’s what you want... nya~", she sat down again beside him.
Letting go of her arm, he continued,
"So, what’s the information?"
"They’re sending adventurers to the island, nya~."
Hm... maybe I can establish contact with that group... the issue is how they’d react...
Thinking a bit more, he reached a conclusion.
It’s simple. If we’re attacked, we strike back.
He kept the conversation going.
"Hm... do you know when they’re coming?"
Alice froze, ears drooping.
"No... nya~"
Why is she sad?
"Then... any information about their strength?"
Her ears drooped even lower, her tail fell flat. With her head down, she murmured,
"No... nya~"
...
A heavy silence filled the room. Khan was stunned.
...Seriously? That’s all she brought? I’m not saying she wasted my ti, but...
He looked at Alice, who seed genuinely upset, and paused his thoughts. He raised his hand toward her head.
Alice flinched, closing her eyes, expecting a slap... but what she felt was a soft pat on the head.
Khan seed to rember things he had written into her backstory.
And now, seeing it beco real...
Guilt and self-loathing welled up inside him, making his eyes turn red. A third eye opened just below his right eye, feathers sprouting along his horn.
...Why did I write this? What kind of freak was I? ...Couldn’t I have just made lighter stories?
A fourth eye was starting to open — but sothing inside cald him down. The third eye closed, the feathers fell and vanished before they touched the floor.
With a quiet sigh, he kept gently stroking Alice’s head.
She opened her eyes again, realizing his fury was gone.
"I’m not mad at you..."
After a brief silence, he continued,
"Do you want to rest your head on my lap?..."
No hidden aning behind that... I just rembered she liked sleeping that way, especially when sunlight hit her. I wrote that for her, based on the cat I used to have.
She hesitated at first, then gave in. Resting her head on his lap, Khan kept petting her as they exchanged small talk into the night — until she left.
----
The next morning, Khan walked through the corridor, lost in thought.
I wonder if I even deserve this position... causing the problems myself and then fixing them... it makes feel... awful.
As he walked further, he spotted so maids who stepped aside and greeted him.
"Good morning, Master!" they said in unison.
"Yes..."
Khan kept walking as they went on with their duties.
While he moved, he tried to push away those thoughts.
Doesn’t seem like now’s the ti to dwell on this... everything used to be just a project I made... so there’s not much to be done... it wasn’t real.
With a sigh, he cleared those thoughts out and focused on sothing else.
How am I going to get Gabriel to et them...
Deep in thought, Khan didn’t notice as Alice popped her head from the shadow and said,
"Khan, I’ve got news about the ti, nya~" — she sounded a bit more relaxed than before.
"I’m listening..."
"They’re leaving at 9 a.m. and plan to arrive by nightfall, nya~"
Hearing the schedule, Khan wondered,
Are they really that close? Or do they have so thod of shortening the trip?
"What are they using for transportation?"
"Seems to be a portal from so ruin that links to another near the island, nya~."
"Do you know their location?"
"Only the entrance, nya~"
"I see..."
To think sothing like that is near the island and we didn’t even know... frustrating...
"Can you find out where the exit is before they arrive?"
Alice stayed quiet for a mont, then replied,
"I can try, nya~"
"Perfect. Just don’t get too involved," Khan said, eyeing her sideways.
"Understood, nya~", she sank back into the shadow and disappeared.
----
In a completely ssy room, sunlight leaked in, revealing a red-haired young man known as Mark.
He was sleeping while hugging soone... or rather, hugging a bottle of booze.
The door shook violently as soone pounded on it from outside, yelling,
"WAKE UP!!" — Erin’s voice, no doubt.
She kept yelling, though a bit quieter, still loud,
"We’re going to be late!!"
Mark opened his eyes, once again overco by a splitting headache. As he moved, the bottle slipped from his arms and hit the ground.
Luckily, it didn’t break. He stretched out with a groan, only for Erin to yell again:
"I’LL BREAK THIS DOOR DOWN IF YOU DON’T WAKE UP NOW!!"
Still groggy, he shouted back,
"I’m awake already, damn it!"
The noise stopped, and she just said,
"Then get ready — we leave at 9 a.m."
Mark groaned, got dressed, and headed downstairs.
As he ca down the stairs, he saw the whole party waiting for him.
"Looks like we’ve got a slacker in the party~" Silvia joked.
Norkim crossed his arms and sighed.
"Finally. Thought I’d have to bust down the door."
Mark shot her an annoyed look and said,
"Don’t start... I’ve already got a fucking headache, and hearing your voice would make it worse.."
Before their usual bickering could start, Silvia cut in playfully,
"I could heal that for you~, but you know there’s always a price~"
"I pass, it’ll go away soon..."
"Sha~"
Once Mark was fully downstairs, they left the inn and made their way to the gathering grounds.
When they arrived, a briefing was already underway — explaining how they’d reach the island.
They would travel through a portal located in the ruins of a forgotten temple, which connected to catacombs on the other side, deep in a dead forest.
Erin tried to talk to Mark,
"Hey, did you know that this temple and the catacombs used to be part of an—"
"Spare the nerd talk this early in the morning..."
She shut her mouth, visibly frustrated and a little hurt, but kept it to herself.
Mark glanced at her face, catching her expression.
Why does she have to be so damn annoying...? She even reminds ... forget it.
He forced the mories out of his mind and focused on the briefing.
The speech went on, but it was just sothing to motivate them. They set off soon after on their journey.
Or so everyone hoped. Upon reaching the temple, they were greeted by an angel. So people were already staring at the figure.
The angel finally spoke,
"Looks like everyone is here."
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