Novel

Such a decision was really typical of both Hamel and Eugene.

Or at least, that was what Anise thought. Indeed, if she tried to imagine him coming up with a response to such a problem, that was the sort of response he would give. However... was he really, truly, unhindered by those emotions that he claimed didn’t belong to him?

As she thought about this question, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

It would be better if they had never learned this fact.

If that had been the case, there wouldn’t be any problems now. Anise and Kristina couldn’t help but sympathize with Eugene for having to remember that bond. She felt it was extremely cruel to force Eugene to make such a decision despite knowing about that connection.

Anise hesitated for a few moments before speaking up, “Apart from that, is there really no other way?”

“Why even look for a different method?” Eugene asked.

“Because you might regret it later if you don’t,” Anise tried to persuade him.

Eugene just gave a grumpy reply, “I can’t see that happening.”

Anise let out a sigh and placed a hand on Eugene’s knee. Then her calm blue eyes stared directly into Eugene’s golden ones.

Eugene looked away, “Even if it does become a regret, I’ll be the one to bear it.”

“I really don’t want to see you suffer like that,” Anise said sympathetically.

Eugene sighed, “Fine, then let’s just think about it like this. If I did accept Agaroth’s memories and emotions as a whole and decided that I couldn’t kill Noir, would you really agree with that decision?”

Anise considered her response, “If that’s what you truly decide to do, then I... I would do my best to try and convince you otherwise. Sienna would also do the same.”

“No, that’s not right,” Eugene shook his head.

Eugene also moved his hand and placed it on Anise’s hand, which was still resting on his knee. Then he leaned a little closer and looked directly into Anise’s eyes.

“Anise, Kristina,” Eugene addressed them firmly. “The both of you are my comrades. You’ve devoted yourselves to helping me, and you’re traveling together with me in order to slay the Demon Kings, right?”

“That’s right,” Anise hesitantly agreed.

“In that case, when I end up being swayed by memories and emotions that aren’t even mine and almost end up making such a foolish decision, the only thing that you two should do is swing that vicious iron flail you wield at the back of my head,” Eugene stated firmly.

Anise was struck silent.

“So what if Noir Giabella is the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch?” Eugene scoffed. “Noir doesn’t have any memories of that. Even if she did, it wouldn’t matter. From my perspective, the Twilight Witch was a fucking bitch, and the exact same thing goes for Noir Giabella as well. So, how do things look from your perspective?”

“Such harsh words,” Anise smiled wryly.

“What, you like cursing too, don’t you,” Eugene smiled back mischievously.

Witnessing such a smile appear right in front of her eyes was causing Anise’s heart to flutter for no apparent reason. She let out a snort and pushed Eugene’s face backward.

“Do you really think my own opinion would be all that different from your perspective of her? Especially since I’ve already experienced that terrible era with you, Hamel. So naturally, in my eyes as well, Noir is a bitch who deserves to be killed,” Anise said resolutely.

“That’s right. As such... don’t ask me things like whether or not there’s any other solution,” Eugene said as he turned his head away from Anise. “Also, that bitch, Noir Giabella, won’t accept any other solution either.”

“What do you mean by that?” Anise asked.

“That crazy bitch wants to either die at my hands or else have me die at hers,” Eugene said, frowning. “Her pride is extremely high, and her narcissism is terrible.”

“That’s stating the obvious,” Anise muttered as she looked out the window.

She was looking at the three Giabella-Faces floating in the sky as well as the towering, to-scale statue of Noir Giabella that loomed over the center of the city. The Lucky Giabella statue was holding a bouquet of flowers in its right hand and a purse in its left hand. The statue was meant to be a representation of the Giabella Dream, the faint hope of someday winning the jackpot at one of the city’s casinos and returning home.

“There is no one who is as narcissistic as she is,” Anise said confidently.

Even Sienna hadn’t put her own name on her various creations like the Circle Magic Formula, Witch Craft, and the Eternal Hole, but in Giabella’s case... there was Giabella City, Giabella Park, Giabella-Face, Giabella Castle, etc. Noir had stuck her name on almost everything related to her.

“That’s right,” Eugene agreed. “If I were to go up to Noir and tell her that I couldn’t kill her because I actually knew her from our shared past lives and that we should instead get along peacefully, what do you think she would say in response?”

“I don’t feel like she would take that well,” Anise said cautiously.

“She’ll probably kill everyone around me,” Eugene stated gravely.

He couldn’t even bear to think about it.

Eugene’s expression twisted into a scowl as he spat out, “If it’s Noir, then she would definitely do something like that.”

This showed a twisted sort of trust. Even though he hated her so much, Eugene somewhat understood Noir.

Just like how Eugene was rejecting Agaroth’s memories and feelings, Noir would also turn her back on the fact that she was the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch. Because to her, the only thing that mattered the most was her self-identity as ‘Noir Giabella.’

“Alright, I understand,” Anise finally acquiesced, letting out a sigh as she nodded her head.

Noir Giabella and the Twilight Witch, Anise had accepted that it wasn’t a matter that could be handled by arguing about it with Eugene.

Anise changed the subject, “What else do we do while we’re in this city?”

“Sightsee,” Eugene answered.

“Really?” Anise asked doubtfully.

“I don’t really have any desire to go to a casino, so we can wander around this area while sightseeing... then at night, I can investigate this city on my own,” Eugene revealed his plans.

The more colorful the city, the starker its contrast between night and day. Eugene wanted to take a look at the darkness of Giabella City. The blacker and more rotten that darkness was, the more his hesitation about Noir would disappear.

The conversation between the two fell flat. Neither Anise nor Kristina were in a hurry to say anything to Eugene and were satisfied just keeping an eye on him.

“Why do you keep staring at me?” Eugene eventually asked.

“Then would you rather I stop looking at you?” Anise replied with a sulky expression.

Eugene couldn’t be sure whether it was Anise or Kristina who had responded just now. The answer was probably both.

With a wry smile, Eugene drew her attention to the empty bottle on top of the table with a glance.

“Looks like I’ll have to apologize. I emptied a whole bottle of your favorite drink,” Eugene confessed.

“If we call for some alcohol, they'll bring up as much as we want, so why should you be sorry? Also, I don’t really feel like drinking right now, so you don’t need to worry about that,” Anise assured him.

“So even you have times like that?” Eugene asked in surprise.

“Yes, even I find myself feeling quite surprised. Even though I like alcohol so much, there are still times when I don’t feel like drinking. Thank you, Hamel, for teaching me something I didn’t know about myself,” Anise said sarcastically while pouting her lips.

After spending a few moments thinking about how to deal with Anise when she was in this state, Eugene stretched out his hand. When his hand eventually came to rest on her shoulder, Anise looked up at Eugene in surprise.

“Wh-what is it?” Anise stuttered.

“Thank you for caring about me,” Eugene said in a low voice with a serious expression.

As she felt his fingers curve around her shoulder, Anise’s chest began to pound, and from inside her head, Kristina let out a scream, [Sister!]

No way. She wasn't going to swap places now. She refused to give in on this. It was she, Anise Slywood, who would get to feel Hamel’s loving gaze directed at her this time around.

[Sister!] Kristina screamed once more with an urgency.

As she tried to ignore the cries of this body’s rightful owner, Anise thought, ‘Kristina, please allow me to at least enjoy this much. If Hamel shows any more courage and decides to press his advance, then I will definitely give way at that time and allow you to take my place.’

While thinking this, Anise pushed out her pouting lips a little more. Although this made her look like a duck, the current Ansie didn’t have the concentration to spare to pay attention to things like that.

At this moment, Anise, who had refused to give in out of greed, and Kristina, who was screaming hysterically as she tried to assert her rights, were both thinking the same thing.

“It’s not just words, is it?” Anise demanded sulkily. L𝒂aTest nov𝒆ls on (n)𝒐velbi/𝒏(.)co𝒎

“Hm?” Eugene made a confused noise.

“You said that you were going to thank me for caring about you. Are you really just going to use words to show your thanks?” Anise asked, her lips still pouting like a duck.

Because her lips were so extended, the pronunciation of her words was a little off, but both Anise and Kristina didn’t care about that.

Eugene wasn’t able to understand what she was talking about right away. However, as Anise kept pouting her lips and shooting him a blatant look, even Eugene eventually couldn’t help but understand what she was trying to say.

Eugene hesitated, “Ah... um....”

“Hamel. Kristina and I have always been there for you. I don’t know what Kristina might think, but as for me, if it was for your sake, I would even accept death,” Anise promised sincerely.

“Sister, why did you have to put it that way? I would also be willing to die for you, Sir Eugene,” Kristina quickly stepped forward and added her own endorsement to Anise’s words.

How could Anise, who had already been dead for so long, die for his sake at this point? Eugene was extremely curious about this question, but he felt like he would get a few smacks from Anise if he said anything out loud, so he kept his mouth shut.

“So for us, saying something like ‘thank you for caring about me’ doesn’t really convey any sincere feelings of gratitude,” Anise insisted.

Eugene was taken aback, “Ah... even so... since I am grateful, I should at least say thank you—”

“Isn’t that why I already said it? Do you really intend to just leave your thanks as words? Haaah, really, now that I think about it, you’ve always been like this,” Anise interjected with a sigh, her lips that had been sticking out like a duck now retracted once more.

As she looked into Eugene’s wavering eyes, which showed that he wasn’t sure what to do, Anise let out another deep sigh.

Why wouldn’t this idiot start eating when the table had already been set in front of him?

“Hamel, just think about what’s happened in the past six months. Kristina and I followed your will and spent all of that time on a snowy mountain where it snowed heavily every single day,” Anise complained.

“Ah... yeah,” Eugene guiltily looked away.

“Well, the hot tub Molon dragged out was pretty satisfying, but other than that, there was nothing that I could describe as being good or even adequate about our accommodations,” Anise sniffed. “On top of that, it wasn’t like I was just resting comfortably every day, was I? Hamel, it was all thanks to both you and Molon coming back every day with broken limbs while covered in blood.”

“Uh...,” Eugene couldn’t come up with anything to say.

Anise’s glower deepened, “Moreover, it wasn’t even just once a day, was it? You two had to get treatment from Kristina and me two to three times a day!”

Eugene feebly tried to argue, “I-I said that I was very thankful for your treatment every time I received—”

“How many times will you make me ask if you think you can actually smooth things over with just words?” Anise demanded, narrowing her eyes as she shot a glare at Eugene.

So what else was he supposed to do apart from saying thank you whenever he was feeling grateful?

Eugene suddenly recalled how Anise had stuck out her lips earlier.

“Um... Anise, your body, well, I mean, it belongs to Kristina, doesn’t it?” Eugene hesitantly asked.

Anise rolled her eyes, “Oh my god, Hamel! Just what are you trying to say now? Kristina is the one who’s passionately wishing for you to do more than just pay lip service!”

[Sister!] Kristina cried out in protest.

“It’s actually quite fortunate that you can’t hear with your own ears what Kristina is screaming in my head right now. How could you be so naughty, disgraceful, and shady, Kristina!” Anise said while pretending to be shocked.

Kristina demanded, [Sister! Get out of my head right now!]

“Hey, don’t you think you’re being too harsh with your words?!” Anise, who had never expected that Kristina would actually try to issue her an eviction notice, let out a shout. “In any case, Hamel! Since Kristina also wants all of this, there’s no need for your pointless consideration. You should know what I’m talking about, right?”

Eugene coughed awkwardly, “Ahem....”

“Ahem? It seems that you really are quite the ungrateful bastard. Just how many times have I saved you when you were about to die!” Anise raised her voice in anger.

When she chose such an angle of attack, there was nothing that Eugene could say or do in his defense.

So, without hesitating any longer, Eugene yanked on Anise’s shoulder, pulling her closer.

Anise was so surprised by the sudden pull on her body that she couldn’t even make a sound. This was because she could never have imagined that Hamel, who went beyond being indecisive and was downright cowardly when it came to matters like this, would suddenly act so boldly.

Anise was instantly pulled over towards Eugene, and before she knew it, his other hand had reached around her back and was gently pressing her even closer to him.

This seemingly natural flow of movement ended up with their lips touching each other.

Although there wasn’t a ‘chu’ sound — like she had always imagined — Anise felt the softness from where their lips were touching and saw that Eugene’s eyelids were so tightly closed that they almost appeared to be shut.

“Hah....” As their lips fell apart with a gasp, Anise could barely muster up the breath to speak. “One... just one more time.”

She was planning on pretending to be Kristina so that she could guilt Eugene into kissing her to satisfy the latter’s desires, but things didn’t work out the way Anise had intended. This was because Kristina let out a scream and managed to push Anise’s consciousness back, wresting back control of their body.

The experience was so shocking that it felt as if someone had suddenly yanked on her hair, so Anise couldn’t help but scream in surprise, [Kristina!]

She had known that Kristina’s divine power had grown this much stronger after she had been marked with the Stigmata, but to think that her growth had actually already reached this extent.

Kristina just ignored the screaming in her head and swallowed a gulp as she stared directly into Eugene’s eyes right in front of her.

“P-please,” Kristina stammered, her awkward hands fumbling around, unsure of where they should go.

Her inner desires told her to either place her hands on Eugene’s chest or hug him closer, but Kristina still couldn't muster up enough courage to do so. In the end, Kristina swallowed another gulp and just grabbed onto the rosary that was hanging around her neck.

Eugene felt so embarrassed and flustered that he wanted to leap out of this room right at this moment, but if he really did attempt to escape from here like that, he got the feeling that he would never be able to look Kristina in the face again from now on.

Their lips joined once more. At that moment, Kristina could no longer resist her instincts. Her lips parted ever so slightly, and her tongue thrust out to intertwine with Eugene’s.

“?!” Eugene was so startled that he leaped to his feet.

Her tongue still fluttering around in the air like a snake’s, Kristina belatedly came back to her senses and let out a scream, “L-l-lady Anise!”

She even forgot to call Anise Sister. While shouting Anise’s name out loud, Kristina had also leaped up from her seat.

“You-you can’t just do something like that!” Kristina yelled.

Anise shouted back at her, [Kristina! Have you gone completely insane?]

“Such... such a shameful deed...!” Kristina falteringly laid the full blame on Anise, then bowed her head in apology towards Eugene.

Her face was so hot that it felt like it was going to explode, and her body also seemed to have lost any strength. Still keeping her head lowered, Kristina discreetly glanced up to check Eugene’s expression.

Naturally, Eugene’s face didn’t show any sign of anger. While relieved by this fact, Kristina still felt so ashamed of her own actions and the embarrassment visible on Eugene’s face that she slowly began to shuffle her feet backward.

Kristina stuttered, “S-Sir Eugene. I-I will head back to my room to offer a prayer to the Light.”

“Ah... yeah,” Eugene awkwardly responded.

“I-I-I hope that you... a-also, have a good day....” Despite stammering, Kristina somehow managed to finish her sentence, but her legs were shaking so much that she was finding it hard to walk.

Eventually, Kristina proved unable to walk more than a few steps before stumbling and grabbing onto the sofa.

“A-are you okay?” Eugene hesitantly asked.

“I’m fine! There’s no need to worry. Thank you,” Kristina quickly spat out before she tried to walk away once more.

Perhaps it was thanks to the anxiety and desperation in her heart that, this time, her shaky legs were able to move properly.

Boom!

The door that Kristina had gone through was slammed shut behind her. Trying his best to ignore the groans and screams that he could hear coming from the inside of her room, Eugene traced his lips with a finger.

To think that her tongue would actually slip in...! It wasn’t like he hadn’t had any experience of this kind of thing in his previous life, so why had he been so surprised when it happened? Eugene tried to calm down his rapidly beating heart as he sat back down on the sofa once more.

~

After some time had passed and the day had turned into evening, Mer and Raimira returned.

The two had put on even more accessories than when they had left the penthouse. In Mer’s case, she was just wearing a crown on her head, but Raimira had made great use of her horns, hanging several crowns on each of her horns like they were rings.

“What’s that?” Eugene asked, looking at what Mer was holding in her hand.

Mer answered, “It’s the Giabella Balloon.”

Did she even have to go so far as to make the balloons in her image as well? Eugene thought as he looked at the floating balloon depicting Noir’s face.

“Alright... did you have fun?” Eugene asked, changing the subject.

“Yes!”

“We didn’t even manage to see a quarter of the whole Square! Benefactor, it seems like this city is just packed full of hopes and dreams.”

Mer and Raimira rushed over to sit on either side of Eugene and started chattering away.

The two first talked about how many things there were to see and eat in this city, and then, after that, they talked about how their Special Special Coin had left so many people looking at them in envy.

“It looks like you’ve eaten plenty of snacks while walking around, so you might not need to even have dinner,” Eugene teased.

“That’s not true,” Mer denied.

“It has already been digested,” Raimira added.

Euguene received the response that he had been expecting.

He thought about going out to eat, but in the end, he ended up ordering room service because he was being considerate of Kristina and Anise, who had yet to come out of their room.

Eugene called out to them, “Do you want any dinner?”

“We’re fine...,” was the only reply he received.

That said, wouldn’t it be too pitiful to leave those two alone in their room while everyone else went out to eat? Time passed quickly as Eugene sat on the sofa, listening to Mer and Raimira chatter away, and the food they had ordered soon arrived.

“...What’s with that cake?” Eugene asked the server.

The dining table in the living room was soon filled with a luxurious spread of food, but the dish that stood out the most, even amongst all this extravagance, was a tall, several-tiered wedding cake.

Mer and Raimira’s eyes shook with desire when they saw the cake. It was covered not only in chocolate but also in various types of creams and fruits.

“This is the cake that our Queen has ordered for you,” the server replied.

Eugene scowled, “Take it away immediate—”

The moment he was about to order the cake to be removed from the table, he saw the despair rising up in Mer and Raimira’s eyes.

Eugene quickly gave in, “...Just leave it here and get lost.”

“Please enjoy your meal,” the night demons who had carried in the food bowed and withdrew from the room.

“Eat the cake after you’ve finished dinner,” Eugene instructed.

The two kids, who weren’t actually kids, let out loud squeals of cheers.

Thinking that there might be a few other dishes that Noir had ordered, apart from the cake, made Eugene lose his appetite for some reason, but what crime could the food have committed? In fact, the food actually tasted delicious.

While eating, Eugene picked up the remote control. When he turned on the TV, whose use he had become accustomed to while staying at a hotel the last time he was here in Helmuth, the very first thing that came on screen was the local news channel of Giabella City.

“...,” the whole table went silent.

The image of Eugene climbing into the Giabella-Face with Noir was being shown on screen. At this sight, Raimiara started choking as the food she was swallowing got stuck in her throat, and horrified, Mer peeked at Eugene’s expression.

However, Eugene simply changed the channel without showing any particular reaction. The channel he landed on this time was a news channel that aired throughout Helmuth.

[The Hero, Eugene Lionheart, was seen visiting Giabella City, which is ruled by Duke Giabella. Accompanied by the Saint, Kristina Rogeris, and holding the hands of two children, he looked more like a young father than a Hero.]

[For what purpose has he, the Hero, come to Giabella City? Could it be that he just came to enjoy himself in Giabella Park, which Duke Giabella has worked so hard to complete? Or perhaps, was he there to meet Duke Giabella?]

[Looking at the way he seems to have climbed into the Giabella-Face, we believe that it is most likely the latter, but, well, not even a year has passed since the Hero defeated the newborn Demon King....]

[He has been in hiding since then, so why show himself in Giabella City now?]

[This might be a sensitive topic, but hasn’t Duke Giabella always shown a great fondness for Eugene Lionheart? Even when Duke Gavid arrived in Shimuin to convey the will of the Demon King of Incarceration, didn’t Duke Giabella follow along with him?]

[Yes, it is said that the Hero and Duke Giabella left everyone behind at the banquet in order to have a private conversation alone....]

As the panelists continued to exchange conversation, Mer and Raimira’s shoulders couldn’t help but begin to shake in fear.

However, once more, Eugene didn’t show much of a reaction.

Instead, Eugene grinned and muttered to himself, “Even though I didn’t say anything, they already took care of it on their own.”