"Believe me; it's for the good of all of us, including that of the Lord. Hearing you say that your body was stolen in your domain, which is only accessible by you, means that an enemy even more powerful than we expected began by operating in the shadows. In other words, it means we're not undercover as we thought." She explained briefly.
"It is precisely for this reason that we must stay close to our sovereign for--
"No, no, and no! You were wrong from the beginning, Shadow. The reason I said your memory had been altered is for another reason. To ensure the sleep of the Lord and his reincarnation, we have all made extraordinary sacrifices. And one of them is the destruction of our transcendent bodies!"
"?! - ... Are you really sure?!" He asked with ridiculous eyes.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, why would I lie about these facts? Tell me one thing, how can you access your domain without even having recovered thirty percent of your powers?!"
"...so...
"Exactly, I think your so-called domain was only an illusion; if you don't believe me, try to bring me with you so that I can check it myself. In fact, I think you won't even be able to access this so-called domain."
'... Strange, I had believed until now that it was because of my current weakness that prevented me from accessing this damn domain, but now I realize the bastard who played with me from the beginning took me for an idiot!'
Seeing him silently, she continued while having her eyes far away.
"I believe that a being of the same level as us or higher had taken his time to change your memories. And I can guess that his intentions should not be taken lightly."
"..."
"You now understand why you must stay away from the Lord before knowing more about your current problem?" She asked one last time.
"... It's to prevent this unknown enemy from monitoring our actions, right?" He asked for confirmation from Heepha, who instantly nodded.
"It's true. And since we're all in pitiful states, we cannot afford to trigger something we cannot manage. For my part, I'll concentrate on observing our lord's allies to learn more about the identity of this traitor in question." She said with eyes that were no different from Dalvine's.
"Very good. I think it's the best solution. Heh, I can't wait to meet the son of a bitch who dares to take advantage of my current weakness to have fun with me. I really can't wait to show him what the word 'fun' means." He retorted, disappearing in front of Heepha.
"..."
'Sigh, I can't rely only on him. Zakiel, huh? This first name is more interesting than his old first name. But he's currently in a worse state than Shadow. As for the general-in-chief, this woman did not even show a sign of awakening, unlike the first general who acts like an idiot among the other subordinates.' After finishing organizing her thoughts, a scarlet magic circle appeared under her stick and gradually grew, followed by a blinding light that enveloped her.
"Well, since I can only count on myself, it's time to start my research, starting with my lord's entourage. But the only problem is getting closer to others to deserve the lord's trust. Sigh, it's not an easy task!" She disappeared the second after whispering these words to herself.
--
"How is she doing?"
"Well, still no sign of awakening. But she's still out of danger; that's the great good news." Sebastien answers in a monotonous voice to Sylvia's question, which had just entered Alvine's apartments where the queen was who was still unconscious.
"... Do you think she's going to get by?" She asked while approaching Lilliana, who was still in a coma on the extra-king-size royal bed.
She then touches her forehead with a strange expression and complex feelings.
"Sebastien, since when have you become a healer?" Linn, who had joined Sebass yesterday until now, finally asked for the first time, not knowing what was wrong with the patient.
"I'm not. It's just that my bits of knowledge about my own is more advanced than anyone on this planet, including healers." He announced nonchalantly.
"Hmm, you may be right. No matter how much I look at this woman, all I see is a black fog constantly trying to corrupt her soul and magical energies. I have never seen such a curse. Did she have the misfortune to cross the path of this woman who had poisoned me?" She continued after Sebass' brief explanation.
"... No, it's not a curse, but something else."
"Not cursed? If this is not the case, then what is it about?"
"Well, this woman is, in fact--!!
-DOOM!
Before he finished his sentence, he and the other two frowned, feeling a familiar evil energy suddenly appearing on the planet.
"Tsk, this man, does he has a hobby to create problems for us?! I'm going to tell him my four truths!" While retorting these words, Sylvia disappeared, followed by Linn, who followed her closely out of curiosity, leaving only Sebass and Lilliana behind them.
...
Rather,
-Wshhhh!!!
'Hm? Did I make the mistake of my destination?" Heepha wondered, calmly scrutinizing the living room with her inexpressive expression.
-Click...!
"Huh?! Y-you... I knew you were going to come back to me." At the same time, Serena, who had just finished her inspection and the tedious tasks that Sylvia had entrusted to her, entered the living room.
But after her brief surprise, when she saw a little girl barely fifteen years old, she had wide eyes after feeling the familiar aura emanating from her.
"Who are you?" Heepha casually asked when she saw Serena's 'warm' smile while walking towards her.
"Hm? Didn't you come for me?" She asked with a crazy smile as she approached her.
"... Why? Do we know each other?"
Hearing her question and seeing Heepha's confusion, Serena was not discouraged by her!
"Where is the other guy?" She coldly asked, stopping suddenly after remembering Dalvine and the humiliation he had inflicted on her.
"The other guy? What do you want from him?!" Heepha finally frowns while asking this question with slightly angry eyes that had the consequence of exposing part of her dark aura.
-Doom!!
-?!
Instantly, Serena forgot Dalvine when she saw the power of her 'possession' and felt her hostility towards her.
Heepha from her part...
'Now that I'm looking at her more closely, this little creature seems familiar. But as I did not take the time to consult all the memories I had acquired after possessing the body of our youngest subordinate, I only know those close to my lord.' While Serena was frozen and frowning, Heepha was in her thoughts.
But the next moment, Serena noticed the latter closing her eyes after revoking her dooming aura as if nothing had happened.
That confused Serena, no longer knowing if she should treat her like Dalvine or continue her initial plan.
"Ah! It comes back to my mind!" Suddenly, Heepha's amusing voice woke her up in her thoughts.
"Do you remember me?! It wasn't very early!" She says with a welcoming smile.
But just by seeing the mistrust in her purple pupils, anyone could guess that she wasn't really thinking about what she had just said.
-?!
But despite her mistrust, she could not follow Heepha's little silhouette, who suddenly zoomed in in front of her the next thousandth of a second.
"Yes~ you're the little girl keeping me safe for years. My bodyguard, right?" She murmured with a mocking smile that only made her cuter in the eyes of others, even if this was not really the case with Serena.
"Your... bodyguard?" She bluntly stutters these words while moving one step away from her.
"Hm, hm! You did a good job." She said, caressing her head while standing on her toes to barely reach Serena's head, who no longer knew how to act in the face of such a misunderstanding.
"No, I'm not your guardian." She stammered.
'She called me a little girl? She can barely reach my head!' She says in her thoughts with an ironic smile.
At the same time, Heepha stopped her action and walked towards one of the sofas with her stick in her hand that matched perfectly well with her small size.
"Sigh, don't trust my appearance; I have at least a thousand of your current age." She said these words while she walked nonchalantly.
"... I'm not so sure. I stopped counting my age probably several thousand years ago."
"Oh well? For my part, I don't remember when I stopped counting mine. But hey, I wouldn't insist on his insignificant details." She replied with an ironic smile, sitting on the sofa while her stick disappeared simultaneously.
"..."
Seeing Serena's silence, she continued calmly.
"I feel that we can become terrific frien-- I meant... good friends. But don't worry, even if it's my first, I'll do my best! Sigh, you will be my friend and will serve me as an experience to know what it's like to live with loved ones. Be honored with this act of bravery that will be your greatest pride with which you will boast over the coming millennia. After all, it's for the greater good of my lord."
"... What are you--!
She stopped suddenly when she saw the threatening look that Heepha threw at her to the point of freezing her body.
Seeing Serena's silence, she continued...
"This is not a request. If I were in your place, I would think twice-- no, a thousand times before saying anything that could cost me my life. According to my knowledge of this subject, it is normal for friends to forgive and do each other a favor. That's also why I dismissed you for your offense by saying I was your possession.
-This clemency is a first experience for me. And I must admit that it's not pleasant. I always feel bitter in my heart. It's like if--
-Click.
The next moment, Sylvia entered the living room with Linn, who followed her closely.
-Frown.
She looked at Serena's authors with dark and dull eyes.
But when she noticed the absence of Dalvine and Heppha, whom she saw for the first time, she frowned.
"Who are you?" She asked soberly while her gaze switched between the two.
But the next moment, just before she answers Sylvia's question, Serena intervenes between the two.
"Don't get involved in that."
"I don't remember asking you the question, do I?" Sylvia coldly replied when she saw Serena's suspicious acts.
"However, I was clear when I told you to stay quiet if you don't want to have regrets. So what does this mean?" She continued.
"I have nothing more to do on this planet where people live in a dream of fictitious peace that will break their minds after understanding that the world is not as peaceful. Now that I have obtained the reason for my presence, I will withdraw before being affected by this poison." She coldly replied while indexing Heepha, who looked at her with stupid eyes.
"Is it this little girl you came for?" Sylvia asked, looking briefly at Heepha, who seemed to be anything but ordinary in front of her eyes.
"Yes! And I don't want to go into details. But rest assured; you won't see me in this dump after I leave."
"Then so much the better. For my part, I prefer not to cross paths anymore. Have a good trip!" While retorting these words, Sylvia turned to Linn and nodded to her to leave.
"Wait, I think there is a more serious problem that has exceeded my imagination." At that moment, Heepha's amusing voice resonated in the living room.
"..."
Seeing their confusion to all, she straightened her little hat and walked towards Serena and the others after finally getting up from the couch.
"Delighted to meet you, Miss Sylvia; my name is Heepha, the college of this bastard who is commonly known by the nickname of Dalvine." She said, reaching out to Sylvia with a warm smile.
"Don't worry; unlike this arrogant bastard who tarnished our reputation, I'm different from him." She convincingly said when she saw Sylvia's mistrust of her.