Alice is best girl, don't you think?

Also, if you're wondering about the harem tag,

It's Luke's.

Have some delicious fanservice!

Part 1

I was having a nightmare.

As Dylon, when I was a child, I had already gone to several missions.

Because of the nature of those missions, I often had nightmares like this.

Eventually, the nightmares stopped as I got used to it.

Why am I having it now, I wonder?

I stood alone, surrounded by darkness.

There was nothing else around me.

It was so dark that I couldn't even tell which way was up.

Immediately after that, the darkness below my feet began sucking me in like a bog.

I struggled to get away in intense fear.

"No...! G-Get away from me!"

I had shouted with everything my lungs could leak out, but not a sound was heard.

Five arms had stretched out from the ground, their bloodied hands pulling me deeper into the abyss.

"Stoooppp!"

I cried out.

The arms soon doubled, quickening the pace to which I was sinking in.

"No! Please stop this... No more...Ahh!"

I sobbed as I raised my voice once again before a giant, charred arm came out of the bog, pulling me in instantly.

"...?"

Where was I? What was I doing...? ...What?

I opened my eyes and found myself in an empty, grey room.

There was nothing much to say about it except that it was made of stone.

Well. Not exactly empty, a lone throne was placed right at the center.

Seated neatly on it was a skeleton made of gold.

At least, it looked to be so.

The skeleton's head was tilted slightly backwards, its mouth hung open and its hands rested beside both of its knees, open with its palms facing upward.

I don't know why I approached it.

Was it out of curiosity?

Or the fact that I knew I would not progress without doing so?

As I got closer to it, the skeleton's shoulders suddenly twitched.

"Eep?!"

I cowered a little as I moved back a bit.

...Since when have I become such a scaredy cat?

Craaack

Crackle

Snap

I thought as suddenly, the skeleton's body was enveloped by darkness, with the exception of its skull burning with a black flame.

The black flame then melded into the skull as it slowly turned into what seemed like flesh while the darkness formed into a king's mantle.

Before me was a middle-aged man with glaring black eyes, his lips twisted into a grin and he spoke with a husky voice.

He lazily rested his chin on his hand, giving the impression of an imposing ruler.

Don'tlookathisbuild.

Don'tlookathishandsome

Heisnotmuscularatall. N-Noo~

I'mnotintodeadpeople.

I'mnotintodeadpeople?

I'mnotintodeadpeople!

He is a skeleton, woman! Get a hold of yourself...

"Oho. I'd recognize that hair anywhere. It's been a while, Lunalin. Have you finally come to marry me?"

At the man's words, I didn't know what to say. At least I had broken out of my daze...

He had a gentle smile on his face, not fitting his menacing visage.

But my earlier fear was overcome by my curiosity.

"Erm, no... excuse me, mister. But who are you? And... where am I?"

So I decided to test the waters.

...I'm not into middle-aged men.

Even if they are sexy beasts.

At my words, the man's eyes widened a little as he stared at me awkwardly before sighing.

"...A new one? Oh. I thought Alecia looked different... Then again, rovietal all look alike to me."

He shrugged with just his shoulders before crossing his legs, further emphasizing his imposing aura and then speaking.

"I am Turipid Mortis. I am one of the rulers of this place. Some call me Had-- ah... But those are from another world... hmm..."

What was this man saying? I wondered. I couldn't really hear the last part.

I couldn't help but think that the name was familiar...

Did I read it somewhere?

In any case, this fine gentleman was named Tulip.

Yes, yes. Tulip, I got it.

Since he had lost his momentum, I decided to talk as well.

"Er... Mr. Tulip--"

"It's Turipid."

Correcting me gently, he smiled while laughing lightly.

"Yes, uhm... Mr. Tulip. Why am I here?"

When I said that, he stared directly at me and sighed before speaking,

"... First, girl. What is your name?"

I thought about it first.

How did I get here? What was I doing...?

In any case,

"Erm. It is Alice."

"...Alice?"

Despite his calm and gentle expression, my heart couldn't help but stir.

What was this feeling...?

It was as if I was being choked.

An eerie feeling.

It was a cold sensation on my back and every strand of hair on my arms started to rise.

Almost as abruptly as it had come, the feeling soon disappeared along with Mr. Tulip sighing once again before showing a saint-like smile.

He narrowed his eyes,

"It seems that I am out of sand. Time to wake up."

Wake up? What's he talking about?

It was then that my thoughts became muddy and my consciousness dimmed.

I fell on my knees and grasped my forehead.

I felt really... sleepy...

"Why we were called here, I do not know, but... there must be some meaning in our meeting. We will definitely meet again."

It was probably because of my drowsiness, but his husky voice seemed to be echoing.

He fixed his position on the throne, the darkness leaving his body.

Soon, his head caught on fire and his skin melted, returning back to the golden skull.

Before he disappeared completely, he left me with words of parting, though I was only half awake. All sound other than his voice had stopped.

"Next time, we shall have a nice chat. Fare thee well, Alice... Alice... Alice..."

Alice...

Alice...

"dy Alice--...dy Alice, wake up!"

"Lady Alice!"

"...?"

My eyes opened.

My consciousness felt like it had been submerged in water all this time.

My thoughts cleared.

Waking up, I saw a worried Nide, holding my hand.

Rather, I was tightly grasping his.

"...!"

Immediately letting go of his hand and with a stiff expression, I wordlessly wiped my hand on the bedsheet.

...Twice to be safe.

"Erm..."

With a slightly offended expression, he checked to see if I was alright.

Covering a large portion of my body were bandages.

My forehead, my legs, etc... hmm.

"You seem to be alright. You were having a nightmare, lady Alice.

Aya? Your mama's awake."

He said with a gentle face before calling out to Aya.

"Waaaaah~ Mamaa~"

With a bang, Aya opened the door at breakneck pace before rushing to my left side, hugging my arm while crying.

Entering with Aya was the girl that we had rescued.

It seems she had taken a bath.

Her face was clean and her very dark red hair which was so long that it reached the ground was no longer disheveled.

Her skin was a healthy brown but she was still a little bit fair and her eyes were a deep blue, like the sea.

She was a bit tall, standing at 5'7" feet.

Despite that, she gave off an air of innocence.

She looks about my age.

Maybe younger?

No idea.

She was a little bit larger than me in that area, though.

My eyes narrowed.

...E cups are for cows, I thought as I recalled a certain huge-breasted woman whose name was not Niana.

My gaze sharpened but I drove away such inappropriate thoughts.

Seeming to be a bit anxious, she just stood at the entrance, occasionally glancing at me before looking away again.

...Wow she's quite cute.

Who said that redheads were soulless, huh?!

Come over here right now and fight meee!

Our eyes met.

"...!"

She quickly averted her gaze in a fluster.

Solid 7/10.

I nodded twice to myself, which resulted to my neck to be in pain.

She still didn't speak, but her face reddened when I threw a wave her direction.

Is... she okay?

I then tried moving my right arm to pat Aya's head, but--

"Owwie...!"

Feeling a numbing pain, I couldn't move it at all.

What the...? Why do I... Oh. Oh yeah.

...I killed people.

Part 2 - Her Point of View

It's already been four days since I was rescued by a mysterious and unbelievably beautiful woman.

After she had defeated the bandits and the giant of a man, the one dressed as a knight led us to an abandoned house to hide ourselves in fear of more bandits.

Eventually, knights from the capital would arrive here but we had to wait for a few more days. At least, that was what I heard from the knight gentleman.

Currently, the city had been overrun. We hid ourselves in a slightly large house in the yellow district, the slums. Luckily, some people had not escaped and had hid in their homes. Because the houses are so close together, a few entrances went unnoticed as the way the some of the buildings were constructed simply looked like they were one big mansion.

A few of those people had witnessed the beautiful woman... kill the bandits and did not think twice to aid her.

I stood up from my bed and sneakily opened the door of the room I was staying in.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

I peeked left and right on the dark hallways.

When I confirmed that there was nobody else awake, I quietly headed towards a certain room.

Eventually, I had reached the room's door.

Her room.

I took in a breath before heading inside.

Since all lights were out and it was deep in the night, I was certain she was not awake.

Every night, I sneak into her room to watch over her while she slept.

After all...

This beautiful woman fought for me--

almost died because of me, even.

The worthless me.

Why did I come here?

To repay the favor?

Or to earn hers?

I already know the answer.

I do know, but my heart can't possibly accept that.

It is too selfish.

Every time I visit her during the day, she would keep me company with a smile on her face.

She often noticed me staring at her injuries with a guilty expression but whenever that happened, she would gently reach out with her left hand and caress my face like a mother before saying, "It's alright."

With that, I couldn't help but think that perhaps something was wrong with her.

Every day, she would suffer because of those injuries.

She has been staying in bed the entire time, hasn't she?

...How could she not blame me?

Is this person insane?

Or just... overwhelmingly kind?

...But also a bit terrifying.

As I came to that realization, I knew.

I had to make it clear that I was thankful.

And so, with great effort, I opened my mouth.

"...Th-Th...FF...F...-Fankk-kuh... y-y... oo."

thud

pant... pant...

I got on my knees, and leaned my upper body on the bed, making sure not to touch even the sheets with the exception of my elbows.

Cold sweat had accumulated on my forehead and I looked at my trembling hands.

It hurts, but...

I... I did it!

Right at that moment--

"Ufufu~"

The beautiful lady patted my head with one eye open.

She closed it quickly, as if pretending to be asleep.

...But she didn't stop patting my head.

I-I...I-I-I'm so c-close to herr!

I stiffened.

Tears appeared in the corners of my eyes as I thought of what to do.

Oh dear merciful lords I am scared.

Please spare me~

The bloodied visage of this seemingly frail lady had burned itself into my eyes.

There was no way I could forget.

Remembering that, I couldn't help but shiver.

Is she gonna punish me for sneaking into her room?

Oh gods is she going to cut off my legs?

O-Or fry me?! I-I'm not delicious?!

As I trembled in fear, the lady seemed to have made a misunderstanding.

"Oh? No need to be afraid. Those bandits can't harm you now~"

Her upper body must feel better, as she sat up and embraced me while rubbing my back.

Most of those... er... bandages, was it? Ah, yes. Bandages have been removed and the only ones covering her are the ones on her legs.

"You've been coming here every time. Do you feel guilty?"

She asked, but her closed eyes and tone made it seem as if she wasn't looking for an answer.

Instantly, she pulled my head into her bosom, embracing me tighter.

"We are all alive, so all is well, isn't it?"

In silence, we were in that position for at least a minute.

"Hm hmm hm hm hmm~"

Before I knew it, she had started humming a song with her soft, bewitching voice.

Through the curtains, light from the outside seemed to have made her body shine as if the moon was actually accentuating her beauty.

"Hmmm hmm~ Hm hm hmm~"

As she swayed slightly, my eyes slowly closed and I... fell into a... deep... slumber...

Part 3

I opened my eyes and found the quiet girl sleeping in the same bed as me.

It was a rather cold morning, the sun was sharing its sunlight, a little bit of it passing through the gaps in the curtains.

I was horrified by the fact that my heart wasn't racing, but the girl's innocent face and light breathing noises accompanied by her very long hair spilled all over the pillow made me smile for some reason.

Though I wasn't particularly excited, I did want to snuggle.

Her hair looked really soft, after all...

She talked yesterday... I think it might be that her throat had been burned but there are no visible scars on her neck or anything like that.

The outside was rather quiet as only a fifth of the bandits remained in the city to scavenge while the rest already went back to their guild with the spoils.

Most of them are hiding in the square and preparing to leave soon...

Hmm... Should I just let this pass, I wonder--

Sniff... Sniff...

Oh dear.

...I reek of sweat.

Feeling rather icky, I lightly woke the girl up.

...I haven't bathed for days.

"...?"

The girl's eyes opened slowly.

"...!!"

The moment she realized she was in bed with me, she sat up straight before bowing her head and closing her eyes tight as if in apology.

...Her lips were trembling. Is it because I'm smelly?

I gave her a show of assurance with a smile before telling her,

"Could you call for Nide? Ah, but first, sit here for a moment."

I beckoned at her.

She hasn't left the bed yet, but I asked her to turn her back to me.

Wipe wipe, pat pat

I wiped the little bit of drool left in her cheek and combed her hair a little with my hands.

She didn't make any noise and just quietly let me.

I leaned my head on her nape as I embraced her from behind.

Soft~

"...!?"

She stiffened at my actions.

"Oops. I got a little carried away~ Ufufu... it's because your hair is so soft. Forgive me?"

I knew she couldn't see my expression, but I had an honest apologetic tone.

She still didn't say anything, so I assumed it was alright.

After that, I combed her hair a little more.

Really soft~ I love it!

"Alright! Go call Nide for me now, please."

At my words, she nodded obediently and got up.

Noo~ My pillow~

As she grasped the doorknob ready to leave, I accidentally let out my thoughts.

"Well, even if Nide is a stalker, kidnapper, peeping tom and a bedroom invader, he's not all that bad. He's still a gentleman(???) and at least a little reliable..."

At my words, with her hand still on the knob, the girl turned to me with a really worried look.

Do I really have to go...?

I was rather surprised at her reluctance.

Whoops, my bad. It seems I worried her unnecessarily.

Pointing upwards with my index finger, I lit a small flame at the tip and I assured her with the most gentle of smiles.

"He won't harm you. If he does anything, though-- I will harm him. Ah, please bring Aya as well."

She nodded six, no... seven times(?) in quick succession before immediately leaving the room.

Wait... did she think I was the one who would harm her?

...Oh.

After about two minutes, Kidnapper came rushing in.

About time~

Following behind him were the girl and Aya.

Aya still looked a bit drowsy.

Oh no...! D-Did I wake her up?

Sorry, Aya...

Kidnapper bowed his head respectfully,

"Is there anything you need, milady?"(Nide)

Ah, yes. Your head on a plate--

Wait... no.

"Ah. I wanted to take a bath. Could you draw some water for me?"(Alice)

"Yes, milady. I have drawn some last night just in case, but... it's rather cold."(Nide)

Ooh~ Prepared, aren't you?

"I see. No problem. Girl. Aya, you too. Let's take a bath together, shall we?"(Alice)

"...Okay..."(Aya)

"...?!"(Girl)

Aya reluctantly agreed, but the girl seemed surprised, as she pointed at herself with a "?!" on top of her head.

I smiled wryly as I explained why.

"Ah... Well, Aya doesn't really like to take baths, so I have to go in with her.

And as you can see, I can't do it by myself at the moment."

I pointed at my legs.

Well, I was still on the bed, sitting up.

And it's not like I could ask that bedroom invader to bathe with me.

No way.

...No way!

After that, the girl couldn't help but nod while trembling.

...Does she not like me?

Nide showed us the way to the bath.

I instructed the two to go on ahead.

Kidnapper and I were alone.

"Nide."

I approached him slowly.

He looked quite nervous.

I wonder why?

I stood in front of him.

When I got any closer, he'd take a step back.

I moved forward until he hit a wall, leaving no room to escape.

I placed a hand on his chest before leaning towards his ear.

I opened my mouth and spoke in a wispy voice,

"If you try to peek, they won't ever find your corpse~"(Alice)

He audibly gulped before nodding frantically with a, "Y-Yes, milady--of course, milady!"

I smiled, satisfied.

I walked towards the bathroom.

The girl was already in the water while Aya was still clothed, waiting for me to remove her dress.

Hey, isn't that cold~?

But that's not where the problem lay.

...Oh. So that's why.

I took a breath--

Part 4 - Nide's Point of View

I heaved a sigh of relief.

Lady Alice is scary...

M-My heart won't stop throbbing...

Urgh...

Just at this moment, I heard a loud shout from the bathroom.

"Weeeee've got a mermaiiiid heeeeere!"