Cold. Ruthless. Apathetic. Powerful.

That was how I viewed the Ice Princess who slayed me on the battlefield. Such a person, I could never forget. The snow-haired lady who completely dominated the exams and crushed her foes like they were flies. Someone completely out of my league.

Yet here was that same lady, awkwardly twisting her silky hair and avoiding my gaze. Her eyes shined like crystals, as if they were about to burst into tears.

“Alessia?” I tilted my head.

“S-Sorry for killing you!” Alessia swiftly bowed her back downwards and looked at the floor.

“……..”

Huh?

“I just have this habit of getting super focused whenever I’m in a serious situation. When that happens, I stop caring about everything else and just end up doing things that scare people away. It’s like I’m the same beast, but a different animal,” she twiddled her fingers. “P-Please don’t take it personally. I just had to do it to enter the academy!”

“W-What?! There’s no need to apologize for that!” I scratched my head.

“But! You would have failed the exam if it weren’t for me!”

“I told you, it’s fine. That’s the point of the exams, anyway. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. Besides, I passed so it’s all good.”

“Oh….that’s a relief,” she placed her hand on her chest. “So does that mean you accept my apology?”

“Yeah.”

She seemed awfully persistent in trying to be sorry, so I said that to relieve her worries.

“Thank you so much, you’re the first person who accepted my apology!” she smiled softly. “I have to get going now, please excuse me!” she said and started to run away.

Wait, this is all happening way too fast!

“Alessia, wait up!”

Alessia stopped in her tracks.

“What is it?”

“What do you mean I’m the first person? How many people did you apologize to?”

“Umm…” She showed the Enforcer Mark on her hand and a screen popped out of the red eye, revealing a list of names. “14 people so far, including you. I still have 16 more people to go.”

“Are those….”

“You can view the results of your exam and check the people you’ve killed,” Alessia hung her head down. “But, no one wanted to accept my apology. They were either ignoring or glaring at me.”

I’m impressed that she was able to apologize to so many people in such a short span of time….maybe she started before I was even awake from the VR session?

Still, to say that no one accepted her apology….it’s either their pride was hurt, they failed the exam or were simply just annoyed. But who would reject such a pitiful face? Not to mention, she looks pretty cute too……

W-Well, she wasn’t so pitiful during the exam, so I guess it makes sense for people to hate her. It’s not easy to face such hatred alone, so I thought of a solution.

“You seem like you could use some company,” I said. “You don’t seem to be doing very well.”

“It’s fine!” she crossed her forearms. “You don’t have to. It’s going to be pretty tiring to look for all of them.”

“I have nothing better to do anyway, so might as well try to support you.”

“If it’s ok with you, then alright. But we have to be quick! Some of them might have gone to the train station by now!”

“How are we going to find them?”

“We’re running to the train station, of course!”

So her plan is to wait for people there? Not sure how effective it’s going to be….

We rushed across the cobblestone streets of Sector 1, with both of our paces equally matching each other. Those legs of hers sure do run fast. I didn’t even have to adjust my speed for her. Guess that explains how quickly she was able to hunt me down during the exams.

But I feel like something’s missing. A little worrisome, but I couldn’t really wrap my head around it.

We finally arrived at the train station, just in time to meet up with some people she recognized.

“There! I remember killing them at the exams!” Alessia pointed out.

That’s not something you should be saying out loud….

Alessia ran in front of them, startling the group with the sudden interruption.

“S-Sorry for killing you!”

She then proceeds to tell them the same speech she told me earlier.

“Tsk, whatever.”

Some people ignored the poor girl and entered the station, but others stayed behind in amusement.

“Heh, didn’t know the person who eliminated us could be so cute,” a girl said.

“Eh?” Alessia’s cheeks started to go red.

“She’s like a totally different person,” a guy said. “At first you were terrifying, but now you’re such a cinnamon roll!”

“Aw man, if only I passed the exam and got a pretty girlfriend like her!”

“You have such beautiful hair, I’m jealous!”

The compliments just seemed to keep coming, which ended up overwhelming Alessia and putting her in a state of a steaming tomato. It was enough to make me chuckle and smile for the lady. She’s finally getting more positive reception for her apologies.

We continued to wait for more people at the station. Alessia would apologize whenever she spotted someone she’s killed and it was a mix of people who rejected and accepted her. I could tell that she felt hurt every time someone spoke meanly to her, so I couldn’t help but give her a headpat to comfort her.

“Thanks, Lars. But I’m ok. You really don’t have to.”

“I insist. As a gentleman, I can’t stand by and watch a girl get hurt.” A line inspired from one of my favorite novels.

“Hehe…you’re too kind.”

Time continued to pass by and eventually, I was getting tired and took a deep sigh.

“Aw, it’s already 7 pm.”

Alessia pointed at the clock tower. It’s already been a few hours, huh. Didn’t expect it to take this long. It’s nothing compared to reading a single book of the General Enforcer Protocol (GEP) series though. One wouldn’t notice how much time has passed since we lived underground.

We wouldn’t be able to look at the sky…SKY SKY SSKSKSKSKKKKKY SKYYYYYYYYYYYYYY SKYYYYYYY BLUE SKY?!!!!!!! YKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSYY DANGEROUS THE SURFACE IS EVIL CRUEL MONSTROUS KYYYYYYYYYYY

MY HEAD! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!

A d-dDark room….

“Memories…of the surface...must be purged….”

It hurts……

“Lars!” Alessia shook my body with a worried look on her face. “Are you okay?!”

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

It seems I had collapsed on the ground……

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine.”

What was that supposed to be?

Alessia offered me a hand and I picked it up.

“Ugh, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have let you come with me. You must be so tired-”

“No, this happens to me occasionally, so don’t worry about it. I’m happy to accompany you, so please don’t say that.”

“Lars…." Alessia looked at me with steamy eyes. "I'm truly thankful.”

Then, a moment of silence. We looked away from each other and stared into the city streets. The gothic scenery can feel rather gloomy at times, but watching the warm orange lights mix with the cold neon lights were enough to ease your mind off things.

"There's still 4 people left to go….doesn't seem like they'll be coming here soon," Alessia sighed.

"Maybe they live here?" I asked.

"Perhaps. Either they live in Sector 1 or they chose to stay the night at an inn."

Alessia stood up from her seat.

"No point in staying here anymore. Let's go."

"I guess this is farewell, then," I said.

"Not yet," Alessia cut me off. "Why don't you eat dinner at my house? It's the least I can do in exchange for wasting your time."

"Ah, there's no need for that. I can buy food for myself-"

"I insist," Alessia grabbed the hem of my jacket, with her eyes showing off a firm resolution.

Looks like I can't resist her offer.

I sighed. “Alright. I’ll go.”

“Great! Let’s head over there immediately. I’m starving,” Alessia rubbed her belly.

I still find it hard to believe this is the girl who killed me earlier…..

After a few minutes of walking, we finally arrived at her house. It was a simple two-story manor, just like its neighbors, so it didn’t stand out very much. The standard stone facades, the steep roof pitches and the arched windows were typical of a manor in Subtramuros. But that doesn’t change the fact that it gave off a warm and welcoming vibe.

“Come on in,” Alessia opened the door of the house.

“Pardon the intrusion,” I went inside.

“I’m home!” Alessia said.

“Welcome home, Alessia,” a woman’s voice said.

As I was removing my shoes, I felt a slight jolt within me as soon as I heard those words. I didn’t even consider the fact that she lives with her parents! Isn’t it weird for her to be bringing a random boy into her house?

“How was the entrance exam?” the woman asked.

“I did great, mom! Passed with flying colors!”

“I’m so happy for you!”

I looked up and saw a woman with similarly white hair hugging Alessia. She was like another version of her, but mature and more developed. Yep, that’s definitely her mom. It’s impressive how she’s kept her beauty after all those years.

“Oh my. It seems like you brought a visitor.”

I took a deep breath and smiled softly. Stay calm, Lars!

“My name’s Lars Lyons, nice to meet you, ma’am,” I bowed and offered my hand. “I can see where your daughter gets her good looks.”

“M-my good looks?” Alessia blushed.

A tip from my master. Always give a genuine compliment when granted the opportunity.

“Aw, you’re too kind!” The mother shook my hand. “I’m Felicia, nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too, Miss Felicia.”

“Alessia, how on earth did you find such a polite young man?”

“We took the entrance exam together. Let’s talk about it while we’re having dinner. I bet Father’s waiting.”

We entered the dining room…..and almost immediately a sharp gaze pierced right through me. It was coming from a man wearing glasses, with streaks of gray running through his black hair. His face looked expressionless, but I could tell that he seemed quite suspicious of me.

“Who is this boy?” he said.

“Father, this is Lars Lyons,” Alessia said. “He helped me apologize to everyone I eliminated in the exams.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” I bowed.

Her father took a deep sigh. “It’s safe to assume you completely dominated the exams. As expected of the Ice Princess. You didn’t have to apologize to those people, that’s just how the Enforcer Exam works. Only the strong are chosen, why should the weak complain?”

“Dear! You know our daughter, always trying her best to be compassionate towards others,” Miss Felicia said.

“Not when she’s her other self…”

“Let’s not talk about that, please,” Alessia said.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to hurt you, my little princess,” the father perked up his glasses. “Anyways, let us eat. The food is getting cold.”

He turned to look at me. “And Lars, you’re going to be sitting in front of me.”

This is rather intimidating….

As we started eating our food, his eyes were deadlocked towards me, like he was watching my every move.

Another tip from my master. Just act as you normally do when facing people who suspect you. That way your actions are always going to be genuine.

“This food is delicious. I’m really thankful you allowed me to dine at your table,” I said.

“I’m glad you liked my cooking,” Miss Felicia smiled. “Maybe you can come over here and eat again sometime!”

“Wait. Not so fast,” the father said. “I have a few questions to ask you, Lars.”

“That’s fine. I’ll answer anything you ask.”

It can’t be that bad, right?

“Where do you live?”

“Sector 7, sir.”

“Do you live with your parents?”

“I never knew my parents. I was adopted by my master, the Hero Artorias.”

“The Hero Artorias, huh? I haven’t heard of that man since his death 2 years ago. Much less about him having an adopted son. Do you have any proof to back up your claims? ”

I lifted my left hand up, showing the cat ring on my finger

“This was his ring. He passed it on to me as my inheritance.”

The father grabbed onto my finger and inspected it carefully.

“This is….his cat ring. It’s a small detail that no one really cares about, but it’s rather eccentric for me to remember,” the father let go of my finger. “Alright, I acknowledge you as the son of Hero Artorias. But, that is not enough for me.”

Not sure why Master wore a cat ring, I guess it was supposed to be a fashion choice?

“Feel free to ask me more questions.”

This is turning into a long interview…..

“Well then, how well do you live up to his legacy? How strong are you?”

I hesitated for a second, but spoke what I believed to be true.

“Honestly, I don’t think I live up to his legacy at all. I have no magic affinity. I don’t know how to use a gun. The only thing I can do is use the blade.”

It was a bad look for me, but I had to say it regardless.

“Interesting,” the father stroked his chin. “So, how do you expect to fight as an Enforcer if you can only use the sword?”

“I’ll fight as a decoy. An Enforcer is meant to protect people, right? So I will gladly lay my life for everyone with the sword skills I’ve mastered. So what if I’m not good enough? That won’t stop me from pursuing my dream of becoming a Hero.”

I took a deep sigh after my little speech.

“I see,” the father nodded his head. “I have another question.”

“Father! You’ve asked him too many questions!” Alessia said.

“Don’t worry, this is the last one. The most important one.”

I gulped down my throat and prepared for the worst.

“Are you willing to protect my daughter?”

Uh…what?

“What’s up with that question?!” Alessia slammed her hands on the table. “I don’t need protection! I’m already strong enough to protect myself!”

“You need someone to stay by your side. One cannot expect to defend from every direction. I have deemed this man worthy of doing so.”

“But after everything I said, why?” I wondered.

“You’ve answered my questions honestly, which shows that I can trust you. And believe me, I can easily tell when someone is lying. I’ve gone long enough in Enforcer service to know that. Not to mention, I like your resolve. Even if you think so lowly of yourself, you are still determined to do what is right.”

“Father….”

“Oooh! Does that mean we get to keep him?! I agree completely!” Miss Felicia said.

“K-Keep me?” I wondered.

“You’re letting him stay at our house?!” Alessia said.

“Exactly,” the father said. “You don’t have any other relatives or guardians, right?”

“Yes, I live alone,” I said.

“So I will allow you to use one of the spare rooms of our house. That way, you wouldn’t have to search for places to live in Sector 1 anymore.”

“I can’t accept your offer. You’ve given me too much kindness already. I’m just a stranger, so what gives me the right to stay at your house for free?”

The father cleared his throat. “You’re not staying here for free. I’m letting you stay under the condition that you will protect my daughter. So, will you accept my offer?” He extended his hand.

Living here doesn’t seem so bad. They’re a good family and I could really use some company. I’ve been lonely for the past 2 years, so this offer was absolutely ideal for me. Even if I felt guilty for taking such a generous offer, I shook the father’s hand.

“Deal.”

“Good. My name is Sir Alvarro, A-Rank Enforcer. I’m glad I got to know you Lars, son of Hero Artorias.

“Thank you, sir.”

A-Rank….that’s the rank just below a Hero. Woah…..

“Well, let’s pack your things!” Alessia said. “Wasn’t expecting this to happen, but I’m glad you’re living with us now.”

This all feels so unreal.

“Pleasure to be living with you all….”

Wait…..my things…..

I forgot my luggage!!!!!!!!