While the girls where discussing, Florian and Orion were both having their moments.

The two found each other, after separating earlier.

"Orion."

"Yes?"

"Have we done something good? I'm not talking about defending the city, obviously, even I cannot condone this kind of action."

Orion placed his arms on the low wall.

"If you're not talking about that coward's death either, are you talking about the army of corrupted?"

With slight surprise, Florian glanced at him.

"You can read me pretty well it seems."

But Orion shook his head.

"No, even I can't do that. I don't know you enough for that to happen either."

He looked in the distance, the army of Albriar was done with the defense, and was returning triumphantly.

"The corruption, once it has taken root, leads to two results... two that I know at least."

With two fingers lifted up, he spoke again.

"A core forms once the individual ingest a certain quantity of corruption, usually in the form of a mist. There's two results. Either the person dies, or they stay alive, their free will taken from them."

"There is no way to bring them back. I was able to subjugate forming cores before they had taken shape in one person before, and myself. Once the core has taken roots, there seems to be no way to remove it without killing the host."

"The cores just evaporate to dust afterwards. Sometimes, even the host."

"..."

Florian was speechless.

"Did you research all of that?"

"Yes. I try to records everything I come across. Amelia and Karteira fought them during the invasion of Hocride, and they described that the effect of removing the core was similar to a corrupted beast."

Orion kept the part where all corrupted humans react aggressively to him in some ways to himself.

"So, there's no way to bring those people back to themselves. What a strange world we're living in today."

Saying that, Florian joined Orion by placing his arms on the low wall too.

"The ones who end up fully corrupted are full of vices toward the factions to begin with. You shouldn't bother with compassion at this point."

"But without the corruption, some could have a change of mind at one point, don't you think?"

Orion turned his head, and looked at Florian.

"I won't say it is not a possibility. But changing someone's beliefs and drives is a work I wouldn't try. There is no guarantee for it to work. Sadly, death is a guaranteed way to protect the ones around you in this case."

*sigh*

With a sigh, Florian looked in the distance.

"You're right. Maybe I am too greedy."

"No, keep thinking about it. You will definitely find a way one day. You have a different kind of knowledge than me, and I'm sure it will be useful one day for that purpose."

"Eh?"

His words were more surprising than anything to Florian.

'Will I really be able to find a way to cure the corruption from everyone one day?'

A sparking hope grew in his mind.

Silence fell for a few seconds, before Orion asked another question.

"When I was dying, you could have ignored me, but you did not. Tell me why."

"Even though I am not heartless, you are right about me judging if you were worth saving. I have no guarantee that you wouldn't on day come for my head."

"Right."

Orion nodded, because this was fair. There was really no reason to think otherwise.

"I just couldn't bear to see your friend lose someone important to her. I can only applaud the bravery to stand in front of her at that moment. And when I thought of myself, I understand that if it was someone important to me, I would do the same."

"Letting someone like you die would be more than a waste. So I gambled. If one day you come for me, then I'll accept it."

In his mind, what Florian said kept repeating.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

'I didn't really think much at the time, besides the words of Amelia. There was no sense of sacrifice in me. It just felt... right.'

"Have you answered her yet?"

Then, Florian asked the lingering question that was on Orion's mind all this time.

"Not yet."

The two men looked at each other.

"You already are with Amelia, am I wrong? Are you going to refuse or ignore her?"

"I don't know. Maybe I need to talk this over with Amelia, but I have a feeling she already knew. And if Karteira finally made up her mind to say her true feelings, who am I to walk away."

Florian smiled.

"Then you have a lot to talk with them. I hope everything goes well for you."

But Orion wasn't a fool.

"And what about you. Are you going to make a move? I'm sure you have a chance, don't miss it."

"W-What are you... How did you know?"

"When you took that letter. Those reactions were not from a simple 'friend'. That's why I chose to make you meet her."

"You are one troublesome man, you know that? But... thank you. I will do my best on that matter once this matter and the lamias problem is over."

Orion nodded, and was about to leave, satisfied with his conversation.

"Oh, before I leave. There's two things you need to know."

"Yes?"

"I won't come for your head anymore. I'm not ungrateful toward kind gestures."

A pressure seemed to be lifted in Florian's mind after hearing that. He thought that saving Orion was the right choice in the end.

"Last one, once your soldiers are back, make sure everyone is back inside. This battle is definitely not over. Make sure neither you, or my friends are outside the city. Just..."

He smiled and made a thumbs up.

"Enjoy the show."

"Wha-"

But before he could ask anything else, Orion walked away.

"What does that mean?"

~

'Ego.'

'Yes, you want to know if you unlocked any new ability concerning the Shackles, right?'

Orion internally smiled. He was on his way to recover the sisters who were outside the city, currently protected by the soldiers who took a liking to them.

'Anything?'

'You have to wait for the changes to take place. But you've managed to complete the task, that's for sure.'

'So we've really progressed. Thank you Ego, without your advise, we would've been stuck at the same point forever.'

If Ego could shook her head, she would right now.

'This is my purpose, you don't have to thank me for that.'

He arrived outside, and noticed the tired soldiers returning from the battlefield. There was some who had lost their life, but that was part of the warring process.

"Hi, I came to recover my friends, could you make way, please?"

Orion asked carefully not to trigger the soldiers, who didn't knew him well.

"Oh, yes, of course, sir."

The soldiers, who surrounded the queens to make sure nothing happened to them while they were sleeping, made a path for Orion.

"Thank you for protecting them. I'll be sure to tell them you all did."

"No need sir. This is our duty."

They all saluted, understanding that Orion wasn't going to judge them from protecting girls that looked the same age as their daughters.

Orion crouched, and carefully picked up Dramia first, trying not to wake up the other sisters. He opened a portal and walked in the room where Amelia and Karteira were.

Placing Dramia, who was covered in dried blood, on the bed, he turned around, and went for Drania next.

The moment he placed the second sister next to the first, they both looked relaxed.

'You really can't separate them.'

He chuckled a little, before closing the portal, and sitting at the table with Amelia and Karteira.

"I wasn't expecting you to return so fast. You surprised us."

"Sorry. That wasn't my intention."

"..."

Karteira looked away from Orion, and he noticed that immediately.

"Amelia, we need to discuss something."

"About Karteira's feelings?"

The woman shamelessly went straight to the point.

He closed his eyes, and crossed his arms.

"Of course you knew."

"Yes. The day she lost against you, she told me everything."

'Since that day? This is exactly at that point that I felt something strange happening with her.'

Orion opened his eyes and stared at Amelia.

"And? You told her that it would be alright to confess"

"Exactly."

She proudly bumped her chest with her fist.

"Amelia..."

"What?"

She blinked a few times, and understood that it wasn't the moment to joke around. For Orion, this was a serious matter.

"Are you fine with it? I know she is your first friend, but I don't think doing this is normal at all."

"I don't care about what is normal or not. Do you not want Karteira to also be happy? I said it multiple times, we are not normal in any ways either. Who cares about ethics at that point! Either way, Karteira is coming with us, so I won't accept her feeling like a third wheel."

"Either you accept, or you send her back to the fairy realm. If she can't experience happiness with us, she better not stay while biting her lips in regret."

It had been a long time since Amelia lashed out like this.

'She really did think this over.'

He glanced at Karteira, who was looking at her hands, her face completely red.

"You really hate that word, right? 'Regret'."

"Of course I do. We only live once. Look at her, and tell me straight that she doesn't want it."

"I never said I was against it though."

Orion said with a smile on his face.

"..."

His sudden change of tone surprised both of them.

"You're not? I thought you were going to refuse."

"I'm asking if it is alright with you."

He pointed at Amelia.

"You never asked if I was."

Then pointed to himself.

"Fuck... you're right."

Amelia grabbed her head with both hands.

"Karteira."

Orion turned to talk with the concerned person.

"Y-Yes?"

She timidly looked back at him. Such a contrast from her battle frenzy state, and the wild smile she shows while training.

"I don't know yet if I love you. I already have a hard time understanding what it means with Amelia, so adding you will only bring more challenges for me."

Karteira knew he wasn't done, so she silently listened, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.

"We just have to work slowly toward understanding it together, isn't it?"

He looked at Amelia, and received a nod from her.

"I guess I have two lovers now..."

Now that he admitted that, Karteira's feeling all exploded in her mind. She was overjoyed, and most importantly, relieved.

A new link formed between the three of them. Something unbreakable.

Orion's chest began to burn, but it wasn't the usual burning from having a new ability. It was more gentle. Like a hot breeze grazing you.

'Lock opened. Right Leg, Gear Three now accessible.'

The mechanical voice of Ego echoed in both Orion and Amelia's head.

"Now I'm ready."

Orion stood up from his chair, and spoke so that none of them could refuse.

"The four of you, I want you to stay inside the city. I believe the Apostle will revive in a few hours, and attack once again."

Dramia and Drania twitched in their bed. Orion knew they were awake.

"No! I can't accept that."

Amelia was the only one against it.

"I want you to look. I will have my revenge, one way or another, and what better way than using the new ability I've obtained."

"You don't now how to use it!"

But he ignored her.

"Let's rest for now. The moment that guy return, we will feel it."

Orion walked to one the bed, and laid down.

And fell asleep.

"This guy! The nerve!"

Amelia stood up, angry, walked toward the bed Orion was in, and sat on it.

Karteira also walked to the bed, and sat on the other side.

They both laid down on his side, and also fell asleep, leaving the sisters who were having trouble returning to sleep, alone.

"Guess we go back to sleep too?"

"Yes, sis."

The night quickly went by, until the sun finally reappeared.

And with it, a large explosion coming from the place Julian died at.