Somewhere, sometime…

「Is this even going to fit?…」

Athea grunts and strains, her flowing white robe rests folder on her throne as she puts the bikini on.

Snap!

She tugs on the straps, and their elasticity makes them slip out of her delicate, porcelain-like fingers. She winces slightly as they lash against her bare shoulders. Having mostly put it on, she looks down.

The straps on her shoulders connect to tiny, triangular pieces of fabric, which then connect to each other across her tightly-squeezed chest. Prominent nubs stand out in the center of the triangles, and the tight straps quite uncomfortably dig into her soft skin.

「Ugghh… I can't wear this! This covers absolutely nothing! And it's so tight…」

Athea groans and grunts, trying to adjust the straps and her breasts for more comfort. She sighs in frustration when she realizes the bikini itself is at least one size too small, and no matter how much she'd manipulate it, it will never truly be comfortable.

「This is ridiculous…」

She grumbles, adjusting the bottom half of the bikini.

「What is, Athea?」

「Eek!」

Athea jumps as the serene voice from behind her throne asks.

「L- Lord Overgod! I-!」

She barely manages to stammer out as her wide-open, terrified blue eyes look over her almost bare shoulder.

「D- Don't look! I'm undressed! I'm sorry!」

She exclaims, squatting down to curl up and cover herself up with her arms as the robed figure approaches.

「Is that another gift, Athea?」

The mask-like face tilts, and the hollow eye sockets turn towards the strap hidden beneath her golden hair that rests on her back.

「I… I was just trying it on. I'll put it back right away, Lord Overgod!」

Athea exclaims, hanging her head down in shame.

「That is good. But why are you covering yourself like that? Stand up.」

The hooded mask-like face slowly nods. With a soft voice, its pale hands disconnect from each other, and Overgod waves his palm upward as he commands Athea.

「B- But Lord Overgod, it would be d- Disgraceful if-」

Remaining curled up, Athea stammers.

「Stand up.」

Overgod commands again, with an authoritative yet uncannily calm voice. Athea shoots up to her feet, but continues covering herself with her arms. Though she attempts to restrain it, her whole body twitches gently from fear.

Her hands, her hands, and her head, too, all ever-so-slightly trembling as she looks Overgod in the dark eye sockets.

「Are you ashamed, Athea?」

The robe-covered mask-like face asks, as it places its pale hands back together behind its back.

「I… Y- Yes…」

Athea meekly replies, and her eyes drift downward towards her breasts, avoiding the eyeless gaze.

「Lower your hands.」

Overgod demands with a voice as calm as ever. Athea complies by lowering her arm from her large, compressed chest, and pulling away her hand from her groin. The mask-face snaps downward to her feet, and its eyes sockets slowly climb upward.

「Look at me.」

It says, and Athea musters enough courage to overpower her stiff, trembling neck to gaze back into the darkness. The eye sockets break the lack of eye contact for only a second to glance down at Athea's mostly-naked body again.

「You are a depiction of the perfect woman, Athea. Your body is not something to be ashamed of. Thick thighs, wide hips, narrow waist, bountiful breast, full lips, and those kind, innocent eyes like many worlds' clear sky…」

The pale hands disconnect again, and the robed figure puts its fingers on Athea's upper arms, right near the shoulders.

「…You would be irresistible to any sane man, if you were human. Do you believe me, Athea?」

The robed figure says, smoothly, calmly, quietly. Staring into her large, terrified eyes, Overgod asks with a light nod.

「Y- Yes…」

She nods her head, shivering. The fingers with no fingernails clutching her arms are like snakeskin. Slick, almost slimy, slippery, and yet their texture is like rough asphalt. And they're cold. Colder than ice.

「Ah. Apologies, I did it again.」

The fingers pull away, leaving a white-blue mark of frostbite on her arms. The figure quizzically wiggles them in front of Athea, delivering a lighthearted apology before reconnecting the hands behind its back.

「N- No, it's no p- Problem at all, Lord Overgod…」

Athea shakes her head, as Overgod walks away a few steps. The frostbite on her arms heals rapidly, and the whitened pale blue fades into the natural color of her skin.

「You are very warm, Athea…」

Overgod says, and the hollow eye sockets snap to her face.

「Would it be uncouth if I said hot, even? Hmhmhmhm…」

The face-like mask tilts a little as Overgod lets out a subdued chuckle.

「Aha… Haha…」

Athea grins a little in response with furrowed brows, quietly laughing along.

「Well… Do not be excessive in trying on your gift. I will visit again…」

Overgod says, leisurely walking away to the rear of the throne with his hands behind his back.

「Of course, Lord Overgod! I will return it right away!」

Athea rapidly nods her head in response.

「…Am I perhaps overbearing?」

He asks, his mask-like face peeking over his shoulder.

「No! Not at all, Lord Overgod! Surely you jest!」

Athea shakes her head just as rapidly, meekly taking a few steps towards the robed figure.

「I see. That is good to hear…」

He nods his robed head, and stares in silence at Athea. She gulps nervously.

「…My, all those gifts. You are quite popular lately, no?」

He asks in a jovial tone that does not expect an answer, and disappears into a narrow beam of light streaming upward. Athea lets out a long, shaky sigh…

…

In the early morning, in the capital's orphanage…

Niklaus squeezes his foot into his boot, leaning with his hand against the entrance hallway wall. He lifts his head, and notices Mary hugging the corner of the adjacent corridor.

「…Mary? It's still early… Go back to bed…」

He says, and looks away to tie his boot.

「…Are you going to work?」

She asks in a hushed voice.

「…Yeah… I'm not getting paid otherwise…」

Niklaus straightens out and looks at Mary with dead eyes, then turns for the exit. Just as he's about to grasp at the door handle, Mary wraps her arms around his waist and pulls him in with all her might.

「Niklaus, don't.」

She pleads, hugging into his back.

「…I have to…」

「Niklaus, please… This job is killing you inside. I can see it…」

Mary pleads again, her voice cracks a little as she squeezes him harder. He sighs.

「Mary…」

Niklaus says quietly, lifting his head to stare blankly at the dark ceiling.

「…I won't let you or the kids starve again. Even if it kills me. Inside or outside.」

He declares in a grim matter-of-fact tone, grabs Mary's hands holding onto him, and tears them away from himself. He opens the door and walks through with a brisk step, not taking a single peek backwards.

「Niklaus!…」

On the verge of tears, Mary calls out while standing in the doorway, watching Niklaus approach the orphanage gate. He swings it open just enough to slip through, and shuts it close.

Without looking back, the orphanage promptly disappears behind the corner of a building he passes by. He slows, then stops with his head hanging low.

Crack!

Niklaus smashes the nearby building wall with his fist without even turning towards it, breaking one of the planks. He lifts his gaze, still without any life within it, but his eyes now look forward with focus. He carries on…

…

Just after sunrise, in Straf's bedroom…

Laying on his bed, Straf sighs. He throws one of the small, square cookies from the silver tray laying beside him into his mouth and crunches it into small bits. His eyes drift to the closed window nearby, and he sighs again.

「Man, these aren't bad either. Can really taste the love and care put into them…」

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

He says to himself, throwing another cookie into his mouth. While paradoxically soft, it has a crunch to it, and despite being a very plain mixture of flour, water and perhaps an egg with a little honey drizzled in, it definitely was made by skilled hands.

「…The next batch will probably be rat poison flavored.」

Straf notes, shrugging his shoulders as he lazily throws the last cookie into his mouth. He sighs again as he chews through it, and noisily gulps it down. He lays idle, staring at the canopy with fatigued, bored, half-open eyes and a slanted mouth in silence.

「…Ahhhh fuck it. There's work to do.」

He says, and throws his legs up then down to jump up with a grunt into a seated position on his bed. He sighs once more, and stands up, leaving the tray with crumbs on his bed.

「…Guess I'll see Lia, check how the bank is doing, and prepare for the vote counting.」

Straf mumbles the plan for today to himself, shrugs his shoulders, and exits the bedroom. While heading for the throne room, two maids pass by him in the halls. Or rather, he passes them by, since the maids decide to stand still the moment they see him.

As he draws closer, they turn to face him directly. They look at him with a cold, disdainful expression and glaring eyes. Straf sighs, looking back at them with fatigued eyes and a slanted mouth, and they continue turning to face him until he disappears behind the corner.

Not too long after, Straf enters the throne room. Covering her mouth like a proper noblewoman, Cycelia is yawning on her throne.

「Ahhh… Ah! Straf! What do you think about the candidates?」

She smiles as soon as she opens her emerald eyes from her yawn.

「They have their ups and downs. I have some favorites.」

Straf shrugs his shoulders as he walks up to the steps.

「Ah, so you know who to vote for already?」

She asks with a light tilt of her head as she puts her fingertips together. Straf lets out a suppressed snicker, turning his head away to conceal his smirk.

「Yeah, I'll vote a lot…」

Straf says with a hidden grin.

「Hm?」

Cycelia tilts her head further, blinking a little as she didn't quite catch Straf's words.

「…Anyway, who are you voting for, Lia? I have a good idea who your favorite is.」

Straf asks with a milder grin.

「Straf! You know that's supposed to be a secret!」

She exclaims with fake outrage in her voice, and places her finger on her smiling pink lips.

「…Anyhow, the elections are tomorrow. The distant rural provinces will start voting by tonight, even, so that their votes can be delivered on time. The adventurers are ready, but how are things on your end, Straf?」

Cycelia's face and tone grows more serious as she lowers her hand down into her lap.

「Finishing touches.」

Straf shrugs with his hand in his pocket, and his mouth aslant.

「Right, I'm glad to hear that… But are you sure you can handle the entire kingdom's votes? The kingdom is not just a small county, Straf. I'm sure you know that.」

Her emerald eyes stare at him intently, with veiled concern in them.

「You worry too much, Lia. I have just the thing for counting votes. I just need to do some housekeeping around the town. Y'know, preparations and stuff.」

Straf says, shrugging his shoulders with a grin. Cycelia sighs softly in relief, and smiles again.

「I'll leave it in your hands, then. The voting in the city will be organized just outside the palace, I will have the palace guards distribute the forms when it's time.」

She gently nods her head, and her eyes soften again.

「Well then. I'm heading to the bank to check on a few things, then I'll be tinkering elsewhere. Ask Lily or Nona if you need to find me.」

Straf snaps his fingers, and turns to leave.

「Nona?」

Cycelia asks, lightly tilting her head. Straf stops in his step to look over his shoulder.

「Yeah. Remember that girl from the sewers? You slapped her hand away from your medallion.」

「Who?…」

Straf replies, and Cycelia furrows her brows as she thinks. Her fingers hover idly to her medallion, and her eyes snap wide open.

「Ah! Ahh… Her?」

She asks, deeply confused.

「Yup, she's working for the Ministry now. You'll probably find her hanging out at the bank.」

Straf shrugs, rising his brows a little as he looks at Cycelia with bored eyes.

「…Why? Why is she working for the Ministry?」

Cycelia asks, further perplexed.

「It's a long story. She fits right in and likes her job, why not?」

Straf shrugs his hand and shoulders again. Cycelia's face is entirely confounded and a little concerned, but she ends up sighing and shrugging her shoulders as well.

「If you think that's a good idea, Straf…」

Though hesitant, she yields to Straf without further explanation needed.

「It's a great idea, Lia. Trust me. See you later.」

「Mhm…」

Straf points his finger at Cycelia again, and resumes walking away. She bids him farewell in a quite dainty manner, wiggling her fingertips at him in a static wave of her hand, with a tiny smile and a light nod to go with it.

As he descends down the stairs and continues onward through the halls, a trio of maids passes by him. While the two maids in the rear glare at him with disdain, the one in the lead makes it quite obvious she's intentionally looking away as she turns her gaze aside.

「What'd I do wrong, huh!? Go on, tell me!」

Straf stops when they pass by, and he shouts in frustration at their backs. The two maids look at each other, then shake their heads without bothering to look at Straf again. He clicks his tongue, and continues to the stairs down…

…

Not too long after, in the capital's bank…

「Are you having a bad day today, boss?」

Nona asks, propping her face up on her hand with her elbow on his desk, as Niklaus stares at the doorway frozen like a statue.

「No.」

He bluntly replies without even as much as glancing at her.

「You look kinda scary, tehee…」

She remarks with a grin and a little giggle while looking at his lifeless, yet sharply glaring eyes.

「Niklaus! I see you're no longer sleeping at work!」

Straf says with a grin as he walks in, looking down at Niklaus in his desk. He doesn't reply, and instead stares intensely into Straf's eyes. They look at each other in silence, and it draws on. The atmosphere grows thicker, more tense.

Even the tellers notice, and watch the two with nervous gazes. Straf raises and furrows his brows, still looking at Niklaus with his hand in his pocket.

「…Did you learn how to sleep with your eyes open?」

He asks, and Niklaus only blinks once in reply, remaining silent and glaring at him.

「…Alright, guess you're actually awake.」

Straf shrugs, grimacing a little in a very mild approval, and turns to the bank tellers.

「Hey! How's the balance? Did anyone cash out?」

He asks the closest teller, walking up to the counter.

「No sir. In fact, the winery magnate, Sir Vinis came a few moments ago to buy 800 gold drakes, mostly in silver drakes. At this rate, we are going to run out of drakes, sir.」

She shakes her head and monotonically explains the situation.

「Run out of drakes!? That's what I want to hear!」

Straf snaps his fingers, pointing and grinning at the teller. She tilts her head and gently furrows her brows, but otherwise remains silent.

「Alright! Things are going my way more and more!」

Still smugly grinning, he places his hand in his pocket and turns for the exit. Just before he steps out of the building, Straf stops in his tracks and points his finger at Niklaus.

「No sleeping on the job. I don't want to hear of any incidents that you could have prevented. If you snooze on the job, your ass is out. Earn your keep, Niklaus.」

Straf cautions, and leaves. Niklaus doesn't react, and stares at the empty doorway in silence for quite some time. He abruptly stands up, startling Nona a little, and heads for the exit.

「Nona…」

Niklaus says, stopping in the doorway.

「Ahah… Ahaha… Yeah?」

She chuckles nervously, grinning as Niklaus ominously calls her name.

「…Are you able to act independently?」

He asks, looking over his shoulder at her with his glazed over, yet focused eyes.

「What do you mean?」

Nona tilts her head lightly, and her amber eyes blink in confusion.

「What I mean is… Some people will be brought in to the ministry soon. Will you be able to extract information out of them, and then act accordingly based on that?」

「Hmmm…」

He elaborates, and Nona puts her finger on her chin, looking aside as she thinks very heavily. She swings her legs and jumps up to her feet, and places her hand at an angle right next to her peaked cap.

「I'll do my best, boss!」

She exclaims with a grin, mimicking a salute she saw many guards and soldiers do.

「…I'll be counting on you. I'm granting you the authority to arrest anyone that you think you have to in order to provide the kingdom with security. Avoid bothering the innocent.」

「Got it!」

Still saluting, Nona replies, and Niklaus nods his head with hopeless concern in his eyes. He turns to the exit, and takes one more step before stopping again.

「…What's with that outfit?」

He asks over his shoulder again, looking at Nona's short skirt and hat.

「You'll have to ask Straf about that… Ahahaha…」

Nona replies with an embarrassed grin tugging down at her skirt a little, and holding onto her cap's black brim with her thumb and finger…