Remy came home expecting to see the master’s daughter sprawled on the floor in a puddle of blood just as he had been. He did not know that he would instead be greeted by a lunge from the dragon woman, Pyra.

He caught her face and tossed her in the streets behind him, before walking over to the kitchen to see a truly odd dinner gathering. Charlotte bit her lips and looked away at the scene. His master was asleep on a chair. From the sweet smell and the number of empty bottles on the table, she had been given some good booze.

Then there was Edge who was on his knees taking Konoa’s hand

“Please, you should join my party: The True Edge.”

“The fuck are you doing?” He knocked Edge on the head.

“Ow!” Edge held the top of his head, glaring at Remy. “What is the matter with you? Can’t you see that I’m offering this young woman a chance to join my party?”

“You’re wasting your time.” Remy closed one of his eyes. “The elf doesn’t want anything to do with you. She looks like she’s ready to wash her hands the moment you leave.”

“That’s not true.” Konoa avoided his gaze. “I just need to go to the bathroom.”

“What’s with this coy attitude of yours?” Remy folded his arms. “Just yesterday, you were throwing me up in the air to my death. Your polite tone disgusts me.”

“You’re mistaken.” The elf claimed. Her smile was dangerous.

That didn’t stop Remy from returning his own impish smile. He ringed Edge’s neck with his arm and pulled him out of the room so she wouldn’t hear. “Say, you want her don’t you?” He whispered in his ear like a devil on his shoulder. “I can tell. You have the hots for her, even though you already have two women.”

“I…” His gaze furiously moved in every direction of the room. “Are you stupid? Of course not.”

“Go for it.”

“Huh?”

“You want to add her to your harem don’t you? You should totally go for it.”

“What?”

“Is that all you’re going to say? ‘Huh?’ and ‘What?” Remy tightened his grip on his neck, pulling him closer enough to smell his minty breath. “I’m telling you, you should go for it.”

His face contorted into a frown. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do Remy, but I cannot. No matter what I do, the path doesn’t open. I might need to do something to open her route.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Remy asked.

“Nothing. She just doesn’t seem interested, like Odette.”

“Ah, Odette is a special case. Trust me, she will never join your harem,” Remy said. “But I know exactly how to get the elf in your party.”

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“You do? How?”

He pointed to his sleeping master. “You just need her permission. Of course, you’re going to have to wake her up.”

“Say, is there a reason why your smile looks like a scumbag’s?” Edge asked.

“I was born with this face. Now go, wake up my master, and ask for her permission for the elf to join your party. She should give you her consent, and no matter what the elf will need to join.”

“So…all I have to do is convince the beautiful sister there-”

Oh my god. He didn’t know that was her mother. This was about to get delicious.

“-and she will join me. I see. No wonder. I have to unlock the big sister route first.” He muttered under his breath.

Whatever he was talking about, Remy wasn’t really interested. All he was interested in was seeing this man wake the powder keg of a woman his master was.

No one wakes his master.

He learned that the hard way.

That waking up his master was a death sentence.

Edge came within killing range of his master sleeping form. His hand reached out, grasping her shoulder and shaking her awake.

Furious white light shot from her eyes. Her hand drilled through him coming out from his back. She held his heart in her red hand.

Edge gaped like a fish out of water. Blood dribbled from his open mouth and his eyes shook as he tried to understand what had just happened.

“No. One.” She hiccuped, still drunk from the sake. “Wakes. Me. Up.”

She crushed his heart and he fell forward like a puppet with its strings cut.

His master waved her arm. He flew off of it, and an arc of blood painted the floor.

“De…death….flag…..” Edge’s eyes glassed over.

He was dead.

Charlotte who witnessed the whole thing screamed and fell to her knees in desperation as she chanted a revival spell. Remy pointed and laughed at the dead man.

“Serves you right!”

A chill crawled up his spine. His master had disappeared from his eyesight.

“Reeeeeemmmyy…” Her speech was slurred. “Diiiiddddd, yoooouuuuu uuuusseee mmmeeeee?”

A scenario played through Remy’s mind. A scenario of death. A hand that popped out of his chest and crushed his heart. He needed to think.

Think harder.

It was then, a miracle occurred. Something that would not happened, happened.

Time slowed down to a crawl, allowing him to think.

He could shove the back of his head to break her nose and turn around to defend himself.

Nope. Her nose wouldn’t break. She would just drill her hand through his chest.

He could run forward and-

Drill through the chest.

He could-

Drill. Heart.

Blood dripped from his nose.

No matter what scenario came to Remy’s mind, all ended with death. This wasn’t a miracle at all. This was a simple curse.

“Thaaaatttt’s riiiigghhhtttt.” His master unsteadily circled to the front. She moved in this frozen world. “I stopped time.”

She hiccupped.

She could do that?!

“That’s a stuppppiiiddd loooook.” She poked his nose. She went back to her chair and took a long swig of the sake bottle. She wiped her mouth and gave a very scary smile. “Behold!” She declared. “I have frozen time. It is my SUPER SECRET ULTIMATE MOVE!”

She took another swig of the bottle, lifting the bottle high up in the air. She lost her balance and fell in her seat. The white-haired woman hiccuped, and narrowed her eyes at him. “How should I kill you for waking me up?”

Don’t.

Remy’s arms started to shake. His master blinked.

Fuck.

She leaned in to get a better look.

With.

Then she looked at her hand.

Me.

He punched her in the face.

That didn’t do anything though. It might as well have been a baby fist punching her. She blinked, her eyes wide, and the stupor washed away from her face.

“Huh? That surprised me.” She looked straight at him. “You can actually move in my frozen time. I had a whole training schedule, you weren’t supposed to do this in two years. You even have the restraints on. I guess I have to revamp it.”

“Whaattt? Nooo!” His voice came out in a small gasp.

His master turned to him, her mouth agape, and then an insidious smile that only a devil could make crossed her face.

“Yes! If you can move in this space, than you can kill the Dollmaker with ease. Now your first task is to dodge these punches.”

She was the devil! She had no heart!

Her first flew in a furry, hitting his face, numerous amounts of times. She would continue doing this, until he could finally dodge them.