It was late in the evening as Freyja talked to Duran about a relatively delicate situation. Martel walked into the room and could feel the tense atmosphere, which caused his facial expression to change slightly. “What’s going on?”

Freyja slightly hesitated before she answered him. “It seems that they captured a Demihuman near the river that marks the borders between Roxburghshire and Camelot.”

“Have they ever been spotted this far south?”

“No,” Duran replied. “They believe this one was split off from the main camp and that it was an extreme circumstance. It seems she may have gotten lost and traveled down this way.”

“She?”

“From the reports, a young girl who had a makeshift camp which seemed very lived-in. They managed to capture her using a fishing net without casualty.”

“And where she now?”

“The soldiers in charge thought it important to bring her here for interrogation and study. She arrived not an hour ago.”

“I would like to see her.”

“… Very well.”

...

The guards were in a tense stance as the three of them arrived at the holding cell. When they entered, Duran excused the guard who left the three of them alone. When they looked in the cell, they could see a young girl. 

The girl appeared no older than 12 or 13. Her hair was unnaturally white, dirty, disheveled, and rigid. She had cat-like ears which seamlessly protruded from the top of her head and a white tail extended from behind her. Her blue eyes appeared mostly human, but with slightly more vertical pupils. She had an expression of both fear and alertness reminiscent of a cornered animal.

“The guards say she’s been like this for the last three days without sleep on the journey here.”

Martel bent down to eye level with her and looked at her intently while he carefully pondered. After a time, he spoke. “Give me the keys, Duran.”

Duran looked shocked at Martel’s demand. “I must advise against this. It is far too dangerous. If she somehow managed to get out, we could have a major incident on her hands.”

“Fine I’ll do it myself,” Martel said as he pointed his finger towards the lock. He extended his Ki into the keyhole and manipulated it and the door unlocked with a *chunk*. He looked at Freyja and Duran with a smile. “It’s an application similar to the Ki blade. I call it the Key Blade.”

“We… We are going to have to rethink security now aren’t we?” Duran said with a sigh. “Why did you learn that?”

“How else am I going to visit Freyja during the night?” Martel replied while he gave a serious and confused look.

Hearing this, Freyja couldn’t help but look down in embarrassment with her reddened cheeks. She had gotten used to Martel teasing her after spending so much time with him. However, he always had some tact when he did so, and she knew he was a gentleman. This time, only the three of them were present, and all of them knew the doors did not have a lock, but guards. Hence, it was an obvious joke for all those who heard. However, Freyja couldn’t help but be slightly embarrassed due to her innocent and pure heart. Unfortunately for her, this was the very reason Martel teased her as he found her reaction very charming.

As he pretended not to take notice of Freyja’s embarrassment, Martel entered the cell before he made sure to close the door behind him. The girl stayed in the corner as she intently looked like she would pounce on him at any second. Martel sat down in the opposite corner from her and looked at her with a soft expression. No one said anything or moved for the next couple of minutes. After the pause, Martel slowly started to make his way closer. 

The girl’s muscles tensed, and her hair began to stand on end at his approach. He stopped, bent down to eye level with her, and slowly extended his hand towards her as his Ki further approached. 

Freyja and Duran had a look of shock on their face, not at Martel’s actions, but because the little girl’s eyes followed his Ki. Even some guards didn’t have the talent and necessary Ki to do that, much less a 13-year-old girl. 

As his Ki got closer, the little girl tensed more and more. Finally, his Ki reached her and gently caressed her face. Slowly, she started to relax and began to extend her hand to him. After her weak and shaking hand lightly touched his, she passed out. The fatigue and fear from the last couple of days had taken their toll. He caught her gently and held her for a short time before he turned to Freyja and Duran. “I’m taking her into my custody and will accept full responsibility for her.”

“What?” Freyja said in shock. 

Duran began to voice his protest as well. “That would be a major security breach, and on top of that-”

“Duran, do not hinder my path.’ “Martel’s tone of his voice and the look in his eyes froze Freyja and Duran.

“I… I understand,” Duran said as he backed off.

Extra blankets were used to cover her features as they returned to Martel’s base.

Along the way, Freyja couldn’t hide the complex expression on her face. She had spent much time with Martel and thought she knew him well. He was always serious and aloof at the same time, only occasionally teasing her. However, this time was different. This time, the aloofness was gone, and only the serious aspect remained, but even that was radically different. Because she was royalty, she knew the look in his eyes was resolve. However, it was far more profound than any resolve she had seen before as if he would not relent even if the world became his enemy. For the first time since she met him, she felt as though she didn’t really understand him. As she continued to walk, she remembered what Martel said when they first spoke. She realized it was the first time that she had seen The Tyrant.

End of Day -256

The three of them reconvened the next morning in the room that they had put the young Demihuman girl. She had been sleeping non-stop for over 12 hours and had shown no sign of waking. Duran sat by the door as Freyja and Martel sat adjacent to the bed.

“By the way, how did you manage to calm her down last night?” Freyja asked Martel as the previous day’s events were deeply engraved in her mind.

“Oh, that was just an application of Ki pressure,” He replied.

“What do you mean?” Duran asked.

“Well, Ki is controlled by one’s will. As a result, you get the phenomenon where you can detect things like Killing Intent as the ‘will’ transmitted through one’s Ki. I figured I could convey more than those types of will. I tried to communicate my desire to help and protect her. I’m not sure if it would’ve worked if I didn’t touch her directly with my Ki. Also, if she wasn’t as Ki sensitive as she appears to be, she may not have been able to detect it.”

“Still, that is incredible. I’ve never heard of anyone using Ki in that manner before. Of course, you use Ki in ways I’ve never heard of before regardless.”

Freyja listened to their conversation, and moved like she wanted to interject, but didn’t.

“Freyja, do you want to say something?” Martel asked.

“Well… Why are you so adamant about this?” She asked with a bit of hesitation.

Martel gave her a bit of an awkward expression. “How do you think I treat people? Especially woman?”

Freyja didn’t immediately answer as she was caught off guard by the question.

Duran, who saw she didn’t have an immediate answer, decided to reply. “In general, you are courteous and respectful towards others, but you also don’t let your guard down around strangers. You act similarly towards women you don’t know, but your personality does change after you get to know them.”

Martel cocked an eyebrow, “Continue.”

“Including the previous points, you seem to tend to be overly protective and caring while also being a tease and flirt.”

Martel nodded as Duran began, but his face became covered in black lines at the last part. “Well, excluding the last point, I agree. I was raised and owned the belief that women should be treasured and protected. That’s no to say that they need protection or can’t protect themselves, but that a man should be there as a safety net.”

“So who is your safety net then?” Freyja asked.

“Men don’t get that benefit,” Martel replied with a shrug. “At any rate, what would have happened to her if I did nothing?” 

Freyja’s face immediately failed when she realized what the girl’s Fate would have been.

Duran awkwardly cleared his throat. “Most likely, she would be indefinitely imprisoned at best. Then she would probably be interrogated and tortured for information.”

Martel nodded. “Do you think a little girl, much less an innocent one, deserves that?”

“Well… that… I... She is an enemy.”

Martel frowned for a moment. “Freyja, do you remember our talk about justice.”

Freyja’s eyes snapped up to meet his as her train of thought was broken, and she replied with a nod.

“I’m going to add to it. It is ‘just’ to interrogate an enemy for information, and I won’t argue that as it will save lives. However, labeling a girl who has been struggling to survive on her own as an enemy to justify what will be done to her is nothing but self-delusion; so you won’t lose sleep at night. At the very least, I won’t do something so against my own conscious. Do you know why I told you I’m not a hero?” He asked Freyja.

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“No, but I think I might have an idea now.”

“Well, one of the reasons is because I do not like the definition of a hero. A hero is a person of outstanding character upholds justice. I would be the first person to tell you that I am full of flaws; that I am not perfect. As for justice, justice alone implies absolute truth. It suggests that we know the absolute truth. If I were to be a hero for this world, justice would demand that this little girl would be tortured and eventually killed. I cannot uphold that kind of justice. I can only uphold my justice.”

“If that’s the case, then wouldn’t that make you a hero for those who agree with your justice?”

“I… I guess.”

“Then I suppose that makes you my hero,” Freyja said with a smile that enchanted Martel.

[Hey… That’s not fair.] He thought. After a couple of seconds, Freyja looked down and started to blush. [Oh, you’re only getting embarrassed by that now?] 

Duran avoided eye contact at the spectacle in front of him, but his movement implied what Martel had said affected him.

As the three of them converted, the young girl started to stir. Her eyes slowly opened, and she sat up and blinked drowsily. When she saw the three of them, faster than anyone could’ve thought possible, she jumped out of bed and went straight to the opposite corner. Her eyes were wide with fear, though not as much as before. Martel smiled while he patted the bed. “Everything’s alright. We want to talk. Come sit down here. It’s more comfortable than the floor. We also have a little food here.”

The little girl slowly made her way back to the bed. She sniffed and nibbled at the food before she began to eat with gusto. 

Martel pulled away with a plate. “Slow down, slow down. It’s not going anywhere, and I don’t want you to get sick. My name is Martel.”

“My name is Freyja.”

“My name is Duran.”

“Can you understand what they are saying?” Martel asked.

She nodded her head timidly.

“Oh? I had heard rumors that the Demihumans both spoke our language and had their own. I guess it was true.” Duran said with surprise.

“What’s your name?” Martel asked her.

She slowly shook her head and looked down sadly as her ears began to lay flat against her head, which expressed her sorrow. “I don’t have a name. It is the tradition for our kind to be named after living through their 12th winter but… My parents… Died two moons before this last winter and I became lost.”

“That’s terrible,” Freyja frowned with concern.

“Wait a moment, are you telling me you’ve been on your own in the forest for nearly nine months?” Martel said with a hint of shock.

She slowly nodded her head. “That sounds about right,” She replied softly.

“No way.” Freyja couldn’t help but say in astonishment. Duran had a complicated expression on his face.

“So… What… What will happen to me now?” She said, as her body slightly tensed up in fear.

“I’m going to have you stay here from now on. If you promise not to run away and do everything in your power to keep the fact that you’re a Demihuman secret, I will protect you with all my strength. Are you scared?”

The girl’s vision blurred as tears welled up in her eyes. “Humans… Humans are scary.”

“And humans think Demihumans are scary,” Martel replied with a nod. “But if we let our fear control us, we can never understand and trust each other.” He slowly extended his hand and moved his Ki like he did the day before. “I want to trust you; I want you to trust me. Will you?” He asked with a soft smile.

She slowly extended her hand and lets her Ki flow out just like Martel. Upon seeing this, both Freyja’s and Duran’s eyes went wide. The sheer amount of Ki and control required for that was astronomical. Duran couldn’t do it, and he was considered a genius. If he was a genius, what was this girl who was around five years his junior? The two of them shared a glance as some understanding flashed between them. If this represented the abilities of all demihumans, it was no wonder they were considered to be monsters.

 Martel and the little girls Ki danced as it intertwined between them. She took his hand before she jumped into his chest as her tears flowed. She continued for several minutes before she finally settled down.

Martel looked at her softly. “Well, if you going to stay with us you need to have a name. Let’s see. I know, Shiro. It fits you perfectly. What do you think?”

“Shiro,” She said quietly to herself. “My name,” She looked up at Martel with watery eyes and gave a small smile. “My name is Shiro.”

End of Day -255

“I never would’ve expected you to be capable of tailoring,” Martel said to Freyja.

“What’s that supposed to mean? That I’m not feminine enough?” Freyja replied through pouting cheeks.

“No, not at all. I didn’t expect a princess to be capable of such things.”

“Well, we all have our hobbies. Besides, the Royal Tailor was thrilled when she saw the design. I’m surprised someone like you could come up with it.”

“I didn’t really; it just came to mind when I thought of clothing to hide her ears and tail.”

“How… How does it look on me?” Shiro asked as she tentatively came into the room. She wore a white dress with a long skirt and fancy decorations. The skirt itself started higher than usual, which helped hide her tail that she partially wrapped around her leg. The dress had sleeves strapped to her upper arms. Similar to that, was her mob cap which was tall and puffy hiding her ears in a way that they would still be capable of movement and not arouse suspicion. Her hair was cut and clean, which gave it a pristine quality. If one had to describe her any specific way, it would be like a doll. 

“You look adorable,” Freyja said with a smile.

“Yes, very cute,” Martel said as he nodded in agreement.

To their comments, Shiro gave a cute and bashful expression. Over the amount of time she spent with Martel, she had become less timid towards him. However, she was still shy towards Freyja. Freyja didn’t mind as she understood why Shiro had an intense fear of humans, even given when she went through the last week alone.

“There you guys are,” Morgan said upon entering the room. “Seriously, it seems like you guys are starting to ignore m-.” She paused upon seeing Shiro. Faster than even Shiro could react, Morgan rushed up and grabbed Shiro’s hands. “So cute! What’s your name?”

“Hiii!” Shiro made a cute squeal before quickly rushed behind Martel. She latched onto his waist and peered out from his side.

Morgan looked at Martel very disapprovingly. “Hey, what’s a pervert like you doing with a little girl like her?”

“I’m taking care of her now. More importantly, what’s with you suddenly grabbing her like that?”

Well… That’s…”

“My my, Morgan,” Freyja said while covering her smile. “I thought you grew out of your doll habit.”

“What are you saying? She clearly isn’t a doll.” Morgan protested.

“I think she looks just like a doll.”

“Just like a doll,” Martel confirmed. “At any rate, Morgan, this is Shiro. Shiro, this is Freyja’s younger sister, Morgan. Say hello.”

“H… Hello.”

“Hey, do you want to play?”

“Play?”

“Let’s see... I can probably find some old dolls. Or we can play with a ball.”

[Wow, I didn’t see any movement, but I can tell her ears shot up at the word ball. Maybe I should give her a little push.] Martel thought with an internal chuckle.

“Shiro, why don’t you go play ball with Morgan?”

“Is… Is it okay?”

“Of course, I trust her.”

Shiro timidly nodded her head. “Okay.”

...

Shortly after that, Freyja and Martel sat outside while they watched Morgan and Shiro bounce the ball back and forth together.

“It’s nice to see her enjoying herself,” Martel said.

“I agree. I must say, I was skeptical at first, but you made the right decision.”

Martel nodded his head. “We’re lucky she can speak your language. I was worried that only I could talk to her, which would’ve made things more difficult without securing another ring.”

“Yes, that would’ve been difficult. I… I must say, you scared me a little when you enforced your decision to take her in. It was the first time I’d ever seen you become, in your words, The Tyrant.”

“You think so? With all the resources I’ve been taking from your kingdom, I think I’ve been plenty a tyrant.”

“Some might see it that way, but you always give a relatively valid reason for your decisions, which make us desire to help. This was the first time I felt that you wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Out of courtesy, Martel watched the two younger girls as they played with the ball. 

Morgan eyed him as she noticed his gaze. “What are you looking at?”

“Oh? I thought you would know. After all, there is only one reason why a pervert like me would be looking at two young girls, right?” Martel replied sarcastically.

“Haha. You are probably thinking that I’m too old to be playing with a ball.”

“Not at all. There’s nothing wrong with finding enjoyment in these types of things. Plus, it’s nice that you are capable of enjoying yourself with someone younger than you. It’s evidence that one day you will be an excellent mother.” Martel replied with a smile.

“W-w-w-w-what are you talking about?” Morgan asked flustered as she dropped the ball. “D-d-don’t think that complimenting me will improve my opinion of you, pervert.”

“Well, at the very least it can’t get any worse, right?”

After about an hour, the two of them finally stopped.

“Did you have fun, Shiro?” Martel asked Shiro in private.

“Y-yes, I had fun,” Shiro replied with a small smile. “S-she said that we... we are friends.”

“Do you want to be friends with her?”

“Yes.”

“That’s great. Are you going to tell her you’re Demihuman?”

“I… No.”

“Are you afraid?”

“Yes. What if… What if she hates me or is afraid of me. I want to be friends with her.” She said with a look which expressed she was about to cry at the thought.

“I see. It’s okay to feel fear, and it’s a good lesson to learn when you should or shouldn’t act on it.”

She nodded her head.

“You are a good girl, aren’t you,” Martel said while he patted her head. She returned it with a small smile. 

...

“Morgan, I hear you told Shiro you were her friend,” Martel said when he managed to get her alone.

“Yes, it’s or something wrong with that?”

“Do you intend to be her friend?”

“Of course, she’s a good girl.”

“Even if she is a Demihuman?”

“Ha? What are you talking... About…” Morgan began before she noticed the serious look in his eyes. “Is… Is she really?”

“Yes, and just like you said, she is a good girl. So, I’ll ask you again. Do you intend to be her friend?”

“W-well…”

“Let me rephrase that. When you see her, will you see Shiro or a Demihuman?”

“O-of course, I’ll see my friend Shiro.”

“I thought so,” He said with a gentle smile. “I will leave it to you then.”

“What do you mean?”

“Follow me,” He said as he led her to Shiro’s room.

“Martel and Morgan,” Shiro said with a little surprise as they entered the room.

“Hey Shiro, can you do me a favor? Can you take off your hat?” Martel asked.

“W-why?” Shiro asked back as panic started to appear on her face.

“Shiro, please.”

Shiro looked very nervously at Morgan and slowly removed her hat, which revealed her ears. Morgan’s eyes went wide for a second before they returned to normal. Morgan walked up to Shiro, who got more and more nervous as she did and slowly bent her ears down.

“How cute! You have such cute ears, Shiro.” Morgan happily said while she petted them.

A look of bewilderment appeared on Shiro’s face. “Y-you aren’t afraid of me?

“Huh? Why would I be afraid of you? We’re friends, aren’t we?”

At Morgan’s words, Shiro started to tear up before she cried with a smile and hugged Morgan.

“Yeah, we’re friends.” She managed to say between her sobs.

Martel left the room to find Freyja, who stood outside.

“You know, for someone who likes to make a girl smile, you also seem to like to make them cry.”

“Of course,” Martel replied with a smile. “Tears of joy are even better than a smile.”

End of Day -253