I hope this outfit isn’t too much.

Seiji wore an intricate blue robe patterned in white and gold. Beneath was a lavish tailored blue and gold shirt with black pants and shoes. The entire outfit seemed to shine, though that may just have been the moonlight. Sure, the ensemble had been picked by some of the best stylists in all of Haven, but he hadn’t shown it to Cora. At the end of the day, she was the ultimate judge. Seiji paced before the door of the training hall, cursing his lack of a twirl-able blade.

“Maybe I should go back and get my dagger?” Seiji sighed, fiddling with his hair.

“No, you… s-shouldn’t.”

Seiji turned to the source of the familiar voice. In a word, Cora looked beautiful. She wore a long green dress with pink floral patterns. The bottom was slitted, revealing black leggings and black and gold shoes. She wore a pink floral hairpin, light makeup, and light red lipstick.

He desperately wanted to say something. To at least tell her she looked good, or at least to ask if his outfit was good, but he couldn’t form words.

There’s no reason I’m a better killer than speaker. Just say something!

Nothing. Neither of them said anything. She just looked at him, her ears perked up, her tail quivering, and her pupils dilated like she was staring down a monster.

She definitely hates the outfit.

Cora turned away from him, reaching a black-gloved hand for one of his.

“The carriage is a-around the way. Let’s… go.”

“Yeah.”

She led him away from the alleyway and into a horse-drawn carriage just around the corner. Seiji didn’t even know there were horses in Haven. He would’ve asked where they were kept in other circumstances, but not today. The driver… rider? A tall, older-looking butler opened the door. Seiji tried to step in, but he was stopped by a hand from the butler. Seiji turned to the butler who shook his head slightly, then turned again when the butler ushed Cora inside. Once she was seated, the man nodded for Seiji to step in.

The ride to the restaurant, Athena’s Antichamber, was quiet. Seiji had hoped that Cora would’ve said something by now. She was always the first to break these awkward silences. He’d tried to Observe, Empathize, Soothe his way into a longer conversation, but could barely come up with a conversation that lasted longer than one or two words. He’d instead taken to watching the city of Haven. It looked even better at night than it did in the morning. The bright neon signage of the shops complimented the streetlights beautifully as men and women of species he’d never known just a month ago added to the hustle and bustle of the ever-busy city. While he’d been quite skeptical upon first coming to Haven, it was quickly building a home in Seiji’s heart. With a deep breath, Seiji decided to finally break the silence. He turned to Cora, who almost immediately turned to him. She looked like she wanted to say something, but didn’t.

“I suppose you weren’t lying about wanting to go there in style, huh?” Seiji tried, forcing a smile to his lips.

“Yeah!” Cora responded immediately. “Y-you did well in your training, so I decided to pull out all the stops.”

“Thank you,” Seiji acknowledged. “I had an excellent teacher.”

Cora smiled proudly. “That you did. Now, how do you like my outfit? It took me hours to settle on this one! I think the stylists were getting annoyed with me, but I wanted to make sure I got the best one for the restaurant. They have a dress code, you know.”

Considering how many bags he had to carry out of that store, Seiji imagined she ended up buying each outfit she tried anyway. Regardless, Seiji answered her question… without thinking.

“You look beautiful, Cora. The stylists did well.”

Cora’s ears perked up as her cheeks heated. Seiji knew he didn’t look any better. He hadn’t meant to say that. Sure, he thought it, but he’d also thought about fighting King Vassilis for a brief period, and he hadn’t vocalized that. Unable to take his words back, Seiji waited for her to respond.

“Th-thank you…” Cora stammered. “You look quite… handsome yourself.”

“Thank–”

“What did Thea say? I bet she loved your outfit.” She crossed her arms. “I can hear it now. I bet she was all, ‘Oh Otsuki, you look so adorable! Your body looks so go~od in that jacket, and you smell delicious! Why don’t you stay in the dorm and–’”

Seiji placed a hand on Cora’s.

“She wasn’t there,” Seiji said firmly. He and Cora had long since moved past the whole Thea situation, though Cora still liked to jab at her whenever the opportunity arose. He already knew how to calm Cora down.

“Besides, I wouldn’t spend a day with Thea like I have with you.” He removed his hand from Cora’s and waved it lazily to one direction. “She’s my butler.” He waved it again, pointing at Cora. “And you’re my Cadet.” Seiji chuckled as he added, “Plus, she’s exclusively into women that ‘look like they can kill her’, so I don’t think she’ll be complimenting my body anytime soon.”

Cora coughed, looking away from him and staring off into Haven. “Ah. I-I see…”

Before Seiji could say anything, the carriage came to a stop. When Seiji turned to his right, he saw a red carpet centered on the ground in-between red stanchions and silver pillars. The butler opened his door and gave Seiji a nod for some reason, whispering for him to grab Cora’s hand and lead her into the restaurant. He did so, the two following the butler hand in hand as they entered black tinter doors into Athena’s Antichamber.

Seiji was a bit surprised that they weren’t immediately seated. Instead, they stood in a luxurious waiting room. It was quite dim, lit only by recessed bulbs and a few aura-powered candles. There was a blue and gold mural of a few white-winged Valkyries on the leftmost wall, accompanied by a beige bench and two loveseats. Directly in front of them was a hostess, who stood dutifully behind a brown podium. To their right, though, was a man and woman standing arm in arm that Seiji and Cora both knew all too well. The girl wore a black jacket with a black and white shirt, black and white patterned shirt, white tights, black shoes, and a feathered hat. The man in her arm matched her attire perfectly. His was a black vest and cloak over a white shirt, black pants, and black boots, minor hints of gold throughout the outfit. They’d been locked in conversation, the woman placing her freehand on the man’s chest as the man held his at the woman’s waist. Cora let out a soft hiss as she spotted them, the two turning slowly and matching Cora’s glare with equal hostility.

“Hello, Cora. Seiji.” Selene curtsied. She removed her arm from Lirio’s, taking a few steps closer to Cora. She looked down at Seiji and Cora’s hands before looking back up with a smile. “I suppose you two deserve a break after working so hard against those scary Tier One Servants and their powerful Cadets.”

“Every day with this,” Cora muttered contemptuously. “It’s for advancement and you know it. You should’ve joined! It would’ve made winning even more fun for me.”

“Advancement,” Selene sighed. “I hope it was worth it at least. What Tier is he? Three, right?”

“That isn’t your business.”

“Don’t tell me he isn’t just Two! You realize the Exam only lasts thirty days, right?”

“It isn’t like Lirio is Tier 8.”

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

Selene gave Cora a vicious grin. “Well… he’s halfway there.”

Cora gripped Seiji’s hand so hard he thought it’d break. Unfortunately, Selene noticed. She looked down at Seiji’s squeezed hand and laughed. Cora released her grip, walking closer to Selene.

“Who cares about Tiers? I can still beat your ass without a Servant!”

“That’s a cute dream. Too bad that’s all it’ll ever be.”

“...Bitch.”

“Whore!”

Cora and Selene began arguing in the side of the restaurant, leaving Seiji by himself. He absently turned to the hostess, who seemed to be enjoying the spectacle. Seiji imagined he’d be the same way if under similar circumstances. Regardless, he knew he had to step in before things got too bad. Cora only swore when she was about to kill something, as he’d learned when she slashed through a crowd of Endora’s Aqua Silhouettes with just her Dragon Claw technique.

“Tier Two, hmm?” a familiar voice called from his side.

Is it my turn?

Seiji sighed. “Listen, Lirio. What I am now doesn’t matter. When we fight at the First Exhibition, I’ll be much stronger. Do you think you can keep it in your pants until then?”

Lirio frowned, but Seiji ignored it. He walked closer to Cora. The girls were literally at each other’s throats. They both held the other’s collar in a tight grip as they screamed at one another. Seiji hoped the walls were soundproof. This went against everything Cora had taught him about ‘Decorum’. His stride was interrupted when Lirio placed a hand on Seiji’s chest. Seiji looked down at it slowly.

“Listen.” Lirio began. Seiji didn’t look up at him. “Selene can be a bit… temperamental. We’re all about to be seated. Do you mind just letting this go?”

Seiji removed Lirio’s hand from his chest. Though Cora had clearly thrown out her training, Seiji remembered his. He didn't want to do something he would’ve regretted.

“Why should I do that?” Seiji asked softly.

“Selene brushes off Cora’s words relatively quickly. She tends to… remember yours.”

Seiji looked up at Lirio, making no effort of hiding his irritation. “And why is that my problem?”

“It’s your problem because it’s my problem.”

Seiji took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he turned to Cora and began to walk. Every ounce of Decorum Training left him as Lirio grabbed at his shoulder. A distant part of him welcomed it, eager to test himself against a Tier 4 Servant, before the hostess spoke up.

“Andris, party of two!” The hostess shouted, her tone a bit dejected. Strangely, Seiji felt the same way. He held onto the feeling as he eyedd Lirio for a short while. The man approached Selene, once again hooking his arm in hers as the woman adjusted her collar and followed the hostess into the restaurant.

Seiji decided to use that as an opportunity to peek into the restaurant proper. Considering nobody turned to look at them, Seiji assumed the walls thankfully were soundproof. There were far fewer tables than he’d anticipated, though they all seemed a bit too wide. Far in the distance was a see-through elevator that led up to a balcony just beneath the kitchen. He watched Selene and Lirio get seated at a too-wide table just before the elevator. The hostess returned briefly, informed them that the VIP balcony would be ready in a few moments, then left them alone in the waiting room.

As soon as the door closed again, Seiji immediately walked over to Cora. She’d been breathing deeply, muttering curses over clenched fists. He’d long since learned how to deal with Cora whenever she got particularly upset. He’d learned it the very first day they met. Seji gave an exaggerated laugh as he stood beside Cora.

“No wonder Selene was pissed when she saw us,” Seiji shrugged. “She was dressed like someone’s grandma. I’d be pissed too if I saw someone dressed better than me while I was on a date.”

Cora scoffed. “Her hat barely fit her horns,” She added. “I bet she spent her whole paycheck just to get a hat that fits her fat-ass head.”

Seiji laughed as the two picked out more and more things wrong with Selene’s appearance. With a sigh though, Cora was the one to face the truth.

“She looked great…”

“Yeah.”

Cora glared at Seiji.

“You weren’t supposed to agree.”

“Sorry.”

Neither of them said anything after that, though Seiji was lost in thought. There was no way he’d let Selene and Lirio go away victorious in this little exchange. He recalled the hostess’ words about the VIP balcony and Selene’s current table as an idea struck him. Seiji smiled mischievously, and Cora looked up at him in obvious confusion. The hostess approached, announcing that their table was ready, and Seiji sprung into action. He wrapped his arm in Cora’s, who seemed taken aback by the gesture. Seiji nodded to the hostess, who thankfully understood his plan.

Seiji and Cora walked arm-in-arm through a packed restaurant, heads turning as they walked toward the VIP elevator. Cora, finally understanding what Seiji was doing, made sure to give Selene a wide smile as they walked past their regular table, the two of them looking down at them fondly as they rode up the elevator and sat at their VIP table. It wasn’t much, but sometimes you had to celebrate the little victories.

The VIP table was much wider than those below. Though it was set for two, Seiji imagined it was enough to seat and host ten. When the hostess left, Seiji asked Cora about it. She told him about how much Valkyries eat, and Seiji likened it to how much he ate in his dorm – though he tended to share it with Thea. According to Cora, Servants could eat a “Plate per Tier”. He’d decided to look for the menu and order two of whatever looked good, but Cora told him there was no menu. Everything was ‘Chef’s Choice’, but they also apparently served an absurd amount of food, so Seiji hoped the chef chose an absurd amount of good food.

Trays of various breads, meats vegetables, fruit, chips, and various dips arrived at their table, interrupting their conversation about potential Skills. Everything tasted amazing.

“So,” Cora asked, pointing a skewer of vegetables at him. “We never talked about what you’re gonna do after the Valkyrie Exam. Any plans?”

“I want to experience what life has to offer,” Seiji answered immediately. When she didn’t respond, Seiji decided to elaborate. “Just a month ago, I was still an assassin. I was still a different me. I was killed… almost killed before I could figure out who I wanted to be. I never got to figure out who I am, what I want to be, or how to become that.”

“Soulsearching, hmm?” Cora considered.

“I suppose,” Seiji answered. A bit more earnestly, he continued. “I don’t know who Seiji Otsuki is. I want to understand him…”

And I can’t do that here.

For some reason, Seiji felt that saying that part out loud was wrong. Regardless, he still felt it. Haven had been kind to him, the people, generally, had been as well. In truth, he imagined after a few years on his own he’d have no problem with returning to Haven and fighting for them to some capacity. They took care of him, and he’d pay back that kindness. All he knew was that he wouldn’t be discovering himself in The Ardor. He’d finally gotten away from them. If he went back, he knew exactly what’d happen.

They’d welcome me back with open arms.

They wouldn’t let an asset like Seiji go away. They’d try to act as though they’d planned for his return, tell him it was for him to learn some sort of twisted lesson, then put him right back to work. If he did return to The Ardor, there was only one thing he’d do. One mission he’d be willing to die again to see accomplished.

I’d erase them.

Cora looked at Seiji with a look that he wouldn’t quite call pity, but it seemed a bit close. It was then that he noticed he’d been gripping his fork with considerable force. Seiji released it, coughing in embarrassment.

Suddenly, her face shifted to one of childlike glee. It was so abrupt Seiji thought something had gone wrong.

“You know,” Cora began, leaning a bit closer. “When I’m a Valkyrie, I think I want to take a mini vacation to Enphilix. Did you know that it’s called the ‘Land of Everpresent Fall’? I love the Fall! Not too cool, not too hot.” She jerked an empty fork at Seiji. “What’s your ideal vacation spot?”

“The Ardor didn’t have–”

“You aren’t in The Ardor, Seiji.”

Cora’s face took on that almost pitying look again. Seemingly catching herself, she immediately turned it curious once again, prompting Seiji to give his ideal vacation destination.

“I… I’ve never been to a beach.” Seiji shrugged. Cora gawked at him as if he’d told her the secret to immortality. “The Ard… I’ve only ever lived in darkness, snow, and rain! The sun was rare back home.”

“Well, in that case.. .” Cora placed her fork down and placed her hand between her thumb and forefinger. “I suppose there’s always Grand Lolena? It’s an expensive tropical resort, but I did promise to pay you well.” She gave him a sidelong glance but didn’t say anything else.

Seiji imagined himself on a beach. He imagined himself standing before the ocean, feet sunken in wet sand, the sun beaming down on him, the sounds of crashing waves sweeping across the beachfront. He imagined what it would be like, having finally obtained freedom. He wondered how that would affect him. What would he say to himself in that moment? What would a younger Seiji say to him in that moment? He imagined being confused. He imagined having questions, and he imagined having no one to ask for answers.

He imagined being alone, and the thought crushed him.

“Is there anywhere you’d like to go as a Valkyrie? That isn’t a vacation spot.” Seiji asked, if only to take his mind off of his darkening thoughts.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Cora admitted. She sat a bit more stiffly, leaning slightly to the side. “If w-we toured every country, would that count as a vacation, or would it count as work?”

We?

“The world is vast. There’s always stuff for us to do. What would you want to do when you’re out there?”

Cora glanced around the room, absently tapping the table as she waited for Seiji’s response. He once again imagined himself alone. He vaguely recalled Cora mentioning that Sir Lasko, Endora’s father, was a mercenary before he was a Royal Guard. Was that what he would be? Of course not. He’d already been a mercenary of sorts for seventeen years. Technically, he still was, but this was far from the same thing. Cora wasn’t exploiting or manipulating him. Her care for him was genuine. Being around her healed something in him that’d been broken his entire life.

Seiji tried, but he couldn’t imagine a future without Cora in it, regardless of the outcome of the Exam.

We.

“When I spoke with King Vassilis, he mentioned fighting ‘monsters’, but I’ve never seen any before,” Seiji responded. A bit more sheepishly, he added. “I think it’d be cool if we fought some.”

Cora’s eyes widened, but she continued to look away from him. After a brief moment, she laughed. Seiji joined her easily.

Her smile was healing.

“Monsters? That’s what you want to do in your free time?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

“No, I feel the same way!” Cora leaned closer. “In that case, we should go to Enphilix! My mother goes there often to train new Valkyries. The monsters there are equal to a Tier Fifteen Servant!”

“Okay,” Seiji interrupted. He’d gone far too long without asking this. “What is the highest Tier? I’ve heard your father mention Tier 50 and Endora’s Servant–”

“Boyfriend.”

“Whatever! He’s a Tier 40. What does it go up to?”

Cora shrugged. “There is no upper limit. The highest in history was in the hundreds, but that was in the Halo Era. Now, the highest is my dad. He’s Tier 90, but–”

“Ninety?!”

A few eyes glanced up to the VIP balcony, though Seiji didn’t pay them any mind. Cora laughed as she informed him of the history of the Servants as well as the true heights of their power. In the back of his mind, Seiji wondered how strong he’d one day become. He, and Cora.