"Mom! Uncle!" Nelly's adorable little voice rung out.

"Heya, kiddo!" I bent down to address her.

"Hey, uhm..." She started acting all shy all of a sudden, "Is it over?"

"Yep, and we even got ourselves some presents to boot!" I shouted, tossing the two suitcases in which we had kept the princesses in to the ground.

The suitcases opened upon making contant with the hard stony ground, revealing a pretty gruesome pair of siblings. Nelly was a bit nervous after seeing the younger sister, but she had immediately began crying and hugging Anna once she saw the disgusting state Vivia was in.

"Sheesh, Ed! Are you forgetting Nel's age or something?" Cecily sighed, "It's okay, dear. These are the bad guys."

Not really properly understanding her mother trying to explain the situation to her, Nelly hid behind Anna, getting pampered all the while until the dark-skinned Prince Charming suddenly made his way down the ship. I knew Nelly saw Meil as a crush through her Eyes, but I actually didn't yet know she was this ecstatic about seeing him once again.

"Meil!" She shouted, abandoning Anna in favor of hugging him.

"Nelly!" He returned the hug.

"No, Nellyyy~!" Anna cried out for the little girl, clinging onto me as if I was some sort of replacement for her.

"Meil, look, look! I'm all grown up!" Nelly spun around adorably for him, showing off her older, yet still far from adult form.

"Haha, you really did!" Meil stopped her spinning by patting her on the head, "And to think, when we first met, you were only just over a toddler! Tell me, how old are you now?"

"Mn...!" She shook off his hand from her head, "Stop patting me already! Big girls don't get headpats! And besides, I'm already 10!"

A bit dejected, he returned his hand back to his hips, obviously showing that he wasn't actually all that happy that she had grown up. The fucking sicko, it really makes me wonder how Cecily still approves of letting him be so close to Nelly even after that letter I sent her. Actually, if Cecily had returned to Entropa despite her telling me she was in Lichtenstelle, then does that mean she didn't receive the letter I sent her?

"Cecily, regarding Meil and Nelly's futures..." I raised my eyebrows at her, closely examining what her next words will be.

"Ah, you're right! Nel, I totally forgot to tell you the good news!" Cecily ducked down to talk to her daughter, "Now that we're done with the war, Meil will be able to go to Simpleton to attend University!"

Ah, I guess she didn't understand what I was hinting at. Looks like she really didn't get the letter, in which case I should probably tell her later when the others aren't here. Still, I don't really know what Cecily had expected her daughter's reaction to be, but weakly sniffling before suddenly bursting out into a crying fit definitely took her by surprise. Nelly seems to be really fond of Meil, and I imagine hearing that their long-awaited reunion will be cut short because he has to leave immediately is definitely leaving a sour taste in her mouth.

"Noooo~!" She clung onto Meil, "Say it ain't so, Meil! We just reunited, and you're gonna leave soon already!?"

"Nelly, I don't remember you being such a crybaby." He glanced down at her sternly, "I do believe our promise is still active?"

"Promise?" Anna tilted her head.

"Right, Nelly and I made a promise to attend University together once she gets old enough to enroll." Meil explained, "I intend to create a safe environment for her to properly get accustomed to the place, but before that I need to go there myself ahead of time."

Hm? Why does everything he's saying right now sound... noble? From his words to his tone when he said them, I couldn't even notice a hint of ulterior motives coming from them. Just to be sure, I made sure to Analyze his mind a bit and... nope, nada. The only thoughts coming through his mind right now are his excitedness about learning a whole bunch of stuff in the University before teaching them to Nelly later. Not even a hint of the sleazy comments he made back at the base could be seen. How odd...

"Meil..." Nelly stopped clinging to him, wiping away her tears before proudly striking a heroic pose, "Then so it shall be! Big girls don't cry, so I'll be the one to support you when you inevitably face you fair share of challenges there!"

"E-Eh?" He deflated a bit as she ran away from us and back to the restaurant, "Inevitably... Since when did she learn such complicated words?"

"Seriously, guy, she's not a kid anymore." Anna talked to Meil, "Well, she is, but not the kid you knew her as. Ever since I've started taking care of her, she's always eagerly been talking about you, spending her days cooped up in her room only ever reading science-y books for the entire duration of the day."

"Is that so?" He looked down a bit, "I do hope that I was not the reason for her to go down this academic path. I would feel terrible if I made such a sparkling youth a shut-in like myself and all the other scholars."

"A bit late for that, don't you think?" Cecily chuckled as she patted him on the back, "But don't worry, Lune and I couldn't be more happier to have you inspire her to learn. After all, neither one of us has ever attended university, so giving her the opportunity is nothing to be ashamed of."

"You say that, but... Argh, no, you'll understand what I mean when the time comes." He said as he put the two princesses back into their suitcases before following the path to the restaurant, "Come on now, Ed said there's some Willow Tree where he'll deal with these two, so we should probably get there before it gets dark."

***

Exactly as Meil said, we had followed the path to the restaurant, informed everyone working there of the situation and closed down the shop before taking them to the Willow Tree where Grim and Marina were resting. Why here of all places, you ask? Well, just check this out...!

"Alright, get the fuck out." I opened the suitcases containing the two blindfolded princess inside, "Meil, take off Vivia's blindfold."

"Edward, what is the meaning of this?" Arthur asked upon recognizing Vivia's face, "This girl, she's the one that betrayed you, no? But then the other one...?"

"Aaaargh!" Vivia screamed out, "Sister! You idiots, let her go this instant or...!"

Approaching her, I had simply smiled as I punched her face with all of the strength I could muster. The punch was so strong, in fact, that I had tore off the stitches on my back, resulting in it bleeding through my white shirt I had on. Immediately noticing this, Anna and the others began worrying.

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"Ed, your back!" She went to check it, only for me to put my hand out to stop her from approaching.

"Wait!" I shouted before taking a nearby piece of rope, "That can wait. Before that, we need to tie these two up properly."

Fittingly, we had decided to tie them on a cross for this procedure. I say fittingly, because the prophets of the Gods were also betrayed just as we were by none other than their closest allies, leading to the allies getting hanged on a cross in a similar fashion. Hold on, this gives me an idea...!

"Meil, gimme a boost." I pointed to the horizontal parts of the cross the princesses' arms were hanged on, "Time for some religious retribution!"

Materializing a couple of nails and a single hammer, everyone safe from Nelly had already figured out my intentions. Deeming it too gruesome for Nelly and Cene to bear witness to this sight, Anna had turned them away, but I intervened.

"Let them see!" I shouted as I nailed Vivia's younger sister's left hand on the cross, "Let them see the pain of the people who had killed their father!"

"Graaargh!?" She suddenly woke up from the shock, "Sist-auuugh!"

"Ed, please let her go!" Vivia was now trying her best to undo the ropes tying her up to the cross, "I'll do anything, just let her live! She's the only living relative of the Carmen Royal Family!"

"Is that so?" I teased as I nailed the other hand in, "Then by all means, stop me."

Not even a moment after I said that, I had Materialized a ton of super deep spikes right under her cross. If Vivia really wanted to set her sister free, she would have to somehow untie herself, fall onto the spikes below, walk through them and climb onto her sister's cross in her wounded state, and finally free her. Finally, the traitorous princess shall walk the path of thorns.

"Edward, this is going too far." Miss Harper warned, "I understand your frustration toward the princess, but must you really traumatize the kids?"

"Traumatize? Nonsense, miss Harper!" I grinned from ear to ear as Meil put me down, "They may be crying now, but they'll be super glad they got to witness this revenge act unfold once they're all grown!"

"Rrragh!" Vivia somehow tore off her rope bindings on her left arm, "You fuck...! I-If I save my sister now, will you let her run free?"

"Hm? Sure, that is, IF you succeed." I shrugged, "This is your task, Vivia. Try your best not to die before she bleeds out."

"Sis...ter..." The younger sibling cried out for her big sis.

"Don't worry, Aria! I'll save, huh-?!" Vivia proudly declared, before the rope bindings had suddenly loosened up and made her fall headfirst into the spikes below.

"SISTER!" The younger princess cried out, "Nooooo!"

"AAAAHH!" Nelly screamed after seeing such a brutal death.

"Nel, don't look anymore!" Cecily shielded her, "Ed, you got your revenge, now stop this... huh?"

"...Eh?" I looked down at Vivia's impaled body, "That's it? No, this won't do! You're not supposed to die yet! Dammit, you should've suffered more than this!"

While I was busy talking, I had failed to notice the younger princess apparently tear off her hands from the nails on the cross, and was taken by surprise as she pushed me down with her to the spikes as well. Everyone was screaming, though I'm not sure why.

"Haah, haa...! With this, at least all three of us will die!" Aria laughed maniacally.

"Not really." I said as I pointed down to where the spikes were, "You're forgetting I'm the one who set these spikes up in the first place, so obviously I can deconstruct and replace them with softer cushioning with ease."

It was over. Vivia and Chant have died in the most brutal way possible, their bodies barely recognisable anymore. However, I failed to make Vivia's death as miserable as I wanted it to turn out. The best revenge I can get right now is to do to Aria what I had wanted to do to Vivia. See, it's not all bad?

Even still, it seems the other guys didn't want me to continue this torture fest anymore, despite it turning out quite fun for me. Meil had apprehended me, and Aria was tied back up and had her wounds treated by Anna and Cecily. What the hell are they doing? She's an enemy.

"Don't look at us like that." Anna glared back at me, "The person who killed Lune was her sister, not her. I won't allow you to kill an innocent girl."

"Innocent?!" I started laughing, "Have you people gone insane!? They're all subhuman trash! Birds of a feather! Listen to me - let her live, and she'll cut your throat overnight!"

"Still, that's a bridge we'll cross when we get to it." They said as they all went inside with her.

These guys...! They'll die at this rate! I need to find a way, SOME way to not let her see tomorrow's dawn! But how? How can I, a single person, take a wounded little girl and kill her in the middle of the night without waking anyone up? Oh wait, that actually sounds really fucking simple, now that I think about it.

Thus, I had set my plan into motion. Waiting for the middle of the night when everyone had gone to bed, I had snuck out of mine and Anna's bad and made it to the guest rooms. There lied the wounded Aria, sleeping with dried up tears that had seemed to have been pouring endlessly whilst she was awake. Surely, she must be missing her sister quite a lot, so I'll be the good guy here and send her over to heaven so they can reunite!

Quickly covering her mouth with the palm of my hand, I had dragged her out of the restaurant without any regard for being careful with her. I was hitting tables and chairs left and right, but I didn't really care about that. She was gonna be dead anyways, so what's the point of being careful? That being said, I had dragged her out to the Willow Tree, where the impaled Vivia was still rotting away. Nailing them together on the same cross after I had Materialized a gag to keep her from screaming for help, I had slowly but surely pushed the two of them off the cliff face down, leading to Aria slowly and painfully drowning in the sea. Heh, mission accomplished!

Turning around to go back to bed, I was surprised to see none other than Arthur standing there, watching everything. "A-Ah! Sup, old man! What a surprise to be seeing you here!"

"Edward..." He started crying all of a sudden, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for making you a monster... I'm sorry..."

"I...!" I tried to find an excuse, but even I knew that what I had done was rather distasteful, "I don't mind being called whatever, since I'm just happy I avenged Grim at least semi-properly. Just please, don't make Anna hate me for this."

"That..." He slowly turned around to go back to the restaurant, "That is something you will have to accomplish..."