“They're both dead. I see...They were mere fools, after all."

  Black muttered, watching Grim being absorbed by Almodea, spying on them through a crystal ball. He hadn't expected such a one-sided battle. The two idiots weren't at his level, but weren’t weak either; Grim and Gram could have wiped out a kingdom under his command, yet those two girls had slaughtered them without a problem.

  “Fascinating! Truly fascinating!”

  Black's voice was filled with happiness and excitement. He wasn't at all furious about the deaths of two of his puppets; he didn't care about those Archdemons—they were just unimportant pawns.

  -But that girl? She was a whole different story!

  “Her name is Almodea, right? What a glorious name!”

  Balck's hands clasped together, giving rise to a loud round of applause.

  "Finally, someone who makes me laugh! I'll keep spying on her, even if..."

  He had doubts about how much he would be able to see. Whenever Almodea was near that other woman, the pale giantess, there was some interference in the signal.

  “That muscle-head woman is strong, but she intrigues me less.”

  Black muttered in boredom, then smiled again.

  “Never mind! I'm so curious to see what else Almodea will do next!”

  The sphere began to crack under the force of Black's hand; at this rate, he'd have to take another one...again. But the demon couldn't stop it; he was too excited. The progenitor's excitement was sky-high.

  “Sending more servants would be useless, and going in person might prove to be the wrong choice.”

  Almodea had every right to be angry with him for the disgusting behavior of the two demons he had sent to her. Black needed to wait until things had calmed down; it would have been ideal if the girl herself had summoned him, even at a minimal cost.

  “I can't wait to meet that being! I am so hyped!"

  Black sat back on his throne, placing the sphere on its pedestal. He looked like a fan awaiting the next episode of his favorite anime series. If he'd known what a TV series was, the Black Progenitor would probably have been a huge fan.

  “Almodea...I will discover all your secrets and understand the true meaning behind your summoning!”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  16th day of the month of the Green Elf (February) 8:15 PM

  She entered the room on the second floor of the villa in the Imperial Capital, formerly belonging to the late Marquis Baldur. It was a well-decorated room, with luxurious red and black ornaments. The bed on which the little demi-human rested was soft and fragrant, as if it had been made especially for her.

  The little raccon girl was completely different from when she'd arrived. Her brown hair had been cleaned and her clothes changed to old ones from when Almodea was seven. Her skin was pristine again, and every single physical wound had been healed. Her chapped lips had returned to a pinker hue. It would have been impossible to believe that just a few hours earlier, the girl was covered in cuts and bruises

  “Hirashi did a great job in healing you.”

  C, the lady of the house, placed a steaming tray in front of the little girl, containing a succulent steak. Anyone would have drooled over such divine goodness, accompanied by an equally exquisite aroma. However, the girl didn't flinch, remaining with a blank, expressionless gaze.

  “No one had ever responded to my food like this...”

  C muttered, puffing out her cheeks slightly. No, she hadn't actually expected an answer. She approached the raccoon girl and sat down next to her, on a chair adorned with a cushion.

  Poor little thing...

  She began scratching her head, hoping for a reaction, but nothing happened. The little girl remained still, as if paralyzed. C found it hard to see her that way—the woman's maternal instinct was screaming at her to help that little one. She felt great sympathy for the raccon girl.

  At that moment, the door of the room opened and the large figure of Almodeus entered, looking at the little girl sitting on the bed.

  “Thanks for coming, my love.”

  “No problem. Is this the girl Almodea and Hirashi found?”

  Almodeus asked, pointing to the half-raccoon.

  “Exactly. Hirashi healed her body, but her mind—”

  “it's in pieces. I can see it clearly.”

  The demon raised his right hand, which began to pulse with red energy.

  “This girl has been through a lot.”

  “Can you cure her? Or at least bring her back to consciousness?”

  "I can try. The human mind is a complex and fragile machine. One mistake, and this little girl could end up in a coma forever."

  “Be careful, please.”

  “Don't worry, I'm a professional!”

  Almodeus replied, laughing like a TV host.

  "Sure, having a few more guinea pigs wouldn't hurt. You know, to gauge the human mind in this world."

  The demon's hand touched the girl's head, and both of them froze. They seemed to be in a trance, as if connected in a single mind. It was only after about ten minutes that Almodeus began to move again.

  “So? Did you treat her?”

  "I've kept her outbursts of fear to a minimum. Her trauma is still there, but it won't cause her to overreact. However, exposing her to something that reminds her of the trauma could cause a relapse. If Almodea wants to use her as a slave, she'll have to be careful."

  "Actually..."

  C smiled slightly, then went back to massaging the little girl's head, who had fallen into a deep sleep due to the treatment.

  “Almodea took her because she thought you might be interested. She was the only demi-human prisoner there—a true rarity!”

  “Ahhh! I understand.”

  Almodeus nodded, then looked at the half-raccoon.

  “I have no use for her, though. Maybe I should make her a servant under Frederica’s command. What do you think?”

  “Could I have her, instead?”

  At C' request, the husband looked at her doubtfully. She laughed out loud at his funny expression, then began playing with a lock of red hair, crossing her legs one over the other.

  “Don't worry, I don't want to do anything weird to her! Who do you take me for? Shaco?! I just want to take care of her a little! Is that a problem?”

  “No, but...Why?”

  "Frederica has been entrusted to Hardshell, and Yuko has to look after Lila, so I don't have a permanent maid. Maybe this little one could become someone to look after me. I could use her to improve our cover in this villa."

  “It’s not like you to use people as pawns— not the people who haven't wronged you, at least.”

  C rolled her eyes at that truth. She actually wanted to keep that demi-human because felt sorry for her. Her maternal instinct dictated to take care of the little girl.

  “Guilty on all counts. But, can you blame me? Unlike you, I can feel empathy.”

  “I'm not an emotionless monster, you know?”

  “I’ve been married to you for over fifty years – of course I know that!”

  Almodeus rolled his eyes at what she had said, then walked over to the door and grabbed the knob.

  “I’ll wait for you in the living room, tell me when you’re finished here.”

  “Okay! See you later, grumpy guy!”

  She was one of the few people who could speak to the fear demon in that way. Even though the villa was just a cover, C obviously received frequent visits from her husband.

  Acting as a rich human woman is really hard...

  She sighed and began to straighten the girl's blankets. In theory, she should have recovered from her traumatic condition, but there was no certainty. The human mind was truly complex, and C knew that well, she had suffered greatly for a similar problem in the past.

  Without Almodeus I wouldn't be in a much different position than this little girl.

  She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms under her chest. It was incredible how quickly her life had changed. In just fifty-five years, she had gone from being a normal restaurant manager to a sinner who was beaten for fun, to now finding herself being married to fear itself.

  “How ironic life is…”

  C muttered out loud, without even realizing it. It was then that she noticed something moving in the bed.

  “Oh, good morning!”

  “...”

  The little half-human girl didn't answer, but was now looking at her with her big eyes, as if trying to figure out who she was.

  “I'd say we start with the basics. My name is C, what's yours?”

  “I...Talia..."

  “Talia, huh? Cute name! Like I told you, my name is C and I'm the wife of the owner of this villa.”

  “You...You're not human, are you?”

  “I see you understand, little one.”

  C smiled at her, approaching the girl. Talia was quite calm despite the situation, and she was surprised by that herself.

  “I am a demon, but don't be afraid! I don't want to hurt you. My daughter found you, and I've taken care of you for now.”

  “True...My wounds have healed and my head...I feel empty.”

  “My husband put temporary blocks in place to prevent your trauma from turning you into an amoeba.”

  She started to move closer, but Talia pushed her away.

  “What will happen to me now?! Will I be used as a slave again?”

  “Slave?”

  “It's what I've always been, after my village was destroyed...”

  “Let's not talk about your past. Not now, at least. You just recovered and— ”

  “Shut up! Be quiet!”

  Suddenly, the raccoon girl began to cry and scream, growling like a beast ready to pounce on its prey.

  Unable to feel fear...does she feel anger instead when thinks back to her trauma?

  C took a few steps back, giving Talia some space. The last thing she wanted was to fight her.

  “Hey! Calm down! Calm down! What's gotten into you?”

  Talia didn't answer and started running toward the door. Despite having been in a catatonic state for a long time, she was incredibly fast, so much so that C wouldn't have been able to catch up with her on her own.

  Opening the door, the girl's escape route was cut off when she slammed into something as hard as a wall. Talia cried out, falling to the floor and rubbing her right cheek, which had turned red from the impact.

  “Huh? I see she's woken up...”

  “And who the hell is this monster?!”

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  “You're lucky I don't get offended easily...”

  Hirashi's figure entered the room, startling Talia with her size. Since the door was unusable, the littlr girl opted for the window, but as soon as she moved, she bumped into the pale woman again.

  “B-But?! H-How?!”

  “The real question should be: why are you running?”

  The half-human girl didn't respond and tried to find other ways out, but to no avail. Every time she was about to escape, Hirashi appeared before her. Some might have thought it was teleportation, but in reality, it was simply speed. Hirashi was that fast—not even C could keep up with her sight.

  Tired of playing tag, Hirashi grabbed Talia and held her close, locking the girl in a strong iron grip, but completely painless. The giantess didn't want to hurt the little one, only stop her.

  “Leave me alone! Leave me alone!”

  “May I ask what you did to her, C?”

  “I didn’t do anything, she's just confused.”

  “Stop ignoring me, you two!”

  The half-human girl screamed, trying in vain to free herself. She sounded like a squirrel trying to escape from a bear. It was both funny and tragic to see.

  “Let me go!”

  “Wait, let us explain first.”

  “I don't want to go back to being a slave!”

  “Calm down, I said! No one here wants you as a slave!”

  The red-haired woman barked, but the half-human didn't seem to want to believe her. She had been fooled too many times by people with fake smiles and feigned kindness. All her previous owners had

  “I don’t know what sexual perversions you have, but leave me alone! Please!”

  “Relax! I'm not my daughter, and until proven otherwise, I'm straight! Can you calm down? Think about it! If we wanted to hurt you, we wouldn't have treated you so well, would we?”

  Hearing that obvious truth, Talia decided to listen to the explanation of how she was saved by pure chance by the villa owner's daughter. The part about them all being from another world was omitted, as it was too implausible. C decided to tell her about their cover story, using the information gathering as an excuse.

  The basic story was simple enough: C needed to recapture knowledge of the human world after she and her husband had been estranged from society for a long time. Talia was told repeatedly that she would not be harmed as long as she was on their side.

  “Did you understand everything?”

  “Y-Yes...So you won't hurt me, right?”

  “Exactly! As long as you don’t give us any trouble.”

  “And what will I do from now on?”

  “You could work for us as a maid in this house, in exchange for room and board. What do you say?”

  Talia couldn't refuse; she wasn't in the position for doing that. She decided to nod and accept that this would be her new life—it would certainly be better than being abused by some humans.

  C was sure it would be hard for the demi-human girl to adjust to her new life, but somehow, she was willing to help. Children had always been her weakness, and Talia looked just like a little demi-human child.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  “M-My name is Raphy Talia Valgrana.”

  Talia declared, bowing before the master of the house. The words were coming out with difficulty, but she had to avoid being disrespectful. The room was similar to those she had seen many times in human villas, but unlike usual, there were now several inhuman creatures watching her.

  She had already met C and Hirashi, but had never seen the others and they were clearly unique beings- some even seemed to be made entirely of metal.

  One was a colossal dark warrior, covered in scars all along his armor that served as his skin. He was named Hardshell.

  Another was similar to the previous one, but with four arms, each armed with a different weapon. His name was Smaug.

  The other was a girl, similar in appearance to C, but she was much taller and wore her hair in a long ponytail. From what Talia understood, her name was Almodea and she was the daughter of C and the master of the house.

  And finally-

  “It is an honor to be able to be in your presence, sir.”

  Talia had to use all her willpower to keep her voice from trembling before that monstrous figure. She had seen many magical beasts in her life, but none had ever managed to instill such terror in her simply by existing in proximity.

  An entity she never wanted to have against her.

  -Almodeus Fearterror.

  This was the name of the being she was prostrating herself before. She had been told something about him by the woman who had fed her; Talia had been informed of Almodeus's power, but she didn't think he was powerful enough to have so many fearsome beings under his command. In that room alone, there was enough war power to plunge the Empire into chaos. Her home kingdom would likely be torn to pieces too, despite its vastly more powerful army than the Nexia Empire.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Raphy Talia Valgrana. You probably already know my name, but let me introduce myself again. I am Almodeus Fearterror, master of this mansion and husband of the woman you know as C, the one who fed you, and father of the girl sitting beside me, the one who rescued you from your captivity.”

  The demon introduced himself, sitting on a large red sofa, with the slender figure of Almodea sitting next to him.

  “I-I thank you for everything, Lord Almodeus. And the others too, for saving me, caring for me, and f-feeding...me.”

  Talia tried her best not to risk swallowing her words. Her instincts were screaming at her to run away at the first opportunity, but reason urged her not to make reckless choices. She had been lucky to be saved by chance, but wasn't sure such beings could achieve anything by keeping her alive. She had to avoid angering them.

  “As you well know, we are currently gaining information about the Empire. Your rescue was my daughter's independent decision.”

  Talia's heart skipped a beat at those words. It was clear that the monster had no interest in her, and therefore, her survival was not to be taken for granted.

  “Normally we would have used you in another way, but my wife decided to offer you a chance. Are you ready to listen?”

  “Y-Yes.”

  Talia glanced at the hostess, who was sitting at the side of the room sipping tea as if nothing had happened. She began to wonder what these "other way" Almodeus had alluded to were.

  “The deal is this- You will live in this house as a servant, in exchange for our protection. I have seen and know what you have experienced in the past: slavery, abuse...even the death of your parents.”

  Talia felt her heart sink at those words. For some reason, her emotions were suppressed when she thought back to those events, but the discontent on her face was visible. The fact that someone could have seen everything without her knowing was terrifying. But she couldn't show doubt in that situation, so Talia clenched her fists and answered her new master's question.

  “I will be one of yours, my lord...”

  “So, you accept, right?”

  “Yes. My loyalty will be only to you, master.”

  “Very good! I liked your answer, little girl!”

  Almodeus applauded, standing up and opening his hands solemnly.

  "From this moment, the being known as Raphy Talia Valgrana is under the protection of the name Almodeus Fearterror! Let everyone be informed of this and treat her with respect. Any questions?"

  “No, none!”

  The two giants present answered, bowing their heads.

  “Very well. If anyone has any objections, they can come and talk to me.”

  “I doubt anyone would be so foolhardy as to advance any to you, my lord.”

  Smaug declared, getting a nod of agreement from Hardshell.

  “I suspected. But now I have a question for you, Talia.”

  “S-Sure, just ask...my lord ”

  “You have three names. Is that normal for your race? Or is there another reason? I ask because here in the Empire, it seems only nobles have three names, so I was wondering if you were a demi-human noble or something.”

  "No, it has nothing to do with nobility. My name is just Talia. Raphy is my last name, while Valgrana is the name of the tribe I belonged to. You need to know that in our culture, a middle name is given in this way to help people recognize which village they belong to."

  “I see. That's certainly an interesting method! Thanks for answering my inappropriate question.”

  “You're welcome, master.”

  Talia lowered her head, shaking at the other's apology. Although she sensed no murderous intent on his part, her instincts still told her to flee, but she could not listen to them—it would be a death sentence.

  "Well, having satisfied my curiosity, I declared this meeting closed. I will withdraw due to some commitments."

  Almodeus's gaze moved from Talie and toward C.

  “Keep up your work, darling. If there are any problems, just let me know.”

  “Sure, my love! Have a safe trip back to Fear Tower, and say hello to Frederica for me!”

  The woman smiled and waved goodbye to her husband, who disappeared into thin air soon after, along with Almodea, Hardshell and Smaug.

  Talia was left alone with the red-haired woman and that pale giantess. She wasn't sure what to do in that situation.

  "Talia, how about you come into the kitchen and show me what you can do?"

  C asked with a gentle smile on her face.

  "C-Certainly, Mistress. B-But...I don't know much about cooking."

  "It doesn't matter. I can teach you something!"

  C's warm response calmed the little girl, but she jumped aside when Hirashi approached the two from behind. Despite her imposing size, Talia hadn't heard the pale woman moving at all: she was so damn silent.

  "Can I come too?"

  "Certainly, Hirashi! Now let's go! The kitchen awaits!"

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Almodeus reappeared with his daughter in the office. He sat on the chair, rubbing his forehead, sighing inwardly. Lately, the image of Amon had become extremely famous in the city of Arel, much more so than Alcina, so there were always nobles who requested his assistance.

  Honestly, he didn't mind too much. It was a way to spend time with his daughter, but it was extremely hard to play the hero in front of everyone. Acting a certain way was really difficult, especially when someone like him had to say stoic and gallant things, trying to appear like a champion of justice.

  Abadon would have been better, if only he had been here.

  He sighed, thinking back to his lost friend. Normally, when Amon was needed, if Almodeus couldn't show up, Shaco would fill in, using his illusionary abilities. The clown could clone himself and change appearance and, considering he was level 100 like every member of the Terror Trio, it was clear he was a formidable foe to face.

  Almodeus's eyes moved towards his daughter, who had sat at the table and was reading a manga. From the cover, he deduced it was a boxing manga, as it featured two boxing-dressed women brawling. On the table, there were other mangas stacked on top of each other. The one on top was probably a yuri romance, as the cover depicted two girls in school uniforms staring at each other, as if they wanted to kiss.

  “Little spot, can I ask you a question?”

  “Hmm? Sure! What is it?”

  “Do you know what happened to the women you helped while acting as Alcina?”

  “I think they were saved. I brought them to the Guild, but then I don't know what happened after. Should I have brought them here?”

  "Of course not, it would have been a failure for Alcina. At the current level, we can't afford that."

  Almodeus stated firmly. His daughter's question hadn't been very clever, but he couldn't expect her to think complexly all the time. It was then that he remembered what his daughter had said to him a few days earlier.

  “Tell me again about those demons that attacked you.”

  “The two Archdemons? I don’t know much, just that they served a certain Lord Black and wanted to take me to him.”

  Almodeus clenched his fists in anger. Whoever had dared send those tormentors to his daughter would pay with their lives, but vengeance wasn't the only thing driving his anger. He wanted to understand who this Lord Black was, and why he specifically wanted his daughter.

  -It was then that a question occurred to him.

  “Almodea...Do you have your defenses against spy spells active?”

  “Huh? No, why?”

  Almodeus' hand moved and hit his forehead in a loud facepalm, with a look that screamed Seriously? out loud.

  “Almodea...Are you kidding me?”

  "No, why should I? If someone wants to bother me, I'll kill them! And if they're too strong for me, you'll take care of it, even though I rule out the possibility of anyone in this world who could cause me problems."

  Her daughter's reasoning was extremely simplistic, yet logical. By birth, Almodea was level 100, at the Demon Princess evolutionary stage, making her someone few could beat. Even in the Fear Tower, only Hirashi and Almodeus himself would be able to defeat her with certainty. The Terror Trio would also have a chance, thanks to their greater combat experience, but Almodea's raw power made the odds 30-70 in her favor. If this Lord Black could only rely on Archdemons, then it would take hundreds of them just to damage Almodea even slightly.

  But that wasn't why Almodeus was worried. If his daughter was being spied on, it meant that every time she wasn't with him or Hirashi-who always had active skills that blocked espionage- she had been giving away important information to a potential unknown enemy. This was the problem, and what he needed to make Almodea, who didn't seem to have figured it out yet, understand.

  “Little spot, listen to me carefully, please.”

  “Sure!”

  The girl put away the manga and turned to her father, like a child about to listen to a bedtime story. It was her sweetness, combined with the infinite love he felt for her, that made Almodeus absolutely unable to be angry at that idiotic mistake.

  “Listen...If you don't keep your defenses up, you risk putting your mother in danger. The two demons knew where you were, so that means this Lord Black is keeping an eye on you. Do you want him to use your mother as a hostage?”

  “He just has to try! I'll rip his spine out!”

  The girl roared in fury. Sometimes she argued with C, since she was the strict parent, but if anyone dared to touch Almodea’s mother, they were sure to die a horrible death.

  “It’s nice to see you so defensive. Remember that next time, okay?”

  “I’ll try, Dad! And…sorry.”

  “There’s no need to apologize. I know you’re strong, but remember that not everyone around us is, okay?”

  The girl nodded and a big smile spread across her face.

  “Okay! I'll do better next time!”

  Almodeus was about to rub his beloved daughter's cheek when a knock at the door interrupted the two. After obtaining permission, Anxy entered the office, receiving a warm greeting from the girl sitting at the desk.

  “How can I help you, Anxy?”

  “I-I need to talk to you, master...”

  The purple-skinned woman stammered, shifting her gaze towards Almodea.

  “In private, if possible.”

  Almodeus immediately understood what the shy woman was saying, and nodded.

  “Little Spot, remember what I told you, okay? Now go have some fun. I've got some new manga printed for you.”

  “Ohhh!”

  Almodea's eyes lit up, as if she had seen a treasure.

  “Is it a female lead? With a strong woman in there?”

  “Yes. I put in everything you like, don't worry. Strong female lead and Yuri, like you said.”

  “Hurray! Thanks, Dad!”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Once alone in the room with Anxy, Almodeus's previous happiness vanished. It wasn't the fault of the woman he was about to converse with; on the contrary, they had a good friendship. He was simply stressed.

  “What do you have to tell me, Anxy?”

  “W-Well, I tried to revive Fiora and her team again, but I couldn’t succeed.”

  “Even with high level magic?”

  “U-Unfortunately, Camille’s daggers have drained all their life energy. If I overdo it, there is a risk that their bodies will turn to dust."

  “And that would be a problem. I understand.”

  Almodeus raised his right hand to the chin and sighed. If not even Anxy, who was the best sorceress he knew, could bring them back to life- then there was no hope. Resurrection was a complicated thing, even for them. Taking a life away was easier than giving it back.

  “Y-You could use Absolute Resurrection, or have Almodea learn it—“

  “No! Absolutely not!”

  “Ikkk!”

  Almodeus's roar startled Anxy, making the girl hug her cloak tightly, as if she wanted to vanish. The Absolute Lord was completely opposed to his daughter learning the most dangerous spell of all. If Almodea used that magic carelessly, which she surely would, then it would be a big problem. She would have been the one to suffer for nothing.

  “F-Forgive me, master...”

  “No. I'm sorry I scared you, Anxy. I don’t want my daughter to know about that spell. I don’t think she’s mature enough to use it.”

  “Almodea is already 18. Maybe she's old enough to use it.”

  “Not at all, I just had a demonstration of it.”

  The Absolute Lord sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

  “Almodea isn't stupid, but sometimes she can be...naive. She's simple-minded and might not realize what she's doing.”

  “Are you sure? I know it's not my right to judge, but—“

  “I'm absolutely sure. Besides, it might not be convenient.”

  “Convenient?”

  The demon raised his index finger and began to rotate it, like a professor explaining something to a student.

  “If I were to bring someone back to life, it doesn't mean they can't die again. If I were to bring back everyone my daughter cares about, then she would never grow up. Life is full of suffering, even for beings like us. Almodea will never mature if everything is served to her on a silver platter, and therefore—”

  “Your wife said that, right?”

  Almodeus froze for a few seconds, like someone who'd been caught cheating on a college test.

  “It was clear, you know? You'd burn the world down for Almodea. It's not like you to try to make her mature, especially if it would hurt her in the process.”

  “I'm not that bad, come on!”

  “I didn't say you were bad, but... excessive.”

  "Excessive?"

  “Once Almodea cried you massacred an entire city...Children included.”

  “Okay, you're right! It was C who convinced me to think this way! She'd kick my ass if I spoiled Almodea too much, but what can I do?”

  Almodeus sighed heavily, rubbing his aching forehead. He had so many conflicting thoughts at that moment.

  “No one ever told me how to be a father, but I'm trying! It's logical that I don't want to see my daughter suffer, but I can understand that it's necessary...Sometimes. I'm a terrible father, but— “

  “You're not.”

  Anxy interrupted. She was speaking with a tone that was strangely confident for her shy nature.

  "What?"

  "Sure, you're not perfect, b-but not terrible either. You love your daughter and would do anything for her, and n-not many parents would do that."

  “You're right. I've always seen myself as a disappointment of a father, to be honest.”

  “You're too negative, m-master...”

  “And you're too shy! You should be more confident, my girl! Maybe then people will start taking you seriously.”

  “I-I'll try, master...”

  Anxy muttered, returning to her usual shy voice. She was no good with compliments.

  Always the same Anxy.

  Almodeus laughed lightly at that thought and shook his head, trying to regain the seriousness he needed to talk about the next topic.

  "I think we should change the subject. Since you're here, aside from the topic of Almodea's maturity, I need to talk to you about a few things, including C's commitments and an idea I've been thinking about."

  “I am all ears.”

  Almodeus looked his interlocutor in the eye, then spoke in a harsh, theatrical tone.

  “Let's start with something I'm planning to do it within the next month. I sent Conrad and Soundwave to scout the Dark Jade Forest. It will be our next target.”