Disc 2: Land of Castles and the Lion. Ch. 2: Rally Go Round

Common Day insisted that Satis go for a walk somewhere else. The demoness agreed, though reluctantly. Once he was sure she was far enough, he approached the brown-haired woman from behind.

“Hey, hello! Do you remember me?” Common Day was a little nervous, but he managed not to stutter.

She turned and looked at him, genuinely surprised. For a moment, he caught a flicker of anxiety in her eyes, but just seconds later, she replied.

“Day-kun! Oh my g— Ah, you know what I mean. I can’t believe we are meeting again!”

They talked beneath the radiant sun. Common Day quickly caught up on everything that had happened to her since their last reunion. That’s when he learned her name: Valley Work. She’d matters to deal with, which delayed her arrival at the S-Market—right up until the first earthquake struck. She tried to help some of the Depths from her building, but the second quake destroyed the entire Community. Valley Work enlisted with the volunteers organizing the evacuation of Many Streams. In turn, Common Day told her about his journey, doing his best to omit the demonic details.

The brown-haired girl held his gaze the entire time.

Valley Work decided it was best to continue their conversation elsewhere. With every place packed with people, the only option left was the Guild. Common Day couldn’t believe his luck. Sure, he hadn’t put much effort into seeing her again, but it’s not like they were married. Besides, he was the one doing her a favor.

The Guild’s entrance was empty for now. Most likely, every member was busy dealing with the population surge. Common Day took this rare opportunity to talk in his room, and Valley Work didn’t object.

Feeling more relaxed, the conversation flowed easily. Valley Work seemed genuinely interested in all he had done—though it was a shame he couldn’t boast about the most exciting parts. Suddenly, she leaned in close. He grew nervous again and stumbled over the rags covering the electricity pile, sending it rolling across the floor.

For an instant, his companion's cute eyes sparkled.

An intense silence filled the room for the next few seconds. Then everything happened at once. Valley Work summoned a purple stave out of thin air. Still stunned, Common Day didn’t react in time—she kicked him so hard he hit the floor.

“Where are you hiding her?!” she demanded, her tone an expression full of contempt.

Still dazed, Common Day had no idea what was happening. His confusion only deepened when Western Land Slave burst into the room, smashing through the glass.

“Aha! I told you we’d meet again! Get ready for a good fight, you—huh?” The fiery woman hadn’t expected anyone else to be there.

Without giving her a chance to speak, Valley Work launched at the newcomer. Despite her initial surprise, Western Land Slave thrived on a good challenge, and fought back barehanded. The brown-haired girls unleashed all their physical strength, wrecking the room around them.

Regaining his senses, Common Day grabbed the electricity pile and made a run for it—but both women blocked his path. There wasn’t any flowing water nearby, but he trusted his speed. In one quick motion, he snatched the pile and burst into the street.

His ex-crush wasn’t as fast, but Western Land Slave closed the gap in a single bound over the crowd.

“Hey! That was rude. I went through this effort to follow you. Couldn’t we at least find a good place to fight properly?”

“Who the hell are you? I don’t know what you want, but if you stop that crazy woman, I’ll fight you whenever you want!”

She laughed at the challenge.

People scattered to avoid the fight, clearing a path for Valley Work. Just as the women were about to clash again, a trumpet rang out.

“Invaders! Everyone hide! We’ve got invaders!”

Common Day took advantage of the chaos and ran faster, with no clear destination other than getting far from the fight. Then he heard a booming voice.

“Where are they?! Where are those robbers?! You scum, bring them to me or prepare to die!”

The Man in the Center was shouting in the distance. His voice was inhuman, but it was obvious—the Rose Horde was here. Cursing his luck, Common Day dashed toward the northern section of Stone’s Water, hoping to find a safe place before nightfall. Then he could use the Left Eye to find Satis and the others.

Reaching a main avenue, he saw gleaming walls ahead—it was the golden-armorer guards making a blockade.

“People of Stone’s Water, we represent the one true ruler of the Land of Castles! Golden Shogun, Lion of this Community, demands your total surrender!” one guard shouted.

Behind the golden barricade stood some of the red-robed figures from before. Panic swept the streets. With no way to escape, the crowd froze. The sun blazed hotter and hotter, with no sign of setting.

Suddenly, Western Land Slave landed behind him. Her white uniform was now stained with blood.

She pulled him into an alley and opened a manhole.

Back to the sewers. Great.

But it wasn’t what he expected. Instead of foul, forgotten tunnels, he found a well-organized underground community. Even better, he could feel powerful streams of water flowing through the walls. The people here didn’t seem to care about the chaos above.

“Now, now, that was so-thri-lling! You know that woman, right? She was amazing! I need to fight her again. Oh, and yeah—this blood is mine, ha ha. She ran off before I could retaliate, but lucky me, I found you!”

Freak.

“That damn woman has nothing to do with me. She’ll pay for this. That’s for sure.”

I won’t make the same mistake twice.

With little else to do, they talked. Western Land Slave explained she’d been following them since their last meeting. Though she worked for the Cane Harvesters of Saint Hyacinth mafia, she didn’t feel much loyalty for them. Most drugs had been legalized before god’s demise, so now the term “mafia” was more of a cute title. Everyone left alive did whatever they wanted anyway.

“I thought it would be fun to have an epic deathmatch after a dramatic entrance through a window. Always wanted to try that. Ha ha ha.”

The crazy woman just wanted a good fight before the end. Western Land Slave also made a confession: she’d always had a weak constitution, forcing her to live most of her life in a hospital.

“They tested an experimental drug on me, and I ended up with this funny strength. But it came with a side effect: I’ve got less than two years to live. And then god died. I ended up with more life expectancy than god! Aren’t I lucky? Ha ha ha ha ha!”

For some reason, that cheered Common Day up too.

“God’s death? Are you stupid, madam? Leave the rivers if you’re going to spew nonsense. We don’t like atheists here.”

A young man in a green robe shouted from the other side, bearing a strange symbol on his chest—part cross, part tree.

Western Land Slave spat on the ground.

“Puaj. Ignore him, Day-kun. Arianists always ruin the fun.”