FIRE OF YOUTH

We were all shocked by what Grinn had just said.

Astóforo Roman. The name hit everyone like a hammer blow.

“Could it be that Alisiya was his ally…? And then she killed him?”

" Grinn , do you consider the possibility that Roman has allies?" I took a deep breath and spoke.

The king nodded with a grave look.

— Yes. He wouldn't have enough strength to act alone. That's why all the kingdoms are investigating possible accomplices. — he said . Grinn .

I looked at my companions.

Koharu and Shana watched me, understanding what I was about to do.

Grinn crossed his arms.

— It seems you know something, Fujimoto . — he said Grinn .

—We know who one of his accomplices was, — I replied .

Melissa and Grinn exchanged alarmed glances.

I turned to the group.

"Guys, can I tell you everything?" I asked.

Cassandra and Kairo agreed. Koharu and Shana did too.

I recounted, from beginning to end, what we knew about Fedorova. Alisiya , the massacres, the encounter in Seseferin , the adventurers' house in Lilibel , and her connection to me.

Melissa looked stunned.

"Are you saying that this Alisiya is responsible for the massacres in Lilibel and Seseferin ?" Melissa asked.

— Yes. — I confirmed .

Grinn frowned.

"And besides, she's your sister, whom you didn't even know existed?" Grinn asked.

— Yes. — I replied.

The king ran his hand over his chin thoughtfully.

"That complicates everything. We know nothing about her, not even her power level," Grinn said.

I looked at Shana and Koharu .

They understood what was coming next.

— Grinn … Melissa… can I tell you both a secret? — I asked .

Melissa tilted her head, curious.

"Yes," Melissa replied.

"If you trust them, you can count on them," he said . Shana .

I approached the two thrones.

" Shana is the current Demon Queen. Koharu is the Angel Princess. Both of them have their power sealed away at this moment," I whispered, close to the king and queen's ears.

Melissa brought her hand to her mouth in surprise. Grinn almost dropped the glass of wine she was holding.

"This is... unbelievable," murmured the king.

Melissa, still in shock, took a deep breath.

"Now it all makes sense. And to think that the other day an elf came to give us a magical armor for the Knight of Judgment..." Melissa revealed.

We all looked at each other, alarmed.

— What elf ? — I asked .

— A silver-haired elf with a serious look. She said the armor would serve to reinforce the judgment of good. — she replied Grinn .

"The Knight loved the armor, and the elf also installed a magic detection system in the palace," Melissa added.

“ An elf … silver hair, a serious look… It must be Filna . But what would Filna be doing here, and why would she help the kingdom of Omeron ?”

— There is something else. Our greatest fear is the name this elf mentioned… Elfsei Elfherinsei . — Melissa said .

A shiver ran through the room.

"How do you know about him?!" I asked instinctively.

"The elf spoke of Elfherinsei . But I already knew that name," Melissa replied .

"Did you already know about it? How would someone like you know about such a dangerous being?" Shana leaned forward.

Melissa stood firm.

" Because of the books in the Magichool library ," Melissa replied.

Cassandr and Kairo's eyes widened.

"Wait a minute... Does the Magichool library have records about Elfherinsei ?" Cassandra asked .

— Yes. Many. I read almost all of them before the school closed. — Melissa replied .

"Then let's go there now." Cassandra stood up.

Melissa smiled calmly.

"I can't do it today. The library is still closed off for safety. Tomorrow I'll restore it and organize the books. Besides... everyone's exhausted," Melissa said .

"All right," Cassandra agreed, still reluctantly.

Melissa then looked at all of us with a serene expression.

" Grinn and I have a request," Melissa said.

—What kind of request? — I asked .

"You guys stay here for a few days. There's one room for the boys and one for the girls," Melissa said .

We looked at each other, surprised, but no one refused.

"Okay," I replied .

Melissa smiled happily.

"Perfect! I'll have everything prepared right now," Melissa said .

— Let's get our bags and head back right away. — I said .

Grinn nodded.

"Deal," Grinn said.

Sebastian walked us to the gate.

He opened the large golden gate and we walked out—me, Koharu , Shana , Cassandra, and Kairo .

But I realized that Max wasn't coming.

— Max, are you okay? — I asked .

“I just want to use the bathroom,” he replied , too calmly.

— You can use the one here, — Sebastian said .

— Can I really? — Max asked.

— Of course. — Sebastian replied.

"Okay then . You guys go ahead, I'll catch up. My things are already packed." Max smiled falsely.

I suspected it, but let it go.

— Okay . We 'll wait for you there. — I said.

Sebastian closed the gate and followed Max inside.

"I'll wait for you at the gate, sir," said the butler.

—Right. — Max replied .

After using the bathroom, Max looked at himself in the mirror and smiled.

He walked through the corridors until he saw a maid.

— Hey, girl! Where's the kitchen? — he asked .

The girl took him there. And to his surprise, Melissa was cooking.

"Oh, it's you. I thought you'd already left," she said , turning with a gentle smile.

— They left. I stayed behind … bathroom, you know. And I took the opportunity to get something to eat. — Max laughed.

—Want soup? — Melissa asked.

— Just a fruit, — he replied .

— Here. — Melissa picked up a pear and handed it to him.

He bit into the fruit slowly, analyzing it.

— I wanted to talk to you before I go, — Max said .

Melissa stared at him curiously.

"About what?" Melissa asked.

"About… corruption. I thought maybe you could do some 'under-the-table' favors for me," Max replied in a calm, venomous tone.

“You’re funny.” Melissa let out a short laugh and said.

—I'm not kidding, — Max said .

—I noticed. The funny thing is thinking I would accept. — She wiped her hands on a cloth.

Max took a step forward.

"I think I can convince her," Max said with a mischievous smile.

—And what would be the 'reason' for me to accept something so dirty? — Melissa asked.

— Cassandra's life. — He smiled coldly and said.

Melissa's gaze changed.

"Are you threatening me?" Melissa asked.

"Just proposing a trade," Max replied.

Melissa took a deep breath.

"Do you want me to send you to prison for insulting the queen?" Melissa asked irritably.

"With what proof? Or would you prefer that the people know that Cassandra is your sister? That you have a… less than noble past?" he retorted .

"Okay. But I won't do anything sexual with you." She closed her eyes, but answered in a calm voice.

Max feigned casualness.

— Okay. Just one kiss to seal the deal. — Max said.

Melissa looked at him, motionless.

—Are you sure this is necessary? — Melissa asked.

— Absolutely. — Max replied.

She smiled slightly.

— Okay. — Melissa said.

Max leaned in close. Just as he tried to kiss her, she raised her hand, and a small flame appeared, stuck to her glove. Melissa blew on it, and the flame went out.

"How annoying. I thought it was going to explode," Melissa said .

Max's blood ran cold.

Melissa crossed her arms.

— If it’s a “deal” you want, come with me. There’s a better place for that. — said Melissa.

She led him through the corridors to the main door of the royal bedroom.

But when he entered, he came face to face with King Grinn sitting at the table.

His smile died instantly.

"Look, Grinn . Our guest thought I'd fallen for the trap and was going to take him to the bedroom to... 'sleep.'" Melissa started laughing, amused.

Max turned white.

"Close the door, boy. We need to talk, " Grinn said in a deep voice.

Max obeyed silently, swallowing hard.

And there, under the king's merciless gaze and the queen's enigmatic smile, the real trial began.

Melissa watched him calmly, arms crossed.

"What do you really want, Max? Because, honestly, you don't seem like a bad person," she asked .

— Yes. What I see in you isn't evil… it's hate. Maybe we can help you with that. — Grinn finished.

Max hesitated, looking at the floor.

"I think it's best if I tell you everything," Max said .

He told me about the fight we had four days ago, the incident with Shana , and the resentment he had been harboring ever since.

"I see. So what's bothering you is what happened between you and Shana ." Grinn listened silently, then commented.

Melissa raised an eyebrow.

—But I still don't understand why you tried to… get close to me like that. — Melissa said .

Max blushed.

"After what she did, I decided to… create a harem. I wanted Shana to see the kind of man she lost and realize that her mistake is irreversible," Max revealed.

The king and queen looked at each other… and burst out laughing.

Max stood motionless, embarrassed.

Melissa took a deep breath and returned to her serious tone.

"Do you really think that would make her realize her mistake?" Melissa asked.

"I think so..." he replied, uncertainly.

Grinn shook his head.

"That would only make things worse for you, kid," Max said .

Melissa smiled slightly.

"Enough of that. Let's talk about something more interesting," Melissa said .

Max frowned in confusion.

— What do you mean? — Max asked, not understanding anything.

"That little ball of fire that stuck to the ground. What was that, anyway? " Melissa asked.

— It's part of my power… what I received recently. — Max replied.

Grinn crossed his arms.

“What’s the name of this ability?” Grinn asked.

— Flame of Youth. — Max replied.

Melissa put her hand to her chin.

—Is this some kind of… aphrodisiac? — Melissa asked.

"No!" Max replied, almost offended.

"So what does she do?" he asked . Grinn .

"I'm not entirely sure yet... but I think it weakens the enemy's body," Max replied.

Melissa thought for a moment.

—Grinn .​ — Melissa said .

"What is it, my love?" Grinn asked.

"What if we tested his power to see if it's useful in interrogations?" Melissa asked.

Grinn's eyes widened.

"Wait... you want him to kiss someone for that?" Grinn replied, confused.

Max's eyes widened as well, but Melissa laughed.

"Of course not," said Melissa.

“So… who’s going to be the target?” Max asked , confused.

Melissa looked at her husband.

— You, Grinn . — Melissa said.

— What?! — they both said in unison.

"You wouldn't want to see your wife kissing another man, would you?" Melissa said .

Grinn blushed.

"Of course not! But... I don't want to kiss him either!" Grinn retorted.

"Then we won't know if the power is useful." Melissa shrugged.

The two men exchanged looks of pure despair.

Melissa, on the other hand, seemed to be having fun.

After thinking for a while.

"Wait... I know a better way," she murmured.

She turned to Max.

"You don't need to touch me to activate the power. Just concentrate that energy in your hand," Melissa said.

Max took a deep breath and did as she asked. A small flame formed in his left palm.

Melissa watched him, interested.

"Is that all?" Melissa asked.

Max scratched his head.

"For now, yes. That's the best I can do," Max replied.

"Then aim at me. I want to feel the direct effect," she said calmly.

Grinn stepped forward.

"Melissa, are you sure about this?" Grinn asked.

"I have it. If this ability creates weakness, we can use it against hostile prisoners," Melissa explained.

Grinn sighed.

"Okay. But, Max, if this goes wrong, you'll wish you'd never been born," Grinn said.

Max nodded and released the small flame. It made contact with Melissa, who felt a slight tingling sensation.

— So? — he asked Grinn .

Melissa took a deep breath and stretched.

"Just a slight warmth. No debilitating effects," Melissa replied.

She gave a slight jump in place.

"Nothing special. It seems pointless until we understand the real purpose," Melissa said.

Grinn sighed in relief.

"We're worrying for nothing," he said . Grinn .

Melissa waved.

"I'll take you to Sebastian and explain why you took so long," Melissa said .

The two walked together through the corridors.

As they walked, Max suddenly stopped.

He looked at his skill status panel:

FLAME OF YOUTH: Melissa 10%

(To increase control of the Flame of Youth, concentrate it in one hand and raise it high.)

Melissa turned around.

"Why did you stop? If you're going to try to blackmail me again, you've already seen it won't work," Melissa said impatiently.

Max simply smiled.

"Why that smile?" she asked suspiciously.

Max raised his left hand and focused the energy again.

A faint light shone between his fingers.

Suddenly, Melissa staggered.

"What... is this?" Melissa asked, confused.

She began to breathe with difficulty, feeling her body heat up from the inside.

Max kept his expression neutral.

—Is everything okay, Your Majesty? — Max asked.

Melissa clenched her fists.

“What are your requests, Max?” she asked , trying to maintain her composure.

He smiled slightly.

"Didn't we settle this in the throne room?" Max asked sarcastically.

Max looked at the panel again:

FLAME OF YOUTH: Melissa 63%

The queen held her dress, sweating.

— Lower… that intensity! — Melissa ordered.

"Then promise to come with me tomorrow... without the king," Max retorted.

—Okay… but put it down now! — Melissa begged.

FLAME OF YOUTH: Melissa 53%

Melissa took a deep breath.

—What else do you want? — Melissa asked.

"Two simple things," Max replied .

"Which ones?" Melissa asked.

— First, I want to know who makes potions and aphrodisiacs in this kingdom, — Max replied.

Melissa looked at him suspiciously.

" Grinn and I can take you there tomorrow," Melissa said .

—And the second request? — Melissa asked.

"When you go to the hot springs, call me," Max replied.

—That's ridiculous. — Melissa said irritably.

"Calm down, I won't do anything. I just want to... enjoy the view," Max said.

Melissa sighed, exasperated.

— Max… don't do anything to Cassandra. I know Kairo hurt you, but let her be happy. — Melissa pleaded.

He smiled.

— Understood. — Max said.

FLAME OF YOUTH: Melissa 65%

The queen bit her lip.

"Enough! Slow it down now," Melissa pleaded irritably.

FLAME OF YOUTH: Melissa 44%

She breathed heavily.

—That's better… — Melissa said.

Max lowered his hand.

"Then we're agreed. Let's go to the gate," Max said .

Melissa nodded, exhausted.

"Okay. But... I need a shower," Melissa said.

As they walked, Max kept smiling.

And even though she was irritated, she couldn't shake the feeling that the heat was still there, latent, burning under her skin.