Casual Nighttime Conversations

Max's body trembled uncontrollably. His eyes were wide, his face pale.

— Shana … run! — she shouted in despair.

Melissa approached, alarmed.

— Max, react! — he ordered .

"Please, take me back to the kingdom!" he pleaded, his voice faltering.

Leskip crossed his arms.

— This Fedorova woman Alisiya … is truly an aberration. — she said Leskip .

" Leskip , is teleportation available yet?" Melissa asked .

— Yes. — he replied. Leskip .

The elf nodded and raised his staff. The light of the teleportation enveloped them, and in an instant, they were back in Leskip 's house .

Max was still in shock, breathing rapidly.

"Hey, boy, come to your senses," said the elf , shaking him.

"Careful... Alisiya might be watching us," Max murmured, sweating profusely.

Melissa watched him with concern.

Her gaze fell upon the clothes she had left on the table.

— Max, calm down. — Her voice grew firmer.

"How can I calm down knowing that crazy woman could show up at any moment?!" he shouted , almost in tears.

Melissa took a deep breath, gathering her courage.

"Then look at me closely and understand that you are safe," Melissa said .

She slowly removed her adventurer's clothes, leaving only her skin covered by shame and the strength she pretended to have.

Next, she put on the simple clothes and the royal dress.

Max looked away, blushing.

"Thank you... that already makes me feel a little better," he said awkwardly.

"Great. Can you get out of here unnoticed?" Melissa asked .

"Yes," Max replied .

"Then go, " said Melissa.

Leskip raised an eyebrow.

"Are they leaving already?" he asked . Leskip .

"Yes. And don't forget what we agreed on," Max replied .

"The aphrodisiac will be ready in two days," said the elf , pleased.

Melissa nodded, but suddenly a sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She coughed and spat out a small ball of fire that dissolved into thin air.

She looked at Max, who was wearing a slight smile.

"There's no need to keep that inside," he said calmly.

Melissa took a deep breath.

"Let's get out of here," Melissa said .

The two left the house.

"Can you cross the favela alone without being seen?" she asked .

"I think so," Max replied .

"I trust you. Go straight to the castle," Melissa said .

— Understood. — said Max.

Melissa ran through the alleyways, disappearing among the rooftops. She leaped over the wall of the royal garden and landed silently. Grinn was waiting for her.

"So, is his power of any use?" asked the king.

"I believe so," Melissa replied, regaining her composure.

"And what about collecting the items you helped Leskip and Max get?" he asked . Grinn .

"It was a success. But... something unexpected happened," Melissa replied .

Grinn raised his eyebrows.

"What?" Grinn asked, curious.

Melissa stared at him seriously.

— While I was bathing in the river, I met Fedorova. Alisiya . — Melissa replied .

The king's eyes widened.

"What?! What does she look like?" he asked . Grinn is even more curious.

"An enigma. But what I saw was the personification of evil. She knows everything," Melissa replied .

"Explain, " Grinn asked.

"I already knew that Fujimoto and the group had arrived in the kingdom. I knew that Cassandra is my sister. I even knew about Shana 's betrayal ," said Melissa.

Grinn remained silent, shocked.

"If the aphrodisiac works and we manage to win her over to our side, perhaps we can achieve peace," she continued .

Grinn nodded.

— Understood. – he said Grinn .

Sebastian appeared, in a hurry.

"Your Majesty, the young man named Max has returned... but without his luggage," said Sebastian.

"Send him in," Grinn ordered .

Shortly after, Max appeared. He stopped in front of the two, surprised to see the king and queen together.

"So our plan worked," Grinn said .

"Plan?" Max frowned.

"Do you really think I wouldn't know if someone tried to capture my wife?" he asked . Grinn .

Max became tense.

"From what Melissa told me, you didn't hurt her. And honestly, your plan has potential," Grinn continued.

"What?" Max blinked, confused.

"I want you to stay in the castle and wait for your companions," decreed the king.

Max simply nodded, still disturbed.

Hours later, Fujimoto and the group arrived.

As soon as they saw Max, they noticed the boy's dejected look.

Grinn gathered everyone in the main room.

"I imagine you're curious. I'll explain what happened," he began .

The king took a deep breath.

"Max has devised a plan to defeat Alisiya . He intends to use an aphrodisiac to make her fall in love with him and thus spare us a confrontation," he said . Grinn .

Everyone was in shock.

— Hahahaha ! Excuse me, but are you serious? — Shana was the first to react, laughing loudly.

Cassandra stared at her.

"What's so funny?" Cassandra asked.

"The thing is, now we have two idiotic ideas. Fujimoto 's , who wants to talk to her, and Max's, who wants to charm her with an aphrodisiac," he replied . Shana , fun.

Grinn frowned.

— Idiots, why? — he asked. Grinn .

— Because Alisiya has succubus blood — Shana explained .

Melissa stood up, surprised.

"What?" Melissa said , surprised.

"Her grandmother was a succubus ," Shana confirmed .

Melissa sighed.

"So we're wasting time and money?" Melissa said .

"Maybe not. She's not pure-blood," Max retorted .

"I estimate that only thirty percent of her blood is succubus," Fujimoto agreed.

Grinn crossed his arms.

"Then there's still a chance it could work," he said . Grinn .

"We'll only know by trying," Koharu interjected.

"Anyway, something important happened in the forest. When we went to get the ingredients, Leskip took us to Jamaka Cave ," Melissa continued.

Cassandra and Kairo exchanged startled glances.

"The cave of the furious bear?!" exclaimed Cassandra.

— Herself. But he was already dead when we arrived. — Melissa nodded.

The silence was heavy.

(A bear stronger than me… dead?) — he thought. Fujimoto .

"Afterwards, I went to bathe in the river and met Alisiya . She knew everything about us, even personal details. She said that Shana had betrayed Max and that Cassandra was my sister," Melissa continued.

They all exchanged uneasy glances.

"If anyone is suspicious of anyone else here, stop it now. I'm in this group because I trust all of you," Cassandra raised her voice.

Fujimoto nodded.

"I agree. But we need to find out how she gets this information," he said . Fujimoto .

"It could be some kind of magical espionage," Cassandra suggested.

Melissa shook her head.

"Perhaps. But for now, we'll take precautions. Grinn and I have decided to call Galadriel 's messenger ," said Melissa.

The group was speechless.

" Is Yumi coming?" he thought . Fujimoto , surprised.

"Finally, I'm going to meet her," Shana murmured excitedly.

Melissa took a deep breath.

"For now, let's put the tensions aside. Let's have dinner and regain our strength," said Melissa.

Everyone agreed. The group headed to the dining hall, trying to pretend that the weight of the last few hours didn't exist.

But deep down, each one knew that the shadows watching them were closer than ever.

We finished dinner in an awkward atmosphere, half relieved, half prepared for the next crisis. Melissa got up first.

"Now we'd better take a bath. There's a bathtub in the girls' room and another one in the boys' room," said Melissa.

The boys went to our room; the girls, to theirs.

In the boys' room

"Make yourselves at home. Whoever is going to use the bathtub, lock the door. When you're finished, let the next person know. We'll draw lots to decide the order," he said . Grinn .

We agree. The king ended up being the first.

"Can I ask you something?" I took advantage of the break and called Max over.

— Go ahead. — Max said.

"Were you able to speak with Alisiya ?" I asked.

"No. Actually... her presence is frightening. It doesn't even seem like you two are siblings," Max replied.

"He's broken inside."

— I understand. Sorry if I bothered you. — I said.

"Relax," Max said.

Grinn got out of the shower; the draw pointed to Max next. He went in.

"And you... do you like any girls?" the king then asked.

"I think I can say that I like Koharu ."

"I love Cassandra. I want to marry her," Kairo smiled broadly and said.

"And you, Fujimoto ?" he insisted . Grinn .

"I... like Koharu . But I'm too shy to say so," I replied.

"If you're too shy to say it, someone else might say it first, and she'll accept, and then you'll lose your chance," he said with the simplicity of a king and a friend.

Okay. Message received.

Max returned, and Kairo went to take a bath.

"What were you two talking about?" Max asked .

"Regarding love. Kairo loves Cassandra, and Fujimoto likes Koharu ," the king laughed .

"I get it," said Max, too neutrally.

"He made a plan. I don't like that look."

"And you, Max? After what happened with Shana , are you going to try to get involved with someone else... or are you thinking of forgiving her?" I ventured .

"I don't know if I can forgive Shana ," Max replied .

"I understand," I said.

Kairo returned. My turn. I stepped into the steam, took a deep breath.

"I need to talk to Koharu . Straight up. No beating around the bush."

When I left, I heard Kairo still questioning Max.

"If the aphrodisiac works on Alisiya , what do you intend to do with her?" Kairo asked.

"I don't know... maybe kill her," Max replied .

"Don't let hatred consume you," Grinn advised .

"This topic made me sleepy. I'm going to sleep," Max concluded.

In the girls' bedroom

"I'm so happy to finally be able to talk peacefully with my little sister," said Melissa.

Cassandra raised her hand.

"One question, sis: how do we decide the order of the bath?" Cassandra asked.

"Simple. I put four slips of paper in a jar and draw one," Melissa replied .

They agreed. Melissa drew lots and… she was the first to fall. She ended up in the bathtub.

Cassandra, in her room, saw Koharu and Shana exchanging glances.

"Hey, Koharu , why did you bring Max's suitcase to the palace?" Shana broke the ice and asked.

"I asked Fujimoto . He was going to carry Max's too, and I saw that I wouldn't be able to handle two," she replied objectively.

"If the aphrodisiac works and Max starts dating Alisiya , what do you all think? Especially you, Shana ?" Cassandra interrupted and asked.

"I don't think about impossible absurdities," Shana interrupted.

Koharu looked away, blushing slightly.

"We'll only know if it happens," he said . Koharu .

"I understand both of them," Cassandra sighed.

Melissa returned from her bath and drew lots again: Koharu was next. She went in.

Bakaru 's face . — Shana crossed her arms.

"It seems like you two fight, but you want to be friends," Melissa teased sweetly.

"That's your imagination. I'll never be her friend," Shana retorted, blushing.

"It doesn't seem like it. You help by telling her about her blood family, and she helps you in the kitchen." Cassandra laughed.

"It's just payback. Duty returned, end of story." Shana cleared her throat.

Melissa and Cassandra smiled.

Koharu is out; new draw: Shana in the bath. Cassandra would be last.

" Koharu ... does she like any boys?" Melissa asked while they waited.

Her face turned red instantly.

"I... think I like Fujimoto . But it's hard to understand what one feels," she replied . Koharu .

"That's right. It took me a while to realize I loved Grinn . It took him a while too." Melissa nodded.

Shana returned; Cassandra went to take a bath.

"Girls, I have a serious request. In crucial battles, cooperate. The world depends on your teamwork," Melissa said .

"You can leave it to me. I'll cooperate with Bakaru ." Shana nodded.

— Hey! Why "idiot"? — Koharu puffed out her cheeks.

"I'm glad they know how to cooperate even when arguing," Melissa laughed.

They laughed together. The atmosphere relaxed .