Clandestine Meeting
"Serena? What the hell are you doing right now?"
"...Follow me."
I was so shocked that I was breaking out in a cold sweat as I asked, but Serena just grabbed my arm and headed forward.
"Why to the window?"
"When we were kids, you always snuck out the window, didn't you?"
Eventually, we reached the window, where Serena sat on the sill and extended her hand to me.
"Come on, take my hand."
"No, what is this..."
"Hurry."
Urged by Serena like that, I hesitated for a moment before sighing and taking her hand.
It was an unavoidable choice, made because the moon mana billowing with toxicity—enough to leave me bedridden for a week if I even breathed a little of it indoors—was swelling up.
Whoosh!
The moment I grabbed Serena's hand, she flipped backward out the window while holding mine.
I was startled for a second, but soon remembered this was a prank Serena often pulled when we were young, so I closed my eyes tightly and entrusted my body to her.
"Was it fun?"
"No."
Eventually, I landed on what was probably a bed of soft moon mana that Serena had prepared on the grass in advance. I gave a curt reply to Serena, who was sprawled on top of me crushing me, then shoved her off.
"I have no intention of hanging out with you right now. So..."
"If you won't play along with me, I'll disqualify you as commander."
But when she glared at me with a pouty look, I stared back at her and fell into thought for a moment.
'...This is completely different from her recent attitude?'
To erase the love Serena held for me, I'd been putting on affectionate displays with Kania in front of her whenever I got the chance.
That's why our relationship had been quite distant lately... but her attitude now felt like we'd gone back in time.
"Fine, disqualify me. I won't lose anything even if you do."
Of course, I couldn't let her lead me around by the nose, so I snapped back curtly, but Serena just watched me with a faint smile.
"...Touch the back of your neck."
After staring piercingly at me for a long while, Serena spoke in a calm voice.
"Ow, hot damn!"
Without thinking, I touched the back of my neck at her words, and my finger got pricked by something, blood starting to flow.
"You're poisoned."
"What?"
"If you don't drink the antidote I give you before morning... you're as good as dead."
Serena smiled brightly as she said that, and only then did I realize what she'd done to the back of my neck earlier.
"So, what do I have to do?"
Of course, since she was under the Absolute Obedience Magic, I could just order her to hand over the antidote.
But I was so curious about why she was suddenly acting like this that I decided to follow her lead for now.
"Go on a date with me tonight."
"What?"
But hearing Serena's follow-up words, I started sweating coldly, debating whether to just order her to give me the antidote and leave.
It seemed like tonight was going to be a really long night, just as she said.
"Do you recognize this place?"
"This is..."
Serena, who had put the flustered me into a black carriage, took me first to her regular dessert cafe.
"Back in the day, you ate cake here with me every single day and got a cavity, remember?"
Of course, I remembered that incident well.
I avoided sweets entirely for a while because of it.
But thanks to Serena tearfully apologizing, I started coming back soon after... and got another cavity, earning a massive scolding from my parents.
"You're not still holding a grudge about that, are you?"
As that memory surfaced and I furrowed my brow slightly, Serena began peeking at my expression with a slightly worried look.
"...Let's go in."
Of course, I wasn't holding a grudge; it was just that the pain in my teeth from back then felt vividly real again. But I deliberately treated her coldly and stepped into the shop.
"Welcome, customer!"
It had been quite a while since my last visit, but most of it was just as I remembered.
The overly lovey-dovey decorations and colors, the small and cozy furniture, the staff always smiling brightly... and the fact that it operated 24 hours.
"Um... no animals allowed!"
As I walked thinking that, a voice came from behind.
Wondering what was up, I turned to see a staff member blocking Serena, who had an owl clinging to her shoulder.
In truth, Serena was a regular big spender here, so they'd always turned a blind eye to her pet owl entering... but this guy must be a newbie.
"It's a doll."
"A doll?"
"Yes, feel it."
The staff poked the owl's face at her words, but it didn't blink, rigidly perched on Serena's shoulder.
"Oh, it really is a doll. Sorry about that."
After poking the owl for a good while, the staff bowed apologetically to Serena, who then smiled gently and stood beside me.
"Praise me."
"Out of nowhere?"
I furrowed my brow and asked back as Serena's eyes sparkled with some incomprehensible remark, and she pouted sulkily.
"Back then, whenever I used my head, you always praised me, right? So, praise me."
"What the hell is this about?"
Unable to fathom her intentions, I asked irritably, and Serena replied with a slightly sad smile.
"...I want to fix everything, even if it's late?"
"What does that even..."
"Let's talk inside first."
With that, Serena entered a room that had been prepared in advance, and I sighed while following her with reluctant steps.
"Wow, this room hasn't changed at all."
A familiar scene entered my view as I stepped inside.
"Look, the doodles we drew as kids are still here."
As I looked around the room lost in memories, Serena pointed to a doodle scrawled in the corner.
Frey ♡ Serena
"...Yeah."
I stared for a moment at the doodle I'd personally written as a kid, then sighed, sat down, and threw out a question.
"Now spill it. What's your game?"
Serena, who had been petting the owl perched on her shoulder, stared piercingly at me and said,
"So, what's the reason I can't worry about you?"
".....!"
Her words left me stunned for a moment.
"Don't worry, it's night right now."
"...What?"
Serena leaned her head toward me, looking at me endearingly, and said,
"At night, I'll worry about you, and during the day, I won't. Got it?"
"...Ah."
At that moment, I roughly understood the situation.
"During the day, you have erased memories, and at night, un-erased ones?"
"Something like that."
"Why the hell?"
Serena narrowed her eyes sharply and said,
"My daytime actions are monitored by the Sun God. So, to screw over the Sun God, I have no choice but to scheme at night. That's why I split daytime me and nighttime me."
"...What!?"
"Didn't you know? About the system and the Sun God..."
I perked up my ears at Serena suddenly spilling crucial information, but she abruptly shut her mouth, glanced out the window, and whispered,
"The moonlights I shook off earlier are glowing again."
As Serena looked around warily at that, I spread star mana everywhere and began sensing suspicious presences.
'Moonlight family's assassination squad.'
Given that she specifically called them "moonlights" and how she urgently covered my mouth despite not flinching at most threats, these presences were probably assassins sent by the Moonlight family elders.
That explained why Serena had come to me.
She'd either come to save me or was forced by the elders' pressure to pretend to kill me.
"So, how many cakes?"
"5? No... probably around 7."
"Sweetness level?"
"Very sweet."
While thinking that, I calmly asked Serena about the number and strength of the assassins, picked up the order sheet and pen nearby, and said,
"Ordering verbally? Or using the sheet?"
"Let's use the sheet."
As Serena smiled and replied, I wrote on the order sheet with a calm expression and opened my mouth.
"By the way, what the hell is this?"
I passed the paper after writing that, and Serena began her story with a faint smile.
"What else? It's a reconciliation gift from me to you."
Seeing the paper she cautiously handed me after speaking, I scowled deeply and said,
"Reconciliation my ass?"
As I wrote that on the order sheet and handed it over at the same time, Serena began to smile.
"You're really going to play it like that?"
Reading what was written on the order sheet she extended, I let out a hollow chuckle.
It had been quite a while since someone said they'd protect me.
"Your ordered cakes are here!"
"...Did we really order this?"
"Yes! That's correct, though?"
A massive cake appeared before my eyes.
Not just massive—a super gigantic cake.
Flutter
I blankly glared at the cake for a moment, then suddenly Serena unfurled a fan.
I inadvertently glanced at the fan, and seeing what was written inside, I started chuckling hollowly.
"Why are you laughing like that?"
"No reason... the cake's just too big."
I'd wondered why she'd ordered such a gigantic cake—it was to create blind spots, her clever ploy.
Damn, she really excels at using her head.
'...Is it okay to tell her?'
Anyway, as I paused to answer her question and stared at Serena, I wondered.
According to what she'd said earlier, her memories differed between day and night.
So, did she maintain the Absolute Obedience Magic even at night?
"...Serena, give me a big smile."
"Hehe."
Thinking that, I gave the order, and Serena immediately beamed with a genuine smile—not her usual elegant or faint one.
Realizing the magic was still in effect, I sighed in relief.
Because no matter what I said under my command, Serena couldn't "believe" my words... so no penalty would ever trigger.
"It's just..."
Flutter!
As I opened my mouth with that thought, Serena—beaming and scrutinizing my expression—flipped the fan without even hearing my answer.
"Continuing our earlier talk... Do you really prefer that maid over me?"
Realizing from her action that she'd read the answer from my expression alone, I stuck out my tongue in admiration and carefully formed a "2" with my fingers.
"Not just Kania—there are women better than you everywhere."
"...Grind."
Serena stared fixedly at my hand shape, quietly grinding her teeth, then grabbed my hand.
"...Frey."
Serena's face grew profoundly sad.
But anger soon mixed into that sadness to fool the watchers outside, and shortly after, suspicion blended in due to my command.
I silently watched her like that, wanting to revoke the "don't form convictions" order right away, but held back—it would dismiss all her hard preparations.
"For example? Who’s better than me? Not just women—even among men, there aren’t many."
As she struggled to keep a calm face, Serena unfurled the fan again and posed another question.
"You rank below the Kania and Irina I’ve been hanging with lately. So, time to face reality."
I replied to her in a cold voice, and Serena made a face like she'd expected it.
"As expected, there’s a reason you treat them so well? When did you fall for them exactly?"
"Kania about three months ago, Irina recently. And it’s not falling—it’s just playing with them."
"Unbelievable."
After roughly sharing info like that, I nodded, then averted my gaze from Serena, who began eyeing me suspiciously again under my command's influence.
'Looks delicious.'
Then the appetizing cake entered my view.
Conditioned by kid-Serena to love sweets, I unconsciously reached for a spoon... but
I froze upon reading the last part of the urgently unfurled fan.
'...Tch.'
Cursing the damn assassins who'd dared poison the delicious cake, I glanced out the window, then turned at the flapping sound.
"Do you hate me that much, Frey?"
As I prepared to answer the question now in front of me, Serena urgently flipped the fan again.
"Answer properly. Do you hate me that much?"
Seeing that, I felt a surge of cuteness toward the slightly trembling Serena and replied,
"Don't worry too much. When I get bored of the toys I'm playing with now, I'll pick you up again."
Serena sighed in response.
"...At least that's a relief."
After that, as she sighed briefly, she predictably began flapping the fan with suspicious eyes due to the command.
"You're really going to abandon me?"
As I smiled to answer, a thought flashed through my mind, making me hesitate.
The prophecy book's repeated errors, misfiring memories, unknown system, and the unnatural "early termination" from recent trials...
Things I'd believed right or taken for granted were going awry one by one.
So, was it true that I could wish to the Sun God at the end?
No, was the Sun God even trustworthy to begin with?
The unidentified man in my subconscious who split the sun, the "split sun" phrase I saw infiltrating the church basement with Perloché, the "Demon God" she mentioned.
And according to Serena just now... she's scheming something to evade the Sun God's watch.
Then, surely the Sun God is...
"F-Frey?"
Lost in thought, I snapped back at Serena's voice and looked at her.
"Y-You won't abandon me... right...?"
"Huh? Y-Yeah... I won't. I won't abandon you."
Anyway, the prophecy did say there was a revival method, so I calmed my mind and began hinting to her that revival was possible... but
"W-Wait... don't tell me... you really don't have a..."
"No, I said I do. There's a way."
Serena seemed to have thoroughly misunderstood, reading my churning mind.
"Serena, calm down. I won't abandon you, and there's definitely a way."
I belatedly grabbed both her hands to salvage the situation, but her face grew even paler.
"Okay, I'll tell you the method later. Just calm down for now..."
"One from the right window, two from the left door, two from the ceiling, one from the floor, one watching the situation."
"What?"
As I desperately threw out anything to calm her, the ashen-faced Serena scowled deeply and said,
"Prepare yourself."
With that, she began emanating moon mana from her entire body.
"...Damn it."
Sensing the six presences flooding into our room, I sent star mana through my body, tensed my muscles, and pondered.
'Fucking old geezers.'
I'd have to pay back those Moonlight family elders with a surprise gift soon.
Meanwhile, at that moment, in a palace of a minor kingdom on the Western Continent.
"What did you say?"
"Just as I said, Princess. The ship carrying the First and Second Princes and Princesses has gone missing."
"What the hell does that mean!!"
The kingdom's princess, excited about entering Sunrise Academy next year, was trembling at the shocking news brought by her attendant.
"That means you're now the kingdom's sole heir to the throne and our only hope."
Hearing that, the princess collapsed into her seat in panic.
The prelude to the main quest "Slave Market Liberation" mission had begun.