As we reached Princess Isabella's room, the two of us entered. Immediately, Walter blocked Nasumi from entering.
"My apologies. But the Princess will be speaking to him alone. Surely you understand, yes?" The old man said.
"Sorry, but I need to speak with Mizik without anyone bothering us," the Princess said.
"I...I understand..." Nasumi said.
"It'll be alright, Nasumi. I'll just be a moment," I said.
She nodded and went to sit on a nearby bench in the hallway. The doors shut and Princess Isabella took her helmet off.
I smelled something odd in this room...
Aside from the perfume and sweet smell...along with my own nervousness at being in the bedroom of our nation's next monarch...
It smelled like something had been burning...
"So, Mizik...you are able to use powerful magic, yes?" She said with a smile as she let down her hair.
"I can... I can use all types except light-based magic. I have no specific affinity for any-"
"Good. Could you please erect a barrier over this room? A soundproof barrier, if you do not mind," she said.
"Why...?" I asked curiously.
She began slowly removing pieced of her armor in front of me, casually. As if it were perfectly natural.
She stopped on her breastplate and smiled slyly at me.
"Because...I'm sure you'd like to see what happens next...right? The beautiful Princess of Albatross has asked it of you. Don't you want your reward...?"
I felt my face heating up...but didn't hesitate...
I erected a soundproof barrier around the entire room.
As soon as I did...
Her breastplate fell to the floor, revealing her underwear beneath.
"Good boy. Now...come here."
"Princess...you have a husband... I can't just-"
She approached me quickly.
And by that, I mean she was at my front faster than I could blink.
When did she get so fast!?
She grabbed my collar and pulled me into a kiss...her strength was incredible.
And so was her tongue...
After she pulled away, she signed happily.
"Haaa...much better. I told you to come here, but I suppose I can just do it myself. And don't worry, Mizik. Arvild won't be bothering us anymore," she said as she motioned to the corner just left of the entrance to her room.
There was a dent in the wall and a pile of bones on the floor. A human skeleton.
I suddenly became wary of her.
"What is the meaning of this...?" I said cautiously.
But...she looked sad.
"Those bastards...they took your memories, didn't they?" Princess Isabella said.
"I don't know what you mean, Princess-"
"Just call me Isabella. You always do. See, Mizik...I do have a husband. It's you. Don't you feel anything at all when you look at me?"
"...I...I don't know why... But I think I love you a lot..."
"You think? We've been married for many years, my love. Those people you were with... They're the reason you're here."
I began to notice her casual way of speaking. But at the same time...I wasn't sure I believed her.
"Those people are my friends. Even if we aren't getting along right now, they've always been here for me."
"You're such an adorable fool, Mizik. Don't you realize that Avernia has been gone for many years? It was destroyed over thirty years ago. This place is a lie. A false world within a containment sphere. It's a prison. They told us you were going away for training...but that was also a lie. Vakra uncovered the truth before I was sent here by hacking into their data systems. They plan to execute you after stealing your power."
It certainly did explain why I'd been feeling weaker lately.
But why would they do that? I couldn't believe that my friends wanted to hurt me so much...
"You don't believe me, do you? Well then. Come here. Let me remind you the proper way..." Isabella said.
She removed the last piece of her armor and stored it in her inventory with the rest of it.
She now stood in front of me wearing nothing but her underwear.
"I...uh..."
"We'll do what comes naturally. Then-"
There was a knock at the door.
"By the gods... Seriously?" Isabella said angrily.
She pulled a dress from her inventory and quickly put it on.
I undid the barrier and opened the door.
Nasumi pushed her way in and looked angrily at Isabella.
"I thought I told Walter to leave me be..." Isabella said.
"I think some of the guards came to get a progress update on you and uh...Arvild? Where is Arvild?" Nasumi said.
Isabella narrowed her eyes...as if she'd been caught doing something bad.
"That depends...who's asking? Do you intend to hurt Mizik?" Isabella said.
Nasumi stared at Isabella for a moment and seemed to figure out what was going on.
"I see. So you are the disturbance... This is good. Now that I've located the disturbance...I can lead them away from you," Nasumi said.
"Excuse me...?" Isabella said.
"Make no mistake, Isabella. I still consider you an enemy...and my biggest rival. But I refuse to just sit here while helping them torment and kill one of our own... I'm sick of it. I'm sick of the violence and I'm sick of listening to Kronos..."
"You realize that things are about to get obscenely violent, dont you?" Isabella said.
"I know... But what is it you people are after? Please just tell me... Kronos said you were bad. That you killed a lot of people. But he never said why..." Nasumi said.
"We want to save all of creation from being devoured by the Corruption. To do that, we needed power. Now that we have that power, we intended to put an end to it all...and then you people showed up and ruined everything."
Nasumi turned her eyes downcast.
"Please let me make it up to you... I want this to end as well. The others...they really aren't so bad. They're just following orders. Please-"
"I will not hear it, Nasumi. You may be kind and smart enough to tell us the truth and listen...but the only one who can decide whether or not to forgive is Mizik."
"I have no idea what's going on here..." I said.
"Just be quiet and keep being handsome, my love. Let Isabella take care of everything."
I could do nothing but furrow my brow in confusion.
I was very happy that the Princess saw me in such a way, but also confused.
When the hell had I married her?
And also...
Did Nasumi seriously just prevent me from getting some action...? I was probably about to get laid and she ruined it. I almost got into bed with the Princess!
"Damn it all..."
"It's okay! You can do the birthday dance with her later!"
"You again, Era?"
"Shhhhh...maybe you should pay attention to them instead of me!"
I looked at the two of them and Isabella smiled.
"I'm willing to forgive you, Nasumi. But only on the condition that you help us get out of this. Do we have a deal?"
"Yes. I will help you..."
"Good. Now tell us how to disrupt this world's systems," Isabella said with a triumphant smile.
"You'll have to deal with Mori. She's the one controlling the environmental subsystems. This entire containment sphere is not only her playground, but a memory bank for the Artificer and the testing facility for the shield world. The storage area of the Deus Arms."
"Shield...world...?"
"Yes. This...was originally the place where it begins. Avernia was created to house the Deus Arms...and to bring about the birth of the one who would destroy the Corruption. The gods residing over it were more like administrators. Programs that monitored the world from afar. They never actually existed at all."
"Is my life really that meaningless...?" Isabella said in an annoyed tone.
"Not so. All of the people born there were real. Including you. It's just that history was written a certain way on purpose. All to bring about Mizik's birth...and to protect the Deus Arms... Somehow, the Corruption breached Avernia before we were ready...and then the late Oracle got involved..."
"That story checks out. At the very least, it makes sense. Now for another question: why are you really helping us?"
"I have doubts about whether or not Kronos has the strength to defeat the Source of-"
"Goodness, I hate that word. It's so ambiguous. We aren't trying to 'defeat' Difar. Beat him up? You think he'll just say: 'oh darn, they defeated me!' and quietly disappear? Vowing never to hurt anyone ever again? Maybe even becoming our friend after a change of heart? We are going to annihilate Difar. We will kill him. There will be absolutely nothing left of that monster when we're done with him. Do I make myself clear?"
"Who the hell is Difar-"
"Mizik! I love you, but please shut up! Now forgive my interruption, Nasumi. Continue."
I wanted to respond, but there was something in me that instinctively wouldn't speak no matter the cost.
"Thank you. And...the truth is that I doubt Kronos can actually beat Difar. S-sorry for my verbiage... I'm used to saying that due to the...er... Heroic...ish...nature of our usual jobs. We don't usually kill unless directly ordered to."
"Is that all?"
"No... I was curious. I want to know what you intend to do once this is all over. I hate fighting...and Kronos always forces me to. I just want to stop fighting... No more hurting people..."
"I can't promise that no one else will get hurt."
"I know. I am personally sick of hurting people. I hate the feeling. The guilt... I would rather support than do harm... It hurts my heart..."
"And you think Mizik will allow you to be this way?"
Nasumi nodded.
"He is...rough around the edges. But kind deep down. I may even...ah... Never mind... Mizik is quite wonderful...but please. My question before demands an answer."
"About what we intend to do? I am unsure. Supposedly, Mizik wants to create a peaceful world and rule it as a kind and protective leader. But first, he wants to break his curse. That way, he will be able to smile freely without pain. Does that sound like the goal of a violent and evil monster to you?"
"No. Not at all. But he is willing to hurt anyone that gets in his way, yes?"
"For the greater good. Most of those worlds were doomed. They couldn't be saved. Many without significant risk to our lives either. And some were uninhabited...or populated with only wicked and vile abominations, bent on the destruction of all life. Can you blame us for destroying such worlds for our benefit? To save all of creation as a whole? Worlds devoured by the Corruption cause those living on it to endure a fate worse than death. Assimilation into the Abyss."
"And that means...you were saving them from unending agony...?"
"Precisely. Most cannot see past the initial horror of it. That the Cursebreaker and her crew are responsible for the deaths of trillions across creation. The destruction of hundreds, if not thousands of worlds. But we seek to end this war once and for all. And you people have ruined everything."
Nasumi dropped to her knees and. Bowed her head to the floor.
She pulled out her shortsword and placed it in front of her.
"Princess Isabella...Lord Mizik... Please forgive me... I was misinformed. I was wrong about you! Please have mercy on me! Allow me to atone by offering my life as payment!"
Nasumi sat up with tears in her eyes and unsheathed her sword. She held the blade against her throat and closed her eyes.
"Stop," Isabella said simply.
Nasumi said nothing, but did as instructed.
"If your life is in my hands, then I would prefer for you to fight by our side. Would you like to join our cause? The Exo-Humans of the Hero Party are quite valuable in battle...even as a support. That blade you wield is Compassion. Mizik retrieved it before we arrived back in Excelsis... It seems as if the Artificer has taken the stored Deus Arms within his inventory... Regardless, we can certainly make use of your abilities."
"You mean it...? Then I will join you... But...I cannot be of full use while Kronos remains alive. I also cannot fight against him. If I do, I will be sent in for reprogramming..."
"I have been meaning to ask... Are the Hero Party members machines?"
"We are organic. Our minds, consciousness, and powers are fabricated."
"The Artificer may be a traitorous bastard...but he is brilliant, I must say. Very well. How do we break this containment sphere?"
"The best way to do that is to...k-kill Mori... She is the administrator of the containment sphere. But killing her in here is impossible while the others are nearby. And also...while the firewall is active."
"One step at a time. How do we disable the firewall?"
"There is a terminal located near this city. One of several we can access. I can use a command to move us there if you'd like... But only if you are ready."
"Ready...?"
"As soon as we disable the firewall, the sphere goes into lockdown. The environment and entities within it also become disabled...as does the memory loss of the prisoner. In this case, Mizik."
"That sounds like exactly what we want...?" Isabella said cautiously.
"Except that it will alert all members of the Hero Party...and force Kronos to enact plan B. An all-out attack on Mizik to kill him as quickly as possible. Speaking of which..."
Nasumi stood up and approached me. She grabbed the amulet I was wearing, then pulled her sword up and cut the chain.
It fell to the floor...and as it did, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders.
"Ah...that's much better..." I said.
"It was made to steal your power. To weaken you enough for us to kill all while granting our group the strength to deal with the Corruption. You won't be needing it anymore," Nasumi said with a smile.
"I'm still having trouble taking all of this in... This isn't Avernia...? And I'm secretly married to the Princess...? What are you people even talking about!?" I said.
Isabella tapped my shoulder and I turned to face her. Then she grabbed my collar and pulled me into a deep kiss.
"Don't worry about it, my love. Like I said, Isabella will take care of everything. You're safe now," she said with a loving smile.
I felt my face heat up and averted my eyes.
"Aww! You're so cute like this!" Isabella cooed.
"I'm...not cute..." I managed.
Nasumi looked bothered by that she had just witnessed.
"Alright, Nasumi. Take us to the terminal," Isabella said.
"Tch...fine..."
"Is something wrong?" Isabella asked.
"No! Why would something be wrong!? Just because you can...k-kiss Mizik right in front of me..."
"Oooh. I see now. Well you'll have to get used to it. We've been married for over thirty years, so it happens a lot. And even..." Isabella leaned close to Nasumi with a smile and began whispering. "Other things..."
"Sh-shut up!!! Command: Move!" Nasumi quickly said just after grabbing mine and Isabella's sleeves.
In an instant, the world around us changed.