A few minutes passed until Bambietta came out of her daze and managed to collect herself.
"Wait!"
Allen stopped and turned to see Bambietta. She had sweat running down her neck and forehead, though her face had lost its pallor. She took deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart.
"I can't believe Gremmy let us go... I've seen him kill people for less... damn it, what kind of bad luck do I have today?!"
It took Bambietta a minute to recover. Allen, seeing her better, tried to let go of her hand, but Bambietta didn't allow it. She tightened her grip as if it were the most natural thing in the world and then pulled him toward her.
"Don't ever do anything that dangerous again, your big sister was scared to death that something might happen to you!~"
Allen was hugged, and this time, she nestled into his chest and began rubbing her cheek against him.
"It turned out well in the end," Allen said as if it was nothing making Bambietta speechless.
'My little brother has the survival instincts of a capybara; I have to protect him!' Bambi, amid her worry, felt strangely intoxicated by Allen's natural aura, warmth, and scent. "Ah~ what is this feeling of peace and tranquility?❤️~"
2B – Master, I request permission to eliminate that woman. My analysis shows that the disadvantages of having her around far outweigh the inconvenience she causes...
'Calm down, 2B...'
Rebecca – Normally, I wouldn't mind one more fool, one less, but 2B is right, that crazy woman isn't worth the risk. Tsk...
Allen smiled wryly; he didn't expect Bambietta to become so clingy. Not that it bothered him too much, and in part, he had provoked it, but the recent experience proved to him that wasting time with Bambietta was dangerous.
Allen stopped using his innocent little brother tone and spoke seriously, "Bambi, it's better if we go before we run into another Sternritter"
"...!" Bambietta froze upon hearing Allen's serious tone. She looked up, their eyes meeting. The pure boy had vanished, replaced by a man who made Bambietta's heart skip a beat.
She seemed to drift into a haze as her mind melted like ice cream.
'What? What's going on? Where's my adorable little brother?... No, this is fine too❤️~'
As if drawn by the gravity of the sun, Bambietta closed her eyes and leaned her face closer. Allen, for his part, couldn't be following Bambietta's mood swings, as she was entirely a woman whose actions were guided by her emotions. As Allen wondered whether he should stop the situation, two girls approached.
Artoria – I warned you...
'...'
"Yuck... it's Bambietta..." an irritated girl's voice came from behind Allen.
"Bambi-chan, you can't do that~" The second voice belonged to a girl who sounded like she was drenched in cotton candy.
"Bambi-chan~~"
Bambietta froze as her attitude shifted from floating on cloud nine to having a fire in her eyes with anger.
"Meninas... Candice..." Bambietta grunted.
It seemed like all the Sternritters had allied themselves to not leave Bambietta and her newly acquired little brother in peace that day.
Bambietta brought her mouth close to Allen's ear, "Little brother, those girls are bad news, don't trust them, just stay by my side, and I'll protect you~"
Bambietta smiled gently, cupping Allen's cheeks, her eyes no longer filled with anger but now brimming with affection. Her ability to change moods instantly was terrifying even to Harley and Rebecca.
"..." Allen nodded without resistance, which earned him a beautiful smile and a kiss on his cheek from Bambi's lips.
"Hee hee❤️~"
...
Allen turned to face the pair of approaching girls.
"At least do it in private, you crazy b*tch... huh?"
The first girl spoke again, more irritated this time, but stopped mid-sentence when she saw Allen.
"Shut up, Candice..." Still smiling kindly at Allen, Bambietta insulted Candice.
Candice Catnipp was a tall girl, well-endowed in body and beauty, with long light green hair and eyes of the same color. Her eyebrows were well-shaped and extended in four points. Her attire was a variation of the typical Sternritter uniform, consisting of a white suit with a neckline tied at the side of her abdomen, exposing much of it. She also wore shorts the same color as her suit, held by a black belt with a heart-shaped buckle on her left hip. Her shoes extended past her ankles. She had a white cap with the Wandenreich insignia on the front. Almost as if hinting at her power, her eyebrows and some strands of her hair had a "lightning" shape. She was given the designation of the letter "T" for "The Thunderbolt."
Candice stared at Allen in silence. Everyone knew about Bambietta's sadistic habit of being a lunatic. To avoid suspicion, Bambietta acted cold and cool with subordinates so that no one would suspect she was crazy; the unsuspecting walked into the slaughterhouse without knowing their cruel fate.
Some said that Bambietta Basterbine was a pervert who "devoured" new Soldat before killing them, while others said she killed them the moment they entered her room.
The truth was that no one could know for sure except Bambietta. However, her true attitude depicted her as a crazy and sadistic woman who loved to kill people while making them suffer, and she hadn't shown any perverted traits, making the first theory less credible. So, everything leaned more toward the second option.
Of course, Candice, holding a grudge and dislike for Bambietta, treated her as if she were the biggest hypocritical b*tch in the world. This time, unlike before, she saw her acting affectionately in the hallway, causing Bambietta's image to fall even further in her eyes.
'What a waste...' Candice thought. It was the first time she saw a boy as attractive as Jugram. She couldn't help but find Allen's fate more miserable, having encountered Bambietta.
"Bambi-chan~..."
Candice waved her hand dismissively, "Forget it, Meninas, that crazy woman won't listen to you!"
The second girl had a downcast look; she was one of the kinder Sternritters, and although she didn't hesitate to kill her enemies, she didn't like seeing an innocent Soldat die, as they were all Quincy in the end.
She was Meninas McAllon, a tall and slender girl with a voluptuous figure... with long, straight pink hair and eyes matching the same tone.
"But poor boy~" Meninas sighed.
Her outfit was a variation of the typical white Sternritter uniform, consisting of a ruffled skirt, ruffled gloves, boots with ruffles, tights, and a belt with a heart-shaped buckle (similar to the one Bambietta wore). She also had a large bow around her neck and a white cap with a black brim and the Wandenreich insignia on the front, worn slightly to the side.
...
Meninas McAllon was a Quincy who was part of the Wandenreich organization and one of the Sternritters, given the letter "P" for "The Power" due to her overwhelming strength.
"Tsk, Bambietta, we have training. Let that boy go..."
Candice put her hands on her hips, seeing Meninas' pitying look. Although she knew there was little she could do to stop Bambietta, she also thought it was a waste for a handsome boy like Allen to be let die. Of course, in the end, power was everything, and it didn't matter how attractive Allen was if he was weak because any Sternritter could kill him, and more than one wouldn't mind having a handsome boy around.
Both girls were part of a team made up of Sternritter "girls," and although it wasn't an official name, they were called the "Femritters." Interestingly, Bambietta was the leader of this team, but due to her attitude, they often disobeyed her, and Candice even fought with her.
Bambietta placed Allen behind her as if afraid he might be snatched away if she let her guard down.
At this point, Allen felt that his problems would only increase if he got involved with more Femritters, so he slowly began to step back, planning to teleport away once he was far enough.
Bambietta restrained her bad mood, knowing that if she started fighting with Candice, it would never end. She adopted a serious, commanding attitude.
"Candice, Meninas, as your leader, I order you to go train. I have an important matter... I'll catch up with you later"
Candice might have avoided a fight this time, but Bambietta's bossy attitude irritated her.
"Important matter?!" Green electric sparks flashed around Candice. "Are you referring to killing that Soldat?! Bambietta, I don't care if you're a crazy b****, but at least admit that you are!"
Bambietta was stunned by Candice's biting words. "Huh?!... Just because I tried to be nice once..."
"You? Nice? Bambietta, you're a bad-tempered sadist. Who are you fooling? Just seeing you seducing an innocent boy in the hallway... do you think acting like a leader makes you look better?"
"I don't want to hear that from you. Just look at yourself! That exposed midriff, that neckline... who's the tramp here?!"
"Huh?! This is my style. I like dressing like this! I'm not like you!"
"Ha! Of course Candice~, you're not like me... No matter how you look at it, with your face, you couldn't attract any man!"
"Shut up!"
Bambietta began to gather red Reishi around herself, while Candice gathered green Reishi. A hot-headed woman and a crazy sadist could only end in disaster.
...
Allen discreetly stepped back further. These two would end up killing each other if things escalated. Of course, it wasn't the first time they fought, and it wouldn't be the last, but ultimately Allen benefitted if Bambietta diverted her attention from him.
There would be time to thank Bambi-chan later. For now, Allen didn't want to draw too much attention or get more entangled with Bambietta, as it would definitely attract more attention.
Once Allen was far enough away, he turned a corner and stopped, letting out a sigh. In front of him stood Meninas, the pink-haired girl who seemed to have a field of flowers in her head, looking at him with curiosity and a smile.
"Hello~"
Allen shook his head once and decided to be polite. "Good day, it's a pleasure, Miss Meninas. I'm Allen Walker."
"Oh~" Meninas was surprised to be treated with courtesy and without fear. She extended her hand and patted Allen's head. "It's a pleasure, little Soldat. I'm Meninas McAllon~... eh? How did you know my name?"
Meninas tilted her head, a finger on her chin, with a cute, lazy, fluffy demeanor that gave the impression of a sheep in human form.
Allen chuckled. "Bambietta mentioned it a moment ago."
"Oh, I see, hehe~" She smiled with her eyes and mouth closed while leaning forward with her hands behind her back. "I'm glad to have helped you~"
Allen's eyes widened. He didn't remember her doing anything to help him.
"Sorry, I meant I'm glad I could help you get out of here..." she extended her hand.
Meninas was an anomaly even among the Sternritter, as she showed kindness and compassion. Of course, she was still a Sternritter and wouldn't hesitate to kill for Yhwach, but she often warned her opponents not to fight, and Allen didn't doubt that under other circumstances, she would choose to let her opponents go.
Allen was weak to others' goodwill and was about to take Meninas' hand when she seemed to remember something and withdrew it.
"Ah... it's not what it looks like..." Meninas had an awkward look as she tried to explain herself.
Allen smiled without pressing her for an explanation.
Meninas appreciated that, calmed down, and returned to her fluffy demeanor. "You know, I'm really strong~ but people often tell me not to touch others carelessly or I might hurt them, hehe~"
"..." Allen smiled, still amused.
Nokotan – Allen-tan, didn't she just pat your head a moment ago?
Bocchi – Why didn't she mention that earlier?!
At first glance, and largely because of her innocent and pleasant appearance, Meninas seemed to be a girl of a passive, discreet, and kind character, in contrast to her female companions like the hot-headed Candice or the sadistic Bambietta.
But as absurd as it might seem, despite being the Femritter with the best temperament, she was the most dangerous to someone weak. Due to her strength, if she wasn't careful, she could have accidentally killed people.
Imagine a morning hug from her ending with you split in half. In that sense, having an intimate relationship with her was much more dangerous than with Bambietta.
Allen decided to ignore the situation and joked, "Then it will be an honor to be escorted by you."
"Hehee~ you're very nice and you're not shaking with fear... I can see why Bambi-chan liked you~"
Meninas smiled and accompanied Allen, walking beside him; perhaps unconsciously, the girl was walking too close to him.
Allen smiled and didn't pay attention, so soon both walked away while the sound of explosions and thunder roared behind them.
[At this rate, we'll never get out of Wandenreich.]
'I know... but I can't leave Meninas after she was so kind...'
Allen had met enough Sternritters by now and only wanted to get out of there. It was important not to forget that they were villains, and as such, there was no good ending if he encountered more.
Meninas grabbed Allen's arm while smiling.
"...?"
"I don't know why, but I like being close to you... does it bother you?"
Allen smiled ironically. The girl had just mentioned a moment ago that she couldn't touch someone carelessly, and now she was holding his arm. Allen wondered if Meninas was an angel or a demon, as she pressed his arm against her chest, which wasn't small, with enough strength to break a normal person's arm into five parts.
'Maybe both...' Allen concluded, not paying more attention.
...
"What's that?!"
Around a corner, a man was watching this scene with jealousy and disgust.
"Meninas, how dare you love someone other than me?!" The man bit a handkerchief in anger.
He was an obese, short man with a large nose who appeared to be of advanced age. He had dark skin, was bald, with barely any eyebrows, an extensive white beard, and general body hair.
He wore dark sunglasses, silver bracelets, and a uniform quite different from the rest of the Wandenreich members, which consisted only of a one-strap overall and a sleeveless shirt. He wore the characteristic cape among the Sternritter, baggy pants, and pointed shoes that would remind one of a genie from a lamp, complemented by the fact that he floated everywhere.
"MENINAS!"
The unpleasant man was PePe Waccabrada, whose letter was "L" for "The Love." He had the power to induce strong feelings of love in his opponents, making them fight for him and push beyond their limits.
Of course, far from being true love, it was spiritual-level brainwashing. PePe was hated even among his peers because he had attempted to use his powers on more than one person.
The repulsive man had his eyes on Meninas, but she was always accompanied by her companions. This time, for some reason, he was lucky to find her alone. Naturally, he didn't count Allen as a company.
"Oh, I see!~ Hehe, what a naughty girl~ using a Soldat to make me jealous. Indeed, I haven't paid attention to you, but it's because of that nuisance Liltotto that I couldn't get close~"
PePe smiled unpleasantly, full of intent to show that true love was only the one directed at himself.
PePe was a disgusting narcissist who loved no one, or rather, only loved himself. His "love" made him believe he deserved to be loved by everyone. That only love for him was real and that Meninas needed to be freed.
The man wiggled his hips unpleasantly, as he winked at Meninas back in the distance, "I'll show you the meaning of love soon enough!❤️❤️❤️~."
===
A/N: It will be interesting to see the girls' reaction to finding out who Allen is 🗿
PS: Officially this story has one million words published on webnovel, maybe twenty four thousand more on patreon but those are details... one million, people this story is less than two hundred thousand words away from having more words than the whole Harry Potter Saga hahaha