As Xialdre looked back at the girls, his attention immediately focused on Furina and the royals, who were now his new allies. He walked directly to Furina, who was still in tears over the loss of her mother right before her eyes. Xialdre stood over her as she cried on the floor.
Arisawa observed him, her expression turning serious as she realized Xialdre was about to act. Furina looked up, seeing Xialdre staring down at her. She stood and cried into Xialdre's chest, and he hugged her.
The girls were shocked at how Xialdre handled the situation, noticing a gradual change in how he approached his tools or in other term them. Furina looked up into Xialdre's eyes, tears streaming down her face. "Xialdre, I'm sorry for leaving you and your sister to face that terror alone."
"I'm sorry for realizing it just now. I'm sorry for not keeping myself together and for abandoning the four of you in the hands of Satra," Furina pleaded. Xialdre thought to himself that it wasn't her fault; her abandoning them was probably the best choice, although she didn't know this and would regret it, not realizing she had done the right thing.
Xialdre sighed and held Furina tightly, telling her to calm down. "Just like in the past, those you see as friends won't stay forever. But a better statement is, those you leave and those who leave you might have a chance to get back together. Don't you understand? I want to get back together with you. That's why I accepted the challenge your father gave me."
Isayao then walked over and placed her hand on Furina's shoulder. She smiled and said, "Furina oneesan, ever since I met you in the past, I've always dreamed of being like you, a very charming and calm person. But that was the past. Now, I want to travel with you in the present. Let's forget the horrible things that happened to us because the past stays in the past."
Furina wiped her tears as Isayao hugged her. Xialdre and Isayao embraced her, and for the first time in a long while, Furina felt comfortable. Xialdre then asked her to meet the girls. He stepped aside, and Furina looked at Clementine, Asabe, Rain, Xyrene, and Yuri. Clementine waved her hand with a smile, while Asabe remained expressionless and bowed her head. Xyrene, an introvert, was very shy yet kind and cute. Rain who seems, around Furina's age but more well-endowed, smiled before lying down on the floor like a cat and falling asleep.
Meanwhile, Natalia explored inside the ship until she found something. The girls introduced themselves to Furina, who was now feeling comfortable around them. Xialdre's attention then shifted to the royals. Tailin came running to him and hugged him. Alixian still felt uncomfortable around Xialdre and stayed close to Alisha and Arisawa.
"Alisha, do you still hold grudges against me?" Xialdre asked. Alisha looked away angrily and said, "No." Xialdre sighed and told her she could speak the truth now and that he wouldn't do anything crazy, like punish her.
Alisha then looked back at him and confessed, "I don't like being a slave with such embarrassing punishments..." She blushed, clearly speaking the truth.
Tailin asked, "Why, sister? What is your punishment if you disobey Big Brother Xialdre's orders?"
Arisawa interjected, "Oh well, Alisha oneesan will experience an invisible d*ck thrusting in her now none virgin Vagi—"
Before Arisawa could finish her sentence, Alisha punched her on the top of her head, sending her to the ground. Alisha yelled, "SHUT UP, YOU PERVERT PRINCESS!"
As Arisawa fell to the floor, she held her head, tears forming from the pain. "Geez, sister, that hurt," she muttered.
Alixian remained silent, looking embarrassed around people. Xialdre asked her, "You're the third princess, right? What made you so scared?"
Alixian looked into Xialdre's eyes and saw the gaze of a harmless person. He was expressionless, which gave her the courage to respond. "I'm not scared... At least not of you, Xialdre-san," she said calmly.
Xialdre offered her a handshake. She looked at his hand and said, "You're unpredictable, Xialdre-san."
"Really? How's that?" Xialdre responded.
"It's because of the shape of your palm and the way your eyes act. It proves you're harmless, although unpredictable. That's why I'm scared of you but also can't help but feel comfortable around you."
Xialdre put his hand down and replied, "You think so? I see. Anyway, how come you've gone against your father?"
There was a silence as Alixian pondered her answer. Xialdre waited patiently until she finally spoke. "Well, that's because my sisters are coming, and I really don't like being with big brother that much."
Xialdre patted her head, causing her to blush and get lost in his eyes. She remained unsteady as a cold breeze passed them, the birds in the sky adding a romantic touch to the scene.
Arisawa, watching the interaction, chuckled. "Eheh? *Fufu* Ara ara, Alixian, falling in love already? It hasn't even been an hour since you two met for the first time."
Alixian turned even redder, covering her face in embarrassment. Alisha, meanwhile, looked out at the sea and gasped at the sight of the beautiful blue ocean. Asabe stood beside her, also admiring the sunset. "Have you fallen in love with Master?" Asabe asked.
Alisha smiled. "Nah, although I guess a little," she admitted.
Asabe smiled back at her, sharing the moment of tranquility.
Natalia emerged from inside the ship, carrying a chest that seemed decades old. Xialdre noticed her and asked about the chest.
"I don't know," Natalia replied. "I just found this inside the ship. But if you ask me, what might be inside, I could probably guess it's something interesting."
Suddenly, the ocean growled. Xyrene noticed something beneath them. Without hesitation, she jumped into the deep blue ocean and transformed into her beast form. Tailin watched in awe, impressed by her transformation, noting she was now ten times bigger than when she transformed in the arena.
Meanwhile, Isayao and Clementine told stories about their adventures to Furina, who seemed captivated by their tales. Rain slept nearby as Arisawa watched Xyrene in the ocean, realizing she was a kraken. Alisha yelled in surprise, seeing Xyrene ten times bigger than before, as Xyrene had restrained her growth earlier to avoid breaking the arena.
Xyrene dove into the ocean and resurfaced, using her massive tentacles to break the bones of a shark the size of the arena, killing it instantly.
"Ara ara, what a magnificent performance," Arisawa remarked as the battle created a massive wave. The wave was large enough to obliterate their ship, but Natalia quickly cast an air magic spell, redirecting the wave's impact to rain.
Arisawa clapped her hands as Alixian looked up at the rain created by the heavy wave. Alixian smiled as Natalia conjured a gentle, cold breeze. "I've never experienced anything like this before. To be honest, this might be the best day of my life."
Xialdre looked at Alixian as she spoke and replied, "Power, money, and fame aren't the only beautiful things in this world. Considering the breeze and peace in the world I created is also a part of it."
"You created? What does that mean?" Alixian asked.
"You'll soon know enough," Xialdre responded. He opened the chest that Natalia had given him. The moment he did, a dark aura immediately flowed out, catching the attention of Asabe and Xyrene. Rain woke up, sensing this.
A girl with black hair and white clothes emerged from the chest, singing a haunting lullaby. Her long hair covered her face as a strong gust of wind passed, marking the arrival of night. The wind lifted her hair, revealing pure white eyes and an open mouth.
Bruises covered her body as she stopped singing. Xyrene, who had transformed back into her human form, jumped back onto the ship. Alixian, Tailin, and Isayao were frightened by the presence of the girl with white eyes.
Xialdre remained as composed as ever, but the girl's eyes began to vibrate, forcing all the other girls to look away as tears streamed down their faces. The girl then floated into the sky, her eerie presence leaving a chilling effect on everyone below.
"Is that a ghost by any chance?" Asabe asked.
Asabe, Arisawa, Xyrene, and Xialdre managed to stand their ground easily despite the heavy pressure the ghost was emitting.
"Yes, that is a ghost," Arisawa responded to Asabe.
The ghost girl began to cry out blood as her hair rose, revealing her face. The moment Xialdre saw her face, Natalia and the other girls tried to get a glimpse of the ghost girl. Her skin was as pale as white, and her eyes were entirely black.
She slowly opened her mouth, and as her neck snapped, she let out a blood-curdling scream. Every piece of furniture on the ship floated due to her immense aura.
As the girls finally managed to stand up, the ghost girl attacked Clementine. The ghost made Clementine levitate into the sky, and Clementine didn't hesitate to shoot her assassin's pins. However, all her attacks went through the ghost, and she was then slammed into the floorboards of the ship.
As the ghost girl turned to look at the others, Xialdre was already above her. He grabbed her head and slammed her into the ship's floorboards, catching her off guard.
"My, my, Xialdre, you always impress everyone, don't you?" Arisawa muttered.
Xialdre choked the ghost, leaving her speechless. "A mere human can manage to defeat me? I don't want to become a disgrace!" the ghost said.
The ghost tried to teleport out of Xialdre's grip but couldn't, despite literally being a ghost. Xialdre then headbutted the ghost, making her nose bleed.
As the ghost fell to the floor, Xialdre kicked her in the waist, putting her in extreme pain.
Xialdre immediately cast a slave contract on the ghost's chest, making her his slave.
As the ghost's immense aura disappeared, the ghost girl looked up to see Xialdre looking down at her intimidatingly. The whole group of girls watched as Xialdre played his game.
"What's your name?" Xialdre asked.
"Umm..." The ghost stuttered, unable to form words due to her fear of Xialdre.
"Are you not going to respond?" Xialdre asked calmly, his demeanor cold as ever.
"I-I am Emiko T-Tanaka," the ghost responded fearfully. Xialdre asked another question, "How did you die?" maintaining his intimidating demeanor.
Alixian watched as she foresaw the other side of Xialdre. Fear coursed through her entire body; she felt her legs trembling and her body sweating as she collapsed to the ground in terror.
Xialdre's presence radiated toward the girls who were still not his slaves as he asked the ghost another question, "How old are you?" Silence hung between them before the ghost answered, "twenty one before I was killed."
"And how were you killed?" Xialdre pressed.
"My body was raped to death by the owner of this ship after I boarded it to travel. The owner wasn't caught. I was violated to death before my body was chopped to pieces and eaten... My head was specifically cut off and placed in that chest."
Xialdre shifted his eyes to the chest he had placed on the floor, where he saw the head of the girl still inside. Most of it was just a skull, but there were still bits of skin left, being munched by maggots and ants.
"I see. Then stand up," Xialdre ordered.
The ghost girl obeyed, standing up as Xialdre then unexpectedly hugged her, catching everyone off guard. He held her tightly, and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes.
Emiko's breast pressed into Xialdre's body as tears flowed from her eyes. She felt an immense comfort radiating from Xialdre, a warmth she hadn't felt in so long. In that embrace, she fully offered her spirit to Xialdre.
"Though you may feel dead inside and suffering continues to haunt your every step, trust me when I say your life is safe in my hands. I will guide you toward a peace you've never known before. Join us on this journey, and I will unveil the hidden beauty of this world that you have yet to see. Together, we will traverse the darkest valleys and climb the highest peaks, and I will show you that even in the depths of despair, there is light and hope. Let me be your beacon, your solace, and your guide as we embark on this path to find true serenity and the splendor that life still holds for you." Xialdre qouted