— THIS CHAPTER TAKES PLACE ON THE NIGHT VAN LEFT THE CAPITAL —THE NIGHT HE FREED LALYN AND BELIAL
[VAN!]
Arlyn's voice rang out as Van stepped silently under the cold night sky. He was on the cobblestone street just outside Lalyn's house, having left undetected.
He stopped, sensing the dragon's presence.
[…I felt it. Magus's presence lifted from Lalyn.]
"…That so? How fortunate," Van muttered.
He didn't turn around. Arlyn opened her beak slightly, but no words followed.
"You don't have to say anything, Arlyn," Van said. "We're equal now, right?"
[You… You wish that were the case, Van Hellix.]
[After all those years… That was the least you could do to make amends.]
Silence lingered between them.
[She... She will need someone to lean on.]
"Oh?" Van turned slightly, expression unreadable. "Surely you don't mean me?"
Arlyn looked down. Quiet.
"Well," Van continued, "she has you. Her daughter. Marcy. Amoria. Those twins…"
He paused.
"…Let's just leave it at that, Arlyn. There's nothing else to say. I released her because I coul—"
He stopped. Marcy's image flashed in his mind. How he'd left her under the spell.
"…Anyway," he finished quietly, "I freed her. Let that be enough."
He turned to leave.
[Is this… really all you amounted to, VAN HELLIX!?]
[You leave her now, knowing she'll lose her mind, and that's everything you can do for her!?]
Van stopped again.
"…Yeah," he said.
"I'm just… too exhausted to do more, Arlyn."
He looked down, voice trailing into the darkness.
"I just want to be done with it. Sorry."
And then he vanished into the shadows.
— TWO YEARS AFTER VAN'S DEPARTURE —
The sun hung low over the Magic Academy campus. Anne walked hand in hand with a guy Lizzy had introduced her to. She had been dating him for a few weeks now.
"Let's go grab something to eat, Anne?" he asked with a casual smile.
'AGAIN...?' She thought, exasperated.
In her mind, Lizzy's voice chimed in.
'Now remember! Boys like it when you're nice to them! Just smile along when he tries to be considerate!'
'Haah…' Anne sighed internally. 'The moment he found out I like to eat, it's been nothing but restaurants. It's like he's not even a person… Can't I just say something?'
But then Lizzy's advice returned like clockwork:
'Most guys don't like it when you try to course-correct them! They'll get hurt! If you don't like him, just bear with it, or break up and find someone better!'
'I don't even know why I keep listening to her. She's never held a relationship longer than two months…'
Anne stopped walking.
"Listen, dude," she said. "Can you take me somewhere else? It's been nothing but restaurants lately. And then back to my dorm to bang. It's getting old."
"H-huh?" he blinked. "Well, you chow down like a hog, haha."
She flinched.
"And you never complain when we… y'know, do that. So what—do you really hate it? Or are you just looking for something to complain about?"
She violently rolled her eyes.
He grinned, looking at hear heavy chest, not noting her expression, "Man, Anne, you're so cute when you—"
"Yeah. We're done." Anne yanked her hand violently from his grip. "Fuck off."
"W-What...?" he stammered. "Don't be like that! I was joking! You're not seriously hurt by that, are you?"
"Sorry," she spat. "I'm not your personal sex slave you can buy access to with food. Try that shit on someone else."
"C-Come on, you're not that!"
His voice rose, drawing glances from passing students.
"A couple's fight…?" someone murmured.
"Yeah, and the sun's not yellow," Anne snapped. "You think just because I smiled, it meant I liked you calling me a pig 'jokingly'? Or that I enjoy being dragged to a restaurant every time, like a pet you toss snacks to before getting laid?"
He flinched.
"Any time I suggested something different, you acted like it was a test. Like proving you're a 'man' meant ignoring what I wanted."
Her voice rose.
"Well, congrats. You're the limpest dick of a man I've ever met!"
A few onlookers gasped.
"Limp, huh?" he barked back, suddenly emboldened. "That's not what you were moaning when we fucked in your dorm—"
CRACK.
Anne's fist landed clean against his jaw, sending him crashing onto the pavement.
"FUCKER…" she growled, fists trembling.
The crowd murmured in every direction.
"Huuuh… she's a slut and a psycho?"
"Ungrateful too. 'You're paying for me!? Pay more!'" someone mocked.
"Like she has the right to complain. She's nothing but pampered."
"Well, it's Anne. What did you expect—cock-hungry bitch."
Anne flinched. Her lips pressed tight, fists shaking as their whispers grew crueler.
"I've known her since we were kids. Always been like this—ugly, loud, fake…"
"If she died tomorrow, no one would care. Just deluded trash pretending she's better than us."
Her teeth clenched. Her vision blurred with rage.
"YOU FUCKERS!!!" she screamed. "FUCK ALL OF YOU!! SAY THAT TO MY FACE!!!"
Gasps and laughter followed.
"Oh no, she's gonna punch us next…"
"See? Total bitch."
Anne turned and stormed off, fists clenched, heart pounding.
In a quiet corner near the shadows, someone had been watching.
When Van and Anne went to the Royal Capital pool two years ago, he'd seen the same thing—the whispers, the judgment, the cruelty. He'd marked their faces back then.
And now, he marked them again.
The same people. Without fail.
Anne fled to a shadowy space between the buildings. Alone. Sniffling. Fighting the tears that demanded release.
'Just ignore them, Anne…' Lizzy's voice echoed in her mind.
"FUCK YOU!!" she sobbed, violently. "I CAN'T IGNORE THEM!! I… I CAN'T... DO THIS ANYMORE!!!"
Her voice cracked as she fell to her knees, choking back sobs.
'I need… you here.'
Van's image appeared in her mind.
And then, a voice called from behind. Low. Familiar. Like an answer from fate.
"Heya."
Firm. Playful. Real.
Anne gasped. Her tear-filled eyes widened, locked onto the cold ground ahead of her. She wasn't sure if what she heard was real—or who that voice even belonged to.
She didn't really know why she had missed him so much. They hadn't known each other for long at all. She'd had people in her life longer—boyfriends, even Lizzy.
But ever since they met, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him. And with him...
"Sorry for being late," the voice added.
...she felt safe.
She turned around and threw herself at the figure in the dark, burying her face in his chest, shaking and sobbing.
"Y-You bastard…" she cried. "Leaving... like that... A-Ahhh…"
His hand came to rest gently on her head.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Guess I'm a little late for our promised date, huh?"
His other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her in.
She didn't respond—only cried harder, drenching his shirt with tears and snot, fists clutching tightly at the fabric.
Van didn't let go.
"And," he gently pushed her back to look into her teary eyes, "you deserve..."
'An explanation...' The thought crossed his mind.
But then he remembered Alicia's words....
"No! Don't tell her that," Alicia warned.
"Why not?"
"It'll ruin her," she said sharply.
"Ruin her...?" Van tilted his head at Alicia.
She then began detailing:
"In her head, you're probably some dreamy stud on a white horse since you showed up and vanished before she ever saw your bad spots. If you tell her: 'Duhh... I'm actually old enough to be your dad. I'm Van Hellix. Duhh, you've been in love with your father's friend, duhhh. I'm married to the Demon Lord, and you had 0 in a 0 in a 0 in a 0 in a 0000000000!!! chance at anything romantic with me'—she'll be grossed out. Bewildered. Sure, she'll feel trusted... but she won't feel seen or respected. I was under the impression Varlog drilled this into your skull already."
Alicia folded her arms, punctuating the statement with a long sigh.
"I don't talk like that, duhh," Van said, deadpan.
"But you understand, don't you?" Alicia looked at him directly.
A pause lingered.
"Yeah. I get it. Especially since I'm just here to keep a promise... not start a life."
He leaned in closer to her. "Someone already beat her to the punch there."
Alicia blushed, smiling as she slipped an arm around his waist, pulling him close.
"Damn straight. Now go make this girl happy—like I know you can."
-------------- BACK TO THE PRESENT --------------
"...Deserve to eat some good food!" Van said with a smile.
"Ah..." Anne blinked, unsure what to say. She'd heard that line so many times that—
"I'm kidding," he added, still smiling.
"YOU... FUCKING BASTARD...!" she growled, punching his chest—though she couldn't stop herself from smiling.
From the shadows, Alicia watched with a grin.
'Good boy.'
She then turned toward the campus, where students roamed about.
'Now then... let's finish this quickly. Don't want to overburden Varlog with taking care of Bella for too long...'
She stepped into the light, shifting her form into that of one of the academy's magic instructors.
---- MEANWHILE, AT ARNOLT'S WORKSHOP ----
"There, there... who's a cute little dollllll~ Yes, you are..."
"WAAAAAAHHHH...!!" Bella burst into tears in Varlog's arms as he tried to coo her.
'Hmm... She's been like this for 40 minutes... My dear Bella... my dearest granddaughter, aren't you a noisy one...'
"HEY!!!" A shout rang from across the workshop.
"OLD MAN! STILL CAN'T CALM HER DOWN!?"
Belial appeared from behind the counter, smith's gear on, dropping his tools as he walked over.
"Ahh... I'm not sure what my little devil's crying about. I've tried everything...!" Varlog said softly, clearly worried.
Belial leaned in, looking down at Bella.
"She take a shit?"
"Already changed her."
"Hungry?"
"Fed!"
Belial squinted at her. "Hmmm... She's like her unc, then. You wanna look at some swords!?"
He grinned, childlike.
"OH, DO NOT BE RIDICULOUS, BELIAL! Why would a baby want to—"
"Wahahaha... ahahahaha..." Bella suddenly giggled, waving her arms toward Belial.
'Huh...!' Varlog thought, intrigued.
"You DO, don't ya! WAIT HERE, I'll get some swords!" Belial turned to rush off and Bella immediately started wailing again.
"O-OH! SON! COME BACK! FORGET THE SWORD!" Varlog shouted, hurrying over to him.
"What? If ya want her to stop cryin', you want a sword—"
Without waiting, Varlog shoved Bella into Belial's arms.
"HEY, OLD MAN, WHAT THE FU... FRING are you doing!?" Belial scrambled to support her properly.
But Bella instantly stopped crying, her tiny face lighting up with laughter as she stared at him.
"Ah...?" Belial looked down, confused.
Varlog chuckled.
"Hmhmhm... It seems little Bella likes you."
Belial flinched.
"N... No... T-take her off me... She shouldn't..."
He trembled under her gaze, sweat beading down his face.
Varlog gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"That curse has long since lifted. You've seen proof of that, time and again, with our people. Please, my boy. Let yourself be loved again."
Belial's eyes flicked between Varlog and Bella.
"...But... I'm a piece of shit. No one likes me for who I am. You know that. It was NEVER that..."
"Van does, doesn't he?" Varlog cut in softly. "A human."
Belial's breath caught. His shivering stopped.
He looked down at the niece in his arms—eyes wide, curious, unafraid.
"...Sorry, lil' Bell," he sighed. "Yer uncle's not that pathetic all the time. Now... let's look at some swords—"
"Nope." Varlog smiled, blocking his path with a single hand.
"Hrnnn..." Belial growled under his breath as Varlog easily held him back.
Meanwhile, across the shop, Arnolt, the dwarf from Van's old party that took down Kota, the fire mage, watched the scene unfold.
'...I didn't make a mistake hiring a demon, right…' He squinted at the three of them, then looked away with a gruff snort.
'Well... talent's rare these days. Guess I'll let it slide again...'
'Good to see that half-demon runt smiling again... Not that I care.' (He does)