Well, we'll finally be at the capital by nightfall... shouldn't be more than thirty minutes... thankfully. A week by carriage from the coasts is never a great journey.

"Kuro. Wake up." I prod her cheek. Twice.

She doesn't react.

"Jeez, this woman sleeps like the dead." I puff out my cheeks.

"Wahahaha! You've only just figured that out, Yuuzuchi? Nishishishi..."

"S-shut up Alicia... by the way, why the hell are you wearing that eyepatch?!"

This giggling bat is Alicia. She's a self-proclaimed weapon master and though she's another girl in her twenties, she acts like a perverted old man, like Kurono does. It’s hardly a surprise they're old friends and lovers.

I guess I'm in that category now as well. Ugh.

"Doesn't it add a certain 'warrior-like' flair?"

I give her a flat stare.

She shrugs and takes it off, revealing both of her predatory yellow eyes.

"Eh, you're so picky, Yuuzuchi." She stretches, bouncing her ample bosom. "Why are we even coming to the capital? Kuro has never been like this before..."

"It has something to do with the void, I think. She didn't... couldn't... really tell me why she was so rattled by it. But it certainly gave her a fright." I explain.

"Magical spirit stuff then." Alicia looks mostly nonchalant. "Not exactly fun pillow talk. Or is it?" She grins.

I sigh.

"You shouldn't huff and puff so much, Yuzuuchi, it spoils your beauty." Her grin widens.

I roll my eyes.

Honestly, I did wonder if I wanted to come back. Facing grandad and Rishya's grandad after all this time is scary.

I suppose it could be worse, I could have gotten pregnant by a vagabond or something. Do I have to mention I became a lesbian with a Hal-Castemour Countess?

"You're always worrying about so much, Yuuzu. Aren't you like... the descendant of a famous knight and the prime minister of something? You're practically royalty."

"My little sister is actually best friends with the youngest princess. They were the ones who saved us from that Skull Beast, funnily enough." I muse.

"Oh! Right... I heard about that... I... its... I wish I could have been there..."

I blink. It’s the first time I've seen this upbeat thing so remorseful. Her head is down, hidden behind those odd salt and pepper bangs of hers.

"Man... I go off on a journey to become stronger to protect Kuro and I come back to find she nearly died in the interim... heh... that would have been ironic."

"I'm actually more surprised you're not mad that she collected another strumpet in the process." I shrug at her and smile.

"Wahaha... Yuuzu's no strumpet. Don't worry, despite how she keeps going on about her 'paradise', Kuro's actually a really kind and dedicated girl. And, she's got good reason for her tastes."

"I'm well aware. Honestly, she's way more admirable than me. Hah..."

"Admirable? Nah. Don't let her hear that! Her ego's already something else! She's just got a more brutal motivation than most. Ever notice her being very happy about bandit hunting quests?"

"Yeah... way too much." I giggle.

The carriage suddenly comes to a stop. Apparently, this is sufficient to finally wake Kurono, with a start.

"Is there a problem?" She suddenly says loudly.

"Ah. I'm sorry, milady. The roads are very busy here." The coach driver replies from behind the screen.

Alicia has already opened the door a crook, and nods back to Kurono.

Kurono visibly relaxes as Alicia shuts the door again and sits down. Alicia really seems like a bodyguard. Well... sometimes.

"There's a line of merchant wagons and stagecoaches as well. People are walking in the side gate freely though. I wonder what the hold-up is?" Alicia says.

Kurono stretches and grins.

"Well, fancy a walk, ladies? I need something to wake me up anyway."

It’s actually not a question as usual for her, as she is already getting down the steps.

Blasted woman.

...

...

...

"This... this is quite bad." Alicia comments.

I can't help but nod with a grimace.

I've never seen my home in such a state. I honestly never thought I would.

Carriages are delayed because the inner-city roads are in no condition to welcome them.

Many of the streets are wounded from pitched magical battle. Caked on blood still occupies patches of road. The market is the quietest it has ever been.

Hardly a surprise. An ominous shadowy portal occupies the place where there was once the old imperial monument. A contingent of guards stands vigil there.

It flickers and oozes in a frankly disturbing manner, seeming like a crack in reality.

Kurono's eyes are shut, and she has a terrible expression.

"The prelude to a demonic assault? Is that what you felt?" I ask.

She opens her eyes and looks at me blankly.

"I don't know for sure. But probably."

She has been quiet the entire time in the city. This is the first she has spoken.

She turns away from it at last, and we move on.

We reach the mercenaries guild building, which remains a hive of activity even in this quiet. A sort of refugee hospice and command centre has been set up in front with tarps and benches, and my spirit reacts to the almost continual swirl of light magery there. Survivors are apparently still being found in trapped rubble. The healers here look haggard and exhausted, mirroring the general feel of the city.

I feel the urge to help them out immediately, but I'm not totally naive. At the end of the day, they are still mercenaries. It is likely they have been hired for a job even if their intent was altruistic.

Then, something entirely unexpected occurs.

Guards flank the entrance suddenly, and the ever-distinctive Princess Melody comes out.

Unlike Rishya with the younger princess, I was never selected as a playmate or anything, even though Melody is my age. It seems the stunning middle princess was always bookish and not in need of one, so I heard later in life.

She is escorted by her knight, Kako Arnas, another female celebrity in the capital.

I wonder why they're here?