"Is this real? Are we really going?" She asked, excited.


    She leaped out of The Branch like a child on their birthday outing.


    "Isn''t it too late to ask? We''re already outside." I stood at the entrance, admiring her in her casual wear, but then I noticed something... a pink sword strapped to her hip. "Hey... why are you bringing that with?"


    "I could ask you the same thing. You always have your weapon on you." She grinned adorably.


    "W-well, that''s because I don''t know when an alien might target such a fragile human like myself."


    "In that case..." She gently touched the pommel of her sword as if she was caressing her lover. "I''m bringing it with to ensure no alien target you."


    At her words, I felt my chest tighten. I subconsciously gripped it.


    Good grief, this girl. Always making me feel like this, but...this won''t be enough to make me submit.


    I then released my grip to clench my fist. I removed my gaze from my fist to peer my doubt into her innocent and honest eyes. Discerning no lies in her words, I ruffled my head in frustration. She was going against all of my beliefs.


    But she''s an alien, not a human, right? Well...that''s what I want to find out on this date. Does my principles apply to aliens as well?


    "Let''s go," I said, walking beside her.


    "Stop being such a stranger~" She then grabbed my hand and entwined her fingers with mine.


    "But we are strangers..." My cheeks reddened lightly at her assertiveness. "By the way, where are we going?"


    "To my most precious spot~" She hummed.


    No matter how many times I saw it, I still couldn''t get used to how similar the buildings and aliens were to humanity. I felt somewhat disappointed because it threw away the excitement of exploring a new concept, but then again, I wasn''t someone who would get excited about those kinds of stuff. I just wanted peace and happiness, but after eighteen years, I deemed that impossible and decided on an easier solution—death. But if the former was still possible...


    I didn''t know if it was her personality, words, or our physical contact. Maybe, even an external source—like the warm sensation in my left eye. It kept getting warmer the more I thought about her. I felt a desire to consult her. Of course, I didn''t.


    "Hm~?" Feeling my gaze on her, she returned it with a more dazzling one.


    "Is there something on my face? Ah, of course, there isn''t, right? I always wanted to say that line, but obviously the truth is that you just enjoy admiring my beauty, huh~?" She grinned confidently. "Look all you want. I made the effort for you to see, after all~" She whispered seductively in my ear before assaulting my flustered face with a sultry smile.


    "I-I..."


    Huh? Why am I stuttering? Why can''t I say anything? My left eye...it''s getting warmer!


    "Oh my~ Did I take my teasing too far? Sorry," she apologized, worried before changing the topic out of consideration. "By the way, has anyone told you about how our nation is separated into factions?"


    "Y-yeah...Livia did..." I answered half-heartedly because I was too focused on the rising temperature in my left eye.


    "Great. That makes things quicker and easier. Each faction covers a different part of the ocean, with a portion of water dividing each of it. For example, The faction we are on is strictly for military purposes, the Assault faction—the Indian Ocean. Naturally, the people here are all knights, and some are aspiring knights. But you get those that don''t abide by this rule, so there are irregulars and tourists here and there."


    "I see..."


    Worried about my uninterested response, she glanced at me.


    "Sorry, am I boring you?" She asked, concerned.


    "No...sorry."


    "Alright then. I''ll just keep it brief. We don''t cross the ocean to travel from one faction to another but via Zenki''s wormholes using her spatial magic. We''re going to the Royal faction. It''s my hometown, and the special spot that I mentioned is there."


    At some point, I stopped giving verbal responses and simply nodded. But to summarize what she was saying: She was taking us to one of those wormholes—the closest one. It was really useful because each faction was many times bigger than a country. She also mentioned the ocean each faction occupied, but I''ll touch on that later.


    "Hey, are you listening? Heyyyyy~Cain~"


    "H-huh? What is it?"


    Crap, I was engrossed in my monologue.


    "We''re here," she said, entering first to fill in the necessary documents for permission to utilize the wormhole.


    Well, it wasn''t completely a bummer because there were still unique concepts like this form of transportation.


    Hold on...doesn''t this form of transportation cause motion sickness in fiction? I''m already dealing with my burning eye, and now this?


    "Let''s go, Cain. Here you go." She handed me a card—a pass of some sort.


    "T-thanks."


    "What''s wrong? You look miserable," she asked, quizically tilting her head.


    Oh, c''mon, me. I''m a man. A man!


    "Nothing," I reassured, entering the wormhole confidently.


    And yeah... I puked. No, that wasn''t the end of it. I also felt dizzy. I tried getting up but I passed out not long after.


    <hr>


    "Ughhh! My head hurts," I groaned while getting up abruptly, only to trip over my own feet. "Waahh!" And fell flat on my face...


    Just great...


    I sat up, wiping my face using my top. I then glanced around the unfamiliar room.


    Where am I? Where''s Maria?


    From the looks of it, I was on the second floor of a building, so I didn''t want to shout out her name. This might have been a local building, and I didn''t want to disturb anyone if it was occupied. Concluding that there was no alternative other than seeking the answer myself, I got up and left the room.


    When I went downstairs, I was stabbed with many pitiful and disgusted gazes. Well, judging from the name of the faction, they probably despised me—a peasant. Not to mention, my clumsy walking from just waking up was unprofessional in their eyes.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Well, I didn''t care what they thought. After questioning the receptionist, I found out that I was at the famous fictional ''inn''—or if you wanted to ruin the whole experience, just call it a hotel.


    I exited the inn in search of Maria, but I knew I wouldn''t make any progress. Despite resting, my left eye was still burning—to the point I covered my eye using the palm of my left hand. I was basically walking one-eyed—well, that would''ve been the case my entire life if Maria and that doctor hadn''t helped me.


    Five minutes later, I found no leads. I was reaching my limit, so I decided to sit down in an alley where those painful gazes wouldn''t disturb me. I rested my back against a wall and dropped onto my butt. The heat was starting to affect my body. It felt like I had a nasty flu.


    "Ha...ha...ha...ha..."


    I attempted to claw my eye out, causing it to bleed.


    "Ugh! It burns!"


    Even amidst the excruciating pain of my scorching and bleeding left eye, my body immediately responded to a familiar phrase.


    "Answer my call, [Memento Mori]" A woman commanded in a cold tone, summoning a katana.


    I swiftly stood up and jumped back, facing her. I tentatively gripped the hilt of my blade, not unsheathing it yet in hopes that there would be room for negotiations.


    "And... [Omen of the Fallen]" An eerie and ominous black mist circled behind her.


    "I received various complaints from citizens that a suspicious man is roaming around. Tell me..." She began unsheathing her katana.


    I didn''t need to look in order to tell that she was extremely dangerous. Every muscle in my body was warning me to flee. But at the same time, I was unable to do so. I couldn''t even tremble!


    "What reason do you have for trespassing royal territory? It better be a damn good one, brat!"


    I''m sick of this! ''Kid'', ''brat''. Ever since I arrived here—even if it was reasonable—I was looked down upon.


    And that was enough reason to tense my muscles to fight back.


    We were in an alley, so it was too narrow to swing a blade. If I played my cards right, I could win! Or so I thought, but the moment I showed an inch of my blade, she considered that to be enough hostility. She swiftly lunged forth, and instead of recklessly swinging her blade, she struck me with a devastating pommel attack.


    "H-heavy..." I coughed out blood.


    Despite my sloppy footwork, I at least blocked the attack using my sheathed blade. But even so, she sent me crashing through several buildings. She only used a pommel attack—WHAT THE HELL?!


    I was lying against the wall of the fourth building I crashed into. I was dizzy and numb again, but instead of it being from motion sickness, it was from a head injury. Various parts of my body were bleeding from cuts caused by shattered glass. Not to mention my aching muscles from breaking through several brick walls.


    Black mist emerged and it transformed into her.


    "I''m sure I held back, but..." She glanced at my pathetic state in disappointment. "Anyway, you resisted, didn''t you? That''s enough evidence that you''re guilty."


    This time, she unsheathed her blade and slowly walked to me. Fortunately, she was interrupted by an attack from above. It was Maria who broke through the ceiling. Like my left eye, both of her eyes were burning, albeit more vibrantly. Also, my left eye was responding to her fervor.


    "What''s this about, Maria? Are you an accomp—no, your eyes, don''t tell me..." the scary woman was briefly shocked at Maria''s appearance.


    "That''s right! He''s my boyfriend! What do you think you''re doing to him?! Even if it''s you, I won''t take it lying down, Alpha!" Maria exclaimed furiously before taking a step back to me, surfing her gaze all over my injuries. "... You nearly killed him. Don''t tell me, was that your intention?" She glared at Alpha.


    "Sorry. I might have immaturely attacked him, however..." Alpha took a step closer to Maria. "That doesn''t excuse your disrespect. I''m your master and guardian. No matter what, DO NOT CALL ME BY MY NAME!"


    Wait, what?! M-Maria''s master and...guardian?


    "Your rebellious attitude is because of him, isn''t it? Don''t tell me you''re also slacking off on your training just because of your shitty love obsession." Despite their relationship, she didn''t hesitate to point her blade at Maria.


    "You should know better than anyone that my love for him would only make me stronger!" Maria returned the favor by pointing her blade as well. "I''ll show you, master. If I win, I want you to apologize."


    At her brave display of our love, my burning left eye became warmer and soothing. Despite my aching muscles and various wounds, my body felt lighter than usual, and... I couldn''t feel any pain.


    My left eye became warmer and burnt whenever it concerned Maria. Based on what she said, her love for me made her stronger. I finally understood everything.


    Honestly, I thought that the King''s Eye was referring more to the king''s possession, instead of it being the name of an item or ability. If we consider the latter then it could be something special and powerful. Furthermore, if the name ''King''s Eye'' originated from the former king then it could be something his offspring inherited. That would explain her burning eyes, similar to my King''s Eye that I received from her father. And naturally, like her, it''d make me stronger, but... do I love her? I didn''t know the answer to that, but my body was undeniably stronger because it resonated with her fervor.


    Oblivious to my pain, I stood beside Maria with newfound strength.


    "Oh, it seems you might have some potential to be her partner, however..." Once again, she stabbed me with her disappointed gaze. "A mere red flame? What weak, pathetic love am I witnessing? Do you even love her?"


    Her words struck deep, but neither Maria nor I were going to back down.


    "Shut up! Warriors talk with their blades, right? Then come at me! I''ll show you exactly how I feel!" I taunted her, feeling confident.


    "Of course, I''m aware of that phrase better than you, but..." She sheathed her katana and canceled her Omen of the Fallen ability. "My blade does more biting than barking, so..." She swiftly appeared behind me, grabbed the collar of my top, and threw me soaring over the buildings.


    "Cain!" Maria screamed my name.


    "If you love him, then arrive before he dies by my hand." Alpha left her with those words before she followed my soaring body at great speed.


    After flying for a while, I crashed on a plain field. Judging from her grip on my collar, and the distance she threw me, I could tell that she was going easy on me until now.


    "For fuck''s sake. That damn monster," I muttered to myself while struggling to stand up.


    Not given the chance to catch a break, I was met by that ominous figure of a woman.


    "At her current strength and speed, she will reach us in five minutes. Let''s have a nice talk until then." Despite being confident in her swordsmanship, she didn''t unsheathe her katana. Instead, she got in a fighting stance.


    She''s looking down on me, huh?


    "Like I said, warriors talk with their blades," I pointed my sword at her.


    "I''m sure I responded that..." She swiftly lunged forth and fiercely threw a right hook attack at me. I instinctively blocked it using my sword. The force made it feel like my arms were going to fall off. Fortunately, this time I fixed my footwork, so I wasn''t pushed back and I reduced the impact. "My blade is too fierce for you, brat."


    I jumped back, panting. I was getting weaker than I anticipated because Maria was away. Furthermore, I had no experience with the sword. Even so, I wasn''t going to give up.


    "I''m going to ask you a few questions. For every answer that I''m dissatisfied with, I''ll increase the strength of my attacks, but even more if you answer dishonestly. So..." She lunged forth again with the same right hook. "Make sure to answer well and honestly!"


    "The same trick won''t work on me twice!" Instead of blocking it, I parried the attack followed by a light horizontal slash.


    She jumped up to dodge my attack, then she threw a vertical heel kick. Fortunately, that was one of the few moves she could respond with, so it was well within my calculations. I jumped back before her heel touched me, and I charged with a thrust while she was in midair.


    "Then..." She fiercely punched my blade to the ground. After she landed, she dashed to me and grabbed my head before slamming it against the ground.


    Damn monster!


    "First question: Do you love Maria?" She jumped back.


    I didn''t respond. Instead, I quickly got up and ignored the pain.


    "Ha...ha...ha..." I charged at her again.


    "So that''s your answer... I''m dissatisfied."


    She threw the same hook as before. Despite trying to parry it the way I did before, I couldn''t. I instinctively blocked it, but this time, I was sent flying.


    "I said I''ll increase the tempo, didn''t I?" She slowly walked to me while I struggled to get up. "It appears that you''re delusional. You''re under the impression that nobody would be willing to kill you because it''d make Maria sad, but..." She unsheathed her katana, fed up with my arrogance. "I—Alpha Iode, Knight Commander of Division One of the Iode Order, the current king''s right-hand woman, but more importantly, the one the former king entrusted Maria to—will cut you down even if she ends up hating me for it."


    This woman wasn''t like the first time I met her. This time, she wasn''t apprehending a suspicious man, but one that''d potentially harm her subordinate, the nation''s princess, and the one she was responsible for. This time, I felt it... the weight behind her words! The heavy atmosphere, and her icy gaze—it made me want to puke! ...But!


    I took a deep breath, composing myself before getting up to return her cold gaze with one of my own. A moment ago I was trembling in fear, but after looking at my body drenched in blood and my red vision from the blood that ran down my head, I remembered something.


    "I can feel it. If I push you any further, you''ll seriously kill me." I stood in front of her, grinning.


    "Then..."


    That''s right, what I remembered was...


    "But...!" I shoved my middle finger in her face. "I don''t give a fuck! If the consequence is death, then I welcome it!" I stuck out my tongue, mocking her. "You mentioned death to the wrong person."


    That I could easily include death in my plans. Also, I could abuse my curse.


    "Come on, let''s get this execution started, shall we~?"