[Nightmare]

"How far… do you think… we'll need to go." Marie asked between deep breaths.

"Let's take a break." Helix chuckled.

"Yes!" Charlotte cried while pumping her arm.

The group had been jogging for the last three hours while holding invisibility wall circles above their heads.

Tinker was wearing a vest with a magic circle on him since he was horizontal, which the team envied.

Of course, jogging was 20 mph for the group.

They sat underneath a tree with large leaves the size of dinner plates.

These leaves were half yellow and half pink, making them look beautiful and delightful.

Riley was having a wonderful time running through the forest during autumn time.

Tinker was having the time of his life.

He got to kill all of the beasts in the area [exclusively].

She had agility stats near Helix, of course.

So while they were strolling, Marie and Charlotte were dying.

Helix touched his neck and pulled out cold bottles of water with a form of citrus in them.

After passing them out, he pulled out a massive monster bone to Tinker, pulled out some fruit, and started slicing it for the group.

They were running through the forest to escape detection from riders who used avian mounts.

Chief Salkey and powerful nobles were certain to be pissed.

If they knew where the group was headed, they could start spinning lies of treason and siding with the Mad Queen.

"Hey, hey." Charlotte called out while nudging Marie with her elbow.

Marie was exhausted, and she gave the blonde an annoyed expression.

"How pissed do you think Mr. Stalker is?"

Marie's expression crumbled, and she started giggling.

"He was probably bludgeoning his subordinates when they couldn't shut down the magic circles."

The group started giggling, and Helix watched them with a smile.

"How'd you get Queen Liliana to sign off on those special magic circles, anyway?" Marie asked with interest.

Helix gave his partners a wicked grin.

"It was practical. You wouldn't want random people activating amplification circles." He chuckled.

"So Master Tilo suggested they use my circle so they could make the circles more permanent.

Naturally, since it was my circle…."

The three women grinned at him and then burst into giggles.

"I hope Master Tilo is doing alright." Riley commented nervously.

"Ahhhh. He's fine." Charlotte replied dismissively.

"Hellie charged him with protecting Mira and Millie.

He said if they ended up in confinement or got hurt…."

Marie and Riley listened to Charlotte's dramatic pause with wide eyes.

"I told him we'd come back to Alzeria and take them by force." Helix sighed.

Marie and Riley looked at Helix with bewilderment in their eyes.

"Was it a bluff?" Marie asked in astonishment.

Helix gave her a wry smile before cutting more fruit slices.

"No. I chose to go back to Alzeria specifically because Millie thanked me for always protecting everyone." He explained with a low voice.

"If I went back to Alzeria to protect everyone, and Alzeria hurt Millie, Id…."

Helix closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then he turned to his partners.

"Considering their impending death, I'd ask you if you'd help me shatter the bones of everyone involved, even if it were Queen Liliana."

Marie, Charlotte, and Riley looked at Helix with shock.

"I hope that doesn't scare you." Helix continued while slicing the fruit again.

"The thought of those two getting hurt triggers the merciless feeling I had when Lila killed Emelia."

His partner's eyes trembled, and tears welled in their eyes.

"I'd probably pull back to save my humanity." Helix chuckled bitterly.

"That feeling is cold, lonely, and devoid of all the warmth I feel when I'm with you three."

Helix's eyes welled with tears as well.

"Can…." Marie called out.

Helix turned to her with light tears streaming down his eyes.

"Yes?" He asked in a low tone.

"I hug you?"

Helix gave her a thankful smile, and he put down his knife.

Marie stood up, moved close to him, dropped to her knees, and hugged him tightly.

Charlotte and Riley joined on the other side and waited until their movement was over.

After he relaxed his grip, the other two hugged him as well.

Charlotte then sat behind him and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Do you want to know Mira's story?" Helix asked with a pained expression.

"We're happy to listen, Helix." Riley said with a gentle voice.

"Mira…."

—

"C-Can I get you some tea M-Master Helix?" Mira asked nervously.

After meeting with Oakley, Macron, and Mosely, the two were in his room.

As promised, he was willing to give her as much time as he had before his need meeting in three hours to speak.

"Yes, please. Please make yourself a cup, as it would make me more comfortable." Helix requested with a gentle smile.

"I-If that's what you w-wish, Master Helix." Mira stuttered.

He wanted Mira to feel comfortable.

Emelia was always most comfortable when she could perform servant work for him.

So he was letting Mira call him [Master] and serve him.

However, he was also unwilling to hear her story without treating her as an equal.

Mira's face calmed down immediately when she was allowed to do tasks.

Her nervousness melted away as her muscle memory took over, and she felt normal.

Helix could tell she was nervous he might reject her.

He patiently waited until the tea was ready and motioned for her to sit down.

"Please sit down. I'm most comfortable when [my servant] sits with me."

Mira's eyes trembled, and light tears welled in her eyes.

"Yes, Master Helix." She nodded hurriedly.

Helix was glad he could alleviate her concerns and make her feel more comfortable.

"Can… I ask what happened between you and Whitney?" He asked nervously.

Mira's eyes welled with tears, and she averted her gaze.

"I… I caused Whitney a lot of trouble from day one."

"Is it because Whitney is a lesbian and received immediate ridicule?" Helix asked in a calm voice.

Mira's eyes widened in shock, and her iris' trembled.

Helix sighed inwardly.

The story would be rough, so he figured he'd guide it in a controlled manner if he could.

"You… knew?" Mira asked.

Helix gave her a wry smile.

"It's a brutal reality that everyone knew on the first day."

Mira's eyes widened in disbelief.

"When Alzeria summoned us from Earth, one of the main manipulation tactics was to provide us sex.

I'm sure you were ordered to seduce Whitney, correct?" Helix sighed.

He gave her a genuine expression as she tried to hide her blushing face.

"Y-Yes…." Mira replied awkwardly.

She didn't mind following her orders, but she didn't want to talk about sex with her new Master, especially if it could sway his opinion of her.

"Please don't worry. I'm very accepting of all forms of relationships." Helix chuckled breathlessly.

"I firmly believe that people can do whatever the hell they want as long as it doesn't affect me.

I'm not sure why other people don't feel that way."

Mira blushed awkwardly.

She didn't know what to say.

"So you don't need to worry about my opinion of you changing, Mira." Helix said with a gentle smile.

Mira's eyes welled with positive emotional tears.

Helix could read the nervous woman like an open book at the moment.

It saddened him, and he immediately decided to take her in and hope his partners would accept her as a servant.

Each missed theirs, and their status in Alzeria was shaky.

He felt there was another reason they sent Whitney to him.

"Let's move back. Since the Kingdom ordered all servants to seduce their Masters and Mistresses, everyone knew Whitney was lesbian immediately." Helix sighed.

"Otakus like us are generally accepting, but she was the only one, which led to gossip.

I could tell from the beginning she was hesitant to be around you in public.

Am I correct in that assumption?"

Mira looked away from Helix in slight shame.

Helix wanted to hug her.

He remembered seeing the fear in Emelia's eyes when she thought she'd be rejected.

Mira must have had it hard.

"Yes… Mistress Whitney was hesitant to be around me, but…."

Her eyes started tearing up again.

"She wouldn't abandon me. Even when some girls started getting nasty, she started pushing back…."

Helix closed his eyes in bitterness.

He didn't need her to complete the story.

"The person who was bullying her was Lina Wainwright, correct?" Helix asked.

Mira recoiled in fear, and Helix realized his mistake.

"Mira… please. You don't have to worry." He replied with an awkward, hurried tone.

"Lina's gone. Second, I'm never going to tell on you for saying anything about anyone.

Our conversations are confidential."

Mira calmed down with deep breaths.

Helix hadn't built trust with her yet.

She wasn't necessarily afraid of [Lina], but rather of making enemies with Helix by talking about the wrong person.

For example, if she spoke ill of Charlotte without knowing their relationship.

"I'm asking about Lina because she was the person behind your kidnapping.

I thoroughly despised Lina and punished her for what she did to you."

Mira's face heated up with shame.

"Thank you, Master Helix." She whimpered.

"No need to thank me, Mira." Helix replied with a gentle tone.

"But you're welcome."

Mira's eyes widened, but she saw his gentle gaze and calmed down.

"Yes… it was Lina. It's as you said; Lina was behind the kidnapping."

Helix took a deep breath.

"The guards… they didn't hurt you, did they?"

Mira's eyes shot open in surprise, and she started waving her hands in front of her face.

"N-No! They took me to a room under house arrest!" She cried.

Helix chuckled in bewilderment at the strange sight.

Mira's comically panicked expression told him she was embarrassed at the mere suggestion.

He was thankful nothing nefarious happened during that period.

The thought weighed down on his mind, and he felt like her answer lifted a huge weight off his shoulders.

"I'm glad for that, at least." Helix replied with a forced, gentle smile.

"If you don't mind, we can skip past my agreement to fight in the deathmatch.

What happened between you and Whitney afterward?"

Mira's eyes trembled, and she didn't know what to say.

"S-Sir H-Helix. Your blood pact… was what broke us apart."

—

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