The Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabella, didn't dream. More precisely, she couldn't.
There was almost nothing she couldn’t achieve in reality. Even the seemingly impossible tasks could be attained with a little effort or trouble.
Still, there were times she yearned to enjoy dreams, but even then, Noir didn't dream in her sleep. For her, creating and enjoying others' dreams was much easier and more convenient than dreaming in her own sleep.
Despite being known as the Queen of the Night Demons, she couldn't dream her own true dream — one that she wouldn't realize was a dream until she woke up.
So, she wanted to experience a dream.
Such were the thoughts she had entertained at one time.
Unfortunately, such dreams weren't something she could have just by making a wish. Had she ever felt regret about that? She wasn't sure. Such sentiments were somewhat foreign to Noir.
"Hmm..." she pondered.
It was the same now. She sat in the middle of her vast bed and blinked in contemplation. It was a bed large enough for dozens of people.
“Hmmm….”
Just because she didn’t dream did not mean she did not sleep. Although a demon of her caliber no longer needed to sleep, Noir chose to sleep daily for a set duration. Although she didn’t need to sleep, she didn’t feel the need to skip sleep either.
She fell in thought while playing with her tousled hair.
She could not be entirely sure since this was her first time experiencing it, but… she wondered if she had just dreamed her first-ever dream. It felt like a dream. She felt as if this was what dreaming would be like, a dream that one could not remember. Her memories vanished the moment she woke up from her sleep, and only faint emotions had been left behind….
"What was it...?" she murmured, trying to recall what she saw while wrapping herself in the blankets.
Failing to recapture the dream, she lay down again after rolling around on her bed. She had heard about this sensation from those who regularly dreamed in their sleep.
What she felt was the lingering desire to continue an unfinished dream. Even though she had already woken up, she wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep. She wanted to continue where she had left off.
So she closed her eyes and invited sleep. She didn’t need to try hard and easily slipped back into deep sleep.
But only dozens of minutes after she started to breathe peacefully in deep slumber, her eyes suddenly opened.
“It’s not working,” Noir commented.
She realized she hadn't dreamed anything. Moreover, she tried to consciously create a dream in her sleep but couldn't capture the same feeling.
In the first place, she had fallen asleep hoping for a continuation of her previous dream, but she couldn’t even remember what dream she had dreamt. The faint emotions were all that remained.
"What was it…?" she repeated while emerging from the blankets.
Her hair became more disheveled as she tossed and turned, trying to grasp the fading feelings. She once again contemplated the disappearing emotions.
She could not remember the contents of the dream. The lingering emotions were…. Were they sorrow, longing, or regret? She felt that they must have been such poignant emotions.
"Is it the season?" she joked to herself.
The season? Noir gave a hollow laugh as she climbed out of her bed. She tidied her hair and recreated her horns, which she had removed while sleeping.
Noir tried to shake off the emotions and brush them off, but… they stubbornly clung to her. The feelings, initially faint, had sunk deep into her heart. She couldn’t get it out of her head.
What was the dream about? She thought hard while staring into the mirror but couldn’t recall anything. Frustrated, she touched her face, tapped her temple, and ruffled her neatly combed hair.
Then suddenly, she noticed her necklace and the ring on her left ring finger. She never took them off, not even while sleeping, though she slept naked. For the past month, they had been her constant companions.
"Hmm..." she hummed.
Remembering the night that stretched into daybreak and dawn, representing the sweet memories, emotions, and reminiscences, she felt a sweet fluttering in her heart. She stretched out her left hand.
The ring on her white, slender finger shone brightly. After observing the ring on her finger for a moment, she raised the other ring intertwined with her necklace.
Noir Giabella — that was the name engraved on the inside of the ring. Noir placed the ring on her fingers while feeling the thump in her heart. This was the ring that would one day be worn by Hamel as he breathed his last. The ring was meant to fit Hamel’s ring finger perfectly, and it was too large for even Noir’s thumb.
‘Large hands,’ she thought, recalling Hamel's, or rather, Eugene’s robust fingers. His hands could completely envelop hers. She giggled while playfully waving her hand.
"I miss you," Noir murmured while summoning a holographic screen midair.
The screen displayed the waterpark at Adventure Square, where Eugene sat under a parasol, his face unmistakably sullen. Even through the screen, it was evident that he didn't want to be there and had been dragged along by the children.
"Is it time to leave?" Noir wondered.
It had been a month since Eugene arrived at Giabella Park.
The situation in Nahama had changed. Though not announced openly, Noir knew Nahama was on the brink of war. The Sultan must have decreed it, but Amelia Merwin, hidden away in Ravesta, was the true force behind it.
Since that dawn, Noir hadn't visited Eugene.
She did not want to dilute the intense emotions she felt while watching the sunrise with him or make their memories seem trivial by visiting too often. She did not want new emotions to cover up what she had felt back then.
Her airborne mansion, Giabella Face, was already en route to the waterpark. Noir smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Her task until arrival was to choose a swimsuit. It was truly a delightful dilemma.
***
Fwoosh.
Fwoooosh.
The wave pool was aptly named for its ocean-like waves. Though the pool was wide like the ocean, with ocean-like waves, that didn’t mean it was actually the ocean.
In Eugene’s eyes, the wave pool was a devilish fun attraction that combined the best aspects of the sea while leaving out the negatives.
The relentless waves, rising and falling, were simple yet not merely 'simple.' They were thrilling, especially when combined with tubes and rafts. It was an attraction that truly drove the kids wild with excitement.
“Kyaaaahhh!”
“Hyaaaah!”
‘Look at that ,’ Eugene thought as he observed Raimira and Mer riding a raft. The two were screaming with excitement. Kristina was trying her best not to scream. This was the first time she had experienced such entertainment, and she was clearly having the time of her life sandwiched between the two girls. Her expression was quite reflective of her feelings.
‘It could well be Anise,’ Eugene mused.
She had been playing with the children for a while under the guise of looking after them. It was clear Anise was enjoying the pool as well.
Why was she restraining herself? He pondered while opening a bottle of alcohol on the table beside the sunbed. They were in a private pool area, which Mer and Raimira had reserved of their own accord. Only Eugene’s group was present in the nearby area.
"So, you decided to leave Balzac alone for now?" Eugene asked.
[Yes,] responded Sienna.
The wind was carrying Sienna’s voice back and forth. Initially, they had conversed through Mer, but after Melkith returned to Aroth, they didn’t need to always converse through Mer. The wind spirit that Melkith summoned was staying near Sienna and acting as a transponder. As such, they could hold a conversation even when Mer was busily occupied.
[Apart from being a black wizard, I quite like him,] continued Sienna.
"But everything he does is suspicious,” retorted Eugene.
[Wizards are supposed to be somewhat suspicious. That’s what makes them mysterious and fascinating,] explained Sienna.
“Oh, sure thing. But you don’t have anything like that, do you?” Eugene pointed out.
[I’m sure I’m very suspicious and mysterious in others’ eyes,] said Sienna.
Eugene didn’t think so, but… he refrained from expressing the doubts circulating in his mind.
He wasn't surprised by Sienna's fondness of Balzac. He had guessed as much, knowing Balzac's aspiration.
In fact, Eugene wasn’t much different from Sienna. Eugene, too, had softened his stance towards Balzac after learning of his 'wish' to become a legend — a great wizard, while remaining human without turning into a demon or something else…. That wish had struck a chord with Eugene.
The only reason Eugene still kept his distance from Balzac and found him suspicious was the fact that Balzac was ultimately a black wizard. Moreover, he was a black wizard contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration, an entity that would absolutely become Eugene’s enemy one day.
[The Demon King of Incarceration won’t start a fight before you ascend Babel. And I don’t think he’d use a black wizard contracted with him to plan any schemes,] declared Sienna.
"He wouldn’t need to," Eugene agreed.
The Demon King of Incarceration had no need for such tactics.
"The Demon King of Incarceration might not, but Balzac himself might have other ideas,” Eugene remarked.
[Hmm, you’re worrying about me, aren’t you Eugene? That’s because you haven’t seen me recently. I’m telling you that I’m something else entirely nowadays.]
Eugene knew about Sienna's recent preoccupation with developing a new Signature. He wasn't privy to the details, but her tone suggested significant progress.
"Eh, I get it. You're capable. But still, be careful, you never know," Eugene warned Sienna.
[Is it because of Balzac's Signature?] questioned Sienna.
"Didn't you neglect to even properly ask about his Signature? Isn't that a bit careless?" Eugene challenged.
[It's about respecting him as a wizard,] retorted Sienna.
"Respect? Just hearing about it sounds suspicious. What kind of Signature feeds on demons? What if he turns on you later?" Eugene asked.
[How did you act, Eugene, when Anise, Kristina, and I worried about you like this, with all of these hypothetical 'just in case' questions?] Sienna asked, sounding annoyed.
Eugene fell silent at her retort. He found no answer, which prompted Sienna to click her tongue in response before saying, [Look at this cowardly bastard, shutting up now. When it's about himself, he's all serious and claims he'll handle it fine.]
"Even when I show concern, you go nuts—" Eugene caught himself mid-sentence.
He recalled Sienna saying something similar. He shuddered, realizing he was acting exactly like or somewhat like Sienna, even if just a little. The thought of resembling this cheeky, petulant lady was absurd. He felt chills run down his back.
"…Still, taking him to Nahama seems a bit much," Eugene finished.
[He says he won't interfere and will fight on his own. What's the problem?] questioned Sienna.
"Since when did we start trusting every word a black wizard uttered?" asked Eugene.
[It's not about trusting a black wizard but trusting Balzac Ludbeth, the wizard. Plus, I'm curious. What's the connection between devouring demons and fulfilling his wish?] continued Sienna.
"Having a black wizard contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration, allied with humans, and fighting in the war against demons would be quite a feat," commented Eugene.
[Hmm...? Is that it? Is that his angle?] Sienna took Eugene's offhand remark seriously, and he also began to see its plausibility. To his knowledge, no black wizard had ever openly opposed the demonfolks.
"…Maybe his goal is to kill you,” Eugene suggested after a pause.
[Ha, if he succeeds in killing me, he'll become a legend indeed. If he succeeds, that is,] Sienna said. Her laughter betrayed her complete disregard for such a possibility.
'I'm less arrogant than her,' Eugene had a sudden realization.
He knew he wasn’t humble. That was a lie. Eugene knew the extent of his own pride and arrogance. However, he also realized that if he could gauge his arrogance to be around sixty, Sienna would be at a hundred.
"What about the bats?" Eugene asked, remembering them suddenly.
[No contact. They probably can't pass on information like before,] answered Sienna.
Amelia Merwin's arrival had changed the dynamics. The last report from the bats had been their final one. Before her arrival, they had provided detailed updates on the movements of demons and activities deep within Nahama. It seemed that they could no longer act as spies after Amelia Merwin’s arrival in Nahama.
"Maybe they got caught and were killed,” Eugene suggested.
[I doubt it. They're still watching me,] Sienna countered.
The identity of the bat was still uncertain, but it was clear that they harbored a strong grudge against Amelia Merwin. Their price for sharing information was a promise that someday Sienna would kill her.
[We'll wait for their contact. Or... perhaps it's no longer necessary to leave them be. The goal for leaving them alone was to lure Merwin out, right?] said Sienna.
"That’s true, but let's leave it for now,” suggested Eugene.
[How long are you planning to stay there? With Merwin in Nahama, shouldn't you be getting ready?] asked Sienna.
"I am getting ready," replied Eugene.
It wasn’t as if Eugene had been idling in Giabella Park. He had been preparing himself even before arriving at Giabella Park.
"I'll leave within this week…." His words trailed off as he looked up. A Giabella Face was descending from the sky. Eugene grimaced.
"That wench again,” he murmured.
[Wench? Who's that?] Sienna shouted.
Before he could answer, the mouth of the Giabella Face opened.
Clad in a bikini, Noir Giabella dove elegantly into the pool from the entrance.