Any human would be shattered upon impact if they dove from such a height, even while diving in the water. But, of course, such a fate did not apply to Noir Giabella. She dived flawlessly from dizzying heights into the midst of the wave pool.
Splash!
The water whirled into a vortex where Noir landed, and soon, a giant whirlpool formed in the middle of the wave pool. Waves generated from the pool's edges rushed towards the vortex, causing the nearby floating rubber boats to rock violently.
"Kyaaak!"
"Kyiak!"
Mer and Raimira screamed with excitement on the bobbing boat. The pool wasn't the sea, nor was it deep enough to pose any real threat to them. Even if they fell in, they would be in no danger at all. In other words, they were screaming from sheer fun as their boats rocked.
Kristina and Anise, on the other hand, restrained their screams as before. However, they couldn't hide their expressions. Kristina’s eyebrows furrowed as she clutched the edge of her boat. The laughing and screaming kids suddenly stopped and clung to each other when they saw the Saint’s expression. They started to tremble.
"Ehem."
Realizing Mer and Raimira were scared, Kristina cleared her throat and clasped her hands in front of her chest with a kindly indulgent smile. Her new look radiated benevolence. But the kids, having seen her demonic face moments ago, couldn't laugh anymore.
“Sigh.” Kristina exhaled a long breath.
As the whirlpool subsided and the waves calmed, Noir emerged in the center of the pool.
She brushed back her drenched hair, her flawless figure and beautiful face only accentuated by her pure white bikini. Though she usually preferred provocative, arousing looks, she wanted to present a pure, clean look this time.
Noir did not doubt that she currently looked like a goddess of water. She even considered changing her lower half into a mermaid's tail. It could be quite nice as well.
‘The concept for the next event at Giabella Park will be a mermaid princess, ’ Noir thought, completely inspired.
That is, if Eugene doesn’t destroy this city. Noir mused with a smile as clear as her current image. She shook her head to scatter the water droplets, creating a miniature rainbow.
Though no one was around to admire her display in the private pool, she was content with her current presentation. She wanted to show her pure image to only one man, and he was here.
[I asked which wench you are talking about, didn’t I?] Sienna repeated.
"In this city, which other woman would I address like that?" said Eugene.
[The Queen of Whores,] Sienna muttered under her breath.
Meanwhile, Noir, who had been standing on the water's surface, began taking soft steps towards Eugene. She left a trail of rainbows behind with each of her steps.
"What are you doing here?" Anise stood up from the rubber boat. She passed the shivering children and blocked Noir's path.
"I just wanted to say goodbye,” said Noir.
"…Goodbye?" questioned Anise.
"Are you not leaving soon?" asked Noir.
She gave a smile, but her eyes were fixed solely on Eugene. Anise stood in her way, but Noir only had eyes for Eugene.
Eugene was dressed in simple swimming trunks, given their current location. It wasn’t anything special, but what did his attire matter?
'I'm in a swimsuit too.' This realization brought a fresh excitement to Noir.
Was it because she was adorning a swimsuit that gave her a look of innocence? Or was it because the flutter in her heart wasn’t overripe but rather that of youth? Any other time, she might have considered the Saint and the kids a bother, but it was different now.
"Shall we play together?" Noir asked.
Noir's suggestion shocked Anise, but it couldn’t compare to her following action. In an instant, Noir was beside Anise, casually linking arms and leaning in.
"Are you insane?!" shouted Anise.
She attempted to pull away but couldn’t. Noir held firm while smiling brightly. The sensation Anise felt on her arm was truly horrific, and she felt chills run down her back. Anise raised her hand and attempted to slap Noir with all her strength. However, her attempt failed as Noir vanished before reappearing on the rubber boat. Anise trembled, unable to process the speed of Noir's movements. But her anger was greater than her shock when she saw Noir appear in front of the two children. The two Saints felt a surge of anger as they shouted, "Stay away from my children!"
Fueled by the same anger, both Anise and Kristina demanded that Noir stay away from the kids. Their outcry took Noir aback. My children? The Saints weren’t all bark and no bite, either. Their shout was backed by genuine killing intent. Simultaneously, a flash of light enveloped Noir.
"That's too much. I just came to play in the water together,” Noir complained, sounding depressed.
Although it wouldn’t kill her, being hit by divine power would feel rather uncomfortable. Noir pouted as she disappeared from the boat.
"What about you, Hamel? Don’t you want to join me for some fun in the water and create youthful memories together?” Noir Giabella asked with a playful smile.
“Why are you asking me when you already know the answer?” retorted Eugene, dismissing the wind spirit.
Her eyes skimmed over Eugene’s body as he lounged on the sunbed. She continued with a shrewd smile, “You might give a different answer today.”
Eugene almost cursed at her aggravating attitude but held back. He noticed the necklace she was wearing. The swaying ring on it matched the one on Noir's left ring finger.
“…..” Eugene didn’t feel like commenting at all.
He remembered Noir's fading figure against the dawn light. The smile she gave then had been mixed with tears. It had stirred something in his heart. Eugene sighed as he sat up.
He could not help but ponder why she had such a different expression that day, why she had smiled so wistfully, and also why she had cried.
"…I'm leaving this city in a few days," Eugene finally said, doing his best to avoid discussing the ring.
‘He’s conscious of it,’ Noir realized.
It was only for a fleeting moment, but she noticed his gaze. However, Noir did not mention nor flaunt the ring. It seemed best to let the emotions deepen naturally.
‘…Me too,’ Noir admitted to herself a beat later.
Eugene knew it wasn't just he who was conscious of their connection. Noir was entirely aware of it as well. She had not removed the ring or necklace in a month.
How would the deepening emotions permeate them? How would these emotions develop, and what flavor would they take when fully matured? Such questions intrigued Noir. She chuckled softly while waving her hand to bring a distant sunbed closer to her.
“That makes sense,” said Noir.
Anise tried to approach them after comforting Mer and Raimira, but Eugene gestured for her to stop. She hesitated but did not retort. Eventually, she retreated with the kids after sensing Eugene's unease.
"Your goal was to lure Amelia Merwin out of Ravesta, right? Now that she's moved to Nahama, Hamel, there's no need for you to stay here," Noir stated as she slowly reclined on the sunbed.
She turned towards Eugene and whispered seductively, "Yet, you're still here for a few more days. It's unlike you not to leave immediately, especially since you said you'd leave soon. Saying you will leave in a few more days.… Are you not fully prepared yet?"
“What kind of answer do you want to hear?" Eugene asked blandly.
"Even though you're the Hero, you couldn’t possibly impose a conscription order. The situation doesn't call for such drastic measures. The ones who have vowed to unconditionally support you, the emperor, the pope, and the kings, won’t be that desperate either,” Noir continued, voicing her thoughts.
Eugene remained silent and glared at Noir. With her chin resting on both her hands, Noir leaned forward.
"Still, your enemy consists of black wizards and demons. Moreover, both politically and diplomatically, Nahama is unpopular and seems like a ripe target for complete subjugation, doesn’t it? They could divide the territory afterward, right? Especially Kiehl. Since they’ve clashed with Nahama numerous times, the emperor must be harboring substantial ambitions,” said Noir.
It was a statement that didn’t need refutation.
He had begun preparing for war from the caves of Lehainjar. Five nations — Kiehl, Yuras, Aroth, Ruhr, and Shimuin — had agreed to an alliance. Each nation's representative knightly orders would naturally participate, with the Emperor of Kiehl even declaring the participation of his royal guard, Alchester Dragonic.
As Noir suggested, the emperor had decided to seize this opportunity to conquer Nahama. Of course, most of Nahama’s territory was a desert, and the conquered territory would have to be divided among the allied nations post-conquest. However, the Emperor of Kiehl wouldn’t miss the chance to conquer a long-time foe. After all, Nahama had been hostile toward Kiehl’s emperor for hundreds of years.
But that was beyond Eugene's concern. His objective was to exterminate Amelia Merwin and the black wizards in Nahama, as well as the demons drawn by the scent of blood. Afterward, he would be satisfied with capturing the Sultan and forcing an unconditional surrender.
Noir continued, "Thanks to this, business people like me are in a bit of a bind. I have various ventures in Nahama, you know. Do you have any idea how much loss a war would incur? If I knew this would happen, I should have expanded into weapons or military contracts.”
Contrary to her complaining tone, Noir seemed amused. She narrowed the distance between her and Eugene with a sly grin.
“Among my businesses in Nahama are those for which the Night Demons stay true to their nature. Ah, don’t look at me with those eyes, Hamel. I don’t do anything illegal. All of the businesses I run abide by the laws of Helmuth,” said Noir.
She leaned even closer, whispering, "Anyhow, so I have a variety of businesses in Nahama, and there's one particularly high-end and… let's say, a respectable establishment catering to a certain clientele. Rumor has it that Nahama is about to enter isolation."
"Isolation?" inquired Eugene.
"Yes. They plan to expel all foreign tourists and shut down their warp-gates, turning inward. Most Emirs have already responded to the Sultan's secret directive,” explained Noir.
What she was speaking of was highly confidential information, something that should be discussed in whispers.
Although there were many spies from various nations, including Kiehl, who were active in Nahama, what Noir was speaking of was information sourced from a high-ranking official or even an Emir. It wasn’t something shared in bed either, but rather something gathered by a high-ranking Night Demon from someone’s dream.
"And the content of the secret directive?" Eugene inquired, his expression changing subtly as Noir Giabella spoke.
"It commands to supply soldiers and warriors, leaving only the minimum number of guards, and to conscript at least ten thousand men from their territories," Noir revealed with a hint of excitement.
Nahama's national army was already formidable, which included the sandmancers, assassins, and black wizards of the desert dungeons. They would become even stronger when supplemented by the Emirs’ warriors and private troops. With fifteen Emirs in Nahama, if all of them complied with the Sultan's directive, the conscription alone would bring in 150,000 soldiers.
Noir enjoyed watching the subtle changes in Eugene’s expression. This was a war involving hundreds of thousands of humans, and unlike the last war, which pitted humans against demonfolks and black wizards, this war would be between regular humans. Noir didn’t think much of it.
However, she believed it would be different for humans, or so she thought.
Eugene's calm expression, despite the slight surprise at the numbers, intrigued Noir. It wasn’t as if he was entirely unfazed, but his expression was relatively simple. It felt as if he was only surprised that the number of humans involved in the war was greater than what he initially estimated.
‘Why?’ Noir wondered.
She knew he understood the gravity of war. The monarchs, knights, soldiers, and mercenaries in this era were born after the curtains of war from the previous era had closed. It was entirely possible that they would be repelled by a war in which hundreds of thousands of individuals would clash and die. But the same didn’t hold true for Hamel. Among the humans of this era, he was likely the one who knew war the best.
Hamel was a mercenary and a hero. In this era, he was the Hero. He was well-acquainted with the horrors and dynamics of war. He had deliberately prepared for this war, knowing Nahama would fall as an ally of Helmuth.
Killing countless humans on the battlefield and conquering a nation — such things wouldn’t be new to Hamel. He would have already prepared and resolved himself for such things.
The Hero’s duty was to save the world, and Hamel’s desire was to kill the Demon Kings.
However, Noir was acutely aware of Eugene's compassion.
It wasn’t as if he was going to be facing demons. Hamel wasn’t someone who could simply ignore the lives of hundreds of thousands of humans. While it was true that Nahama’s Sultan was siding with Helmuth and Amelia Merwin was behind the act, not all of Nahama’s conscripted soldiers were worshipers of the Demon Kings.
"Desperate moves," Eugene muttered under his breath with a frown.
Noir's curiosity towards Eugene peaked. At the same time, she felt admiration and love for this man's unyielding spirit and commitment to his cause.
She clutched the ring on her necklace tightly while staring into the icy, golden eyes and then asked, “Don’t you wonder if you might need my assistance?”
This wasn’t a thought she had entertained before. It was an impulsive desire, but Noir did not resist it because it was an impulsive thought borne from her deepest desires.
Noir yearned to stand alongside Eugene in battle, not to fight each other but to face the same challenges, share the same views, and experience the same emotions.
"Irrespective of whether the enemy numbers in the hundreds of thousands or millions, their scale is insignificant to me. You know that well, don't you, Hamel?” said Noir.
He knew it all too well.
In the era of war, excluding the demonic race, who had been the single most prolific slayer of humans? The answer was clear, without any need for contemplation.
Noir Giabella, the Queen of the Night Demons, was the clear winner. Three hundred years ago, for those advancing through the Devildom, Noir Giabella had absolutely been a living nightmare.
Her massacres required no army. In the pitch darkness of the Devildom, the moment her purple eyes flashed, the slaughter was already complete. The most infamous tale was of her causing thirty thousand soldiers to perish in the plains, but there were undoubtedly more unspoken atrocities.
"If it were me…." Noir’s voice was moist and alluring, almost seductive in its tone. In a husky, tempting tone, she said, "I can prevent unnecessary bloodshed. No matter if they are tens or hundreds of thousands, to me, it doesn't matter. I can ensure they face a peaceful end without a drop of blood spilled. Without killing any of them.”
Eugene remained unswayed. He slowly shook his head. "You wouldn't want that," he replied firmly.
Noir laughed softly at his resolute response. She had hoped her words would have tempted him even slightly, but he had not hesitated.
The battlefield she desired to share with Eugene wasn't one of peace but of raw, unfiltered war. A battlefield filled with the clash of metal, cries of battle, and the mingling of fear, pain, and unresolved desires. A battlefield where death hovered like a hawk and the stench of blood permeated the place. A place littered with all sorts of emotions and where all sorts of unfulfilled desires evaporated — that was the battlefield where she wanted to see Hamel.
She knew what she wished for.
She had seen it multiple times three centuries ago, but now, her desire to see it again was nostalgic and new. If Eugene had accepted her offer, and they had stood side by side on the desert battlefield….
Noir would have reveled in making the war as dreadful as possible.