"Me?" Noir asked.
Eugene could not immediately grasp her words, a reaction likely shared by anyone in his position.
Today, Eugene had come with significant resolve, having steeled his emotions over several days and even penned a will in anticipation of the worst outcome.
Hearing such nonsensical talk right from the start left him without even the capacity to feel incredulous. Nor was he angry. Rather, Eugene found Noir’s demeanor so characteristic of her that it was somewhat fitting.
"What do you mean, ‘you’? What are you talking about?" he snapped.
"Oh dear, oh dear, you’re making me embarrassed. Hamel, isn't it too mischievous of you to demand an answer directly from me?" Noir responded, her hands cupping her cheeks as she giggled.
She gently swayed her hips and shrugged her shoulders while sneaking glances at Eugene.
"Are you really curious? Do you wish to hear it from my lips directly? It wouldn’t be hard, but hmm, I'd rather you said it yourself,” she continued.
Noir’s attire changed subtly. She no longer had an apron draped over her casual clothes. Instead, she wore only an apron, her body otherwise bare.
"Dinner," Noir said.She untied the apron around her waist as she slowly walked away from the kitchen.
She inquired, "Come to think of it, I don't really know what kind of meal you prefer. Do you like simple, warm, home-cooked meals? Or perhaps the hearty flair of a barbecue, where ingredients are grilled whole? Or maybe sophisticated cuisine that requires special ingredients and culinary skills? Hmm, cooking does have its varieties."
Noir chuckled and shook her head.
"But today’s meal will be of my choosing, regardless of your preferences. Because, in this setting, home cooking is most fitting. This is one thing I won't compromise on," she continued.
The pot bubbled. The knife was no longer in her hand but tapped rhythmically on the chopping board, chopping vegetables on its own. The meat sizzled as it hit the hot pan.
"Bath," Noir said.
With a whoosh, a large bathtub appeared next to the blazing fireplace. It was easily big enough for several people, and the water was topped with a frothy layer of bubbles.
"Hmm, I like bubble baths, but your taste might differ…. Might this be more romantic?" Noir winked, and the bubbles subsided.
The water turned a pale gold as rose petals floated to the surface. But it didn’t stop there. A small table, an ice bucket, and wine appeared beside the tub.
"Truthfully, I'm fine with either option, Hamel, as long as I can join you. Just imagine it; wouldn’t it be delightful? What do you think?" she asked.
Noir’s attire changed again. A large bathrobe now enveloped her body. She toyed with the knot of the robe, her smile beguiling.
"Me, you, together in that large tub, both of us bare. I’d start by smearing bubbles on your face. Or perhaps sprinkle you with rose petals. How would you respond?" she asked.
"I would kill you,” Eugene answered.
"Ahaha! That's also charming and lovely. Anyway, that’s the bath."
Noir took a step forward. Once more, her attire changed. She was no longer in a robe or just an apron. She returned to the clothes she had been wearing in the kitchen — plain, everyday attire that was devoid of any glamor or exposure. Noir wouldn’t typically cover herself with such clothes.
"I'm not sure what you'll choose, but if I may say so." The warm orange glow from the fireplace illuminated Noir's face as she spoke, "I do hope you choose me."
Her smiling gaze was directed at Eugene.
For a moment, the two stared at each other. The sounds of wood crackling in the fireplace, the flickering flames, and the warmth of the orange light mingled with the bubbling and chopping sounds from the kitchen, the appetizing aroma of the food being prepared, and the scent of roses from the bathtub.
There stood Noir Giabella, embodying the scene. It was palpable, recognizable — the ordinary, everyday setting was the future Hamel had once envisioned. It was a future he had hoped for after killing all the Demon Kings and leaving the Devildom — if ever he could live like this. That was the dream Hamel had wished for at that time.
Silence fell.
But in the dreams Hamel once painted, Noir Giabella did not exist. She should not have existed. Therefore, the current dream was but a nightmare.
Hamel would have thought so and would have ended this nightmare without hesitation. But Eugene was different. He hesitated, if only for a very, very brief moment.
Rumble!
The hesitation lasted only an instant. Flames surged from Eugene's body and swept through the surroundings. The nearby bathtub shattered, the water evaporated, and the rose petals turned to ash. The small, comforting flames in the fireplace were swallowed by a fierce inferno. The chairs, the sparkling clean dishes, and the neat table set were engulfed in flames.
Noir stood beyond them. The kitchen, which had been peaceful in preparation for dinner, was now swept up in a cataclysmic fire, yet Noir's face remained calm. As the flames surged to engulf her, the dream shifted.
The flames disappeared. Eugene stood still while surveying his surroundings. This place was no longer an ordinary home kitchen.
It was a vast hall with a spiral staircase and a red carpet. He stood at the center of a grand mansion.
Eugene looked up. A beautiful chandelier sparkled above.
A large photograph hung on the wall. The background had changed. The picture had altered slightly. Eugene stared at it with a stoic expression.
There, smiling brightly, were Eugene and Noir. In the previous dream, they were in humble attire, but the photograph portrayed them differently in the current dream. In the picture, Eugene wore a neat tuxedo, and Noir wore a beautiful white dress.
Eugene stared at the Noir in the photograph for a moment. He didn't need to ponder what the white dress signified.
It was a wedding dress. Noir's smile seemed to personify the word happiness as she held a large bouquet. Eugene looked similarly content in the picture.
"My personal preference is," Noir’s voice resounded, along with the echoing clicks of heels.
She descended the spiral staircase in an attire different from that of the previous dream. It was fitting, as the current Noir wore a lavish dress.
"I belong in a grand mansion or a castle like this. I've always been so, and such places suit me,” she explained.
Noir's relaxed pace brought her down the stairs. She continued smiling at Eugene.
"But with you, I'd even enjoy a modest and small home like earlier," she declared.
"Aren't you going to listen to my opinion?" Eugene asked.
"Ahaha. Your opinion? I showed it in the previous dream, didn't I? Surely you aren't trying to lie to me?" Noir retorted.
Fwoosh!
She covered her smile with an ornate fan and continued, “The dream from earlier. That landscape was exactly what you had longed for, Hamel. I have known of it for three hundred years. Remember, Hamel? When I first intruded into your dreams…. Heh, who would have thought that Hamel, known as the Hamel of Extermination and feared by the demons, would harbor such peaceful and endearing dreams?"
Eugene just glared at her.
"Don't look so angry. I merely showed you your own dream. Ah, perhaps… are you upset because I altered it on my own?" she asked.
With a snap, the fan she had been holding folded shut. The erect fan sliced Noir's face in two. The smile that had seemed so joyful turned into an icy sneer.
"Naturally, it had to be changed," she added.
Noir knew who Hamel had wished for as a companion in that dream of the peaceful little house. She knew who he hoped would be waiting for him there.
"If you dislike both your dream and mine, how about this one instead?" she asked.
Noir's lips twitched, and her violet eyes flashed ominously.
Whoosh!
Once again, the dream shifted. The grand mansion crumbled. The photograph of the couple, smiling blissfully in a tuxedo and wedding dress, vanished.
The scene changed.
"I dislike the small house."
Her voice was cold.
"I prefer a grand mansion."
With a rumble, a mansion rose from the empty world. Eugene watched from a distance in the sky.
"A place with many trees and clean air, where the sky is high and blue."
Trees sprouted around the mansion, forming a forest. In the previously empty sky, clouds as pretty as a painting appeared, and painted the void blue.
"At night, a place where stars crowd the sky."
The clouds vanished. Over the blue, black was brushed on. Stars, like tiny dots, appeared in abundance.
"Rather than a salty sea breeze, a place with a gentle flowing river."
With another rumble, the forest shook, and the ground cracked open, forming a river that meandered behind the mansion.
"I want a separate annex entirely for a library."
Suddenly, an annex appeared next to the grand mansion. In an instant, Eugene found himself inside the annex.
Everything that was happening adhered to Noir's will. Because she mentioned a library, a library instantly appeared in the dream's annex.
"As the sun sets, I'll light the fireplace, illuminating the library with a warm orange glow."
A fireplace appeared on the previously bare wall. Flames similar to those seen in the initial dream lit up the library.
"In that place, I'll sit in a rocking chair, reading a book, or—"
Noir, previously unseen except for her voice, appeared from thin air. She was wrapped in a large blanket, sitting in the rocking chair. Creak, creak. Both Noir and the chair rocked together. Holding a book in one hand, she laughed.
"Shall I write something... myself? Ahaha, I guess not."
The book disappeared. Noir, instead, lightly swirled the wine glass that had appeared in its place and continued speaking, "In this dream, what about you, Hamel? After wielding various weapons and sweating profusely, would you come in alone, wash up at your leisure, and shake off your wet hair as you enter the library?"
No response came.
"But I won't scold you for your attitude. I might grumble a bit, though. 'Hamel, did you really wash up alone? Bathing is always a joint affair! We agreed to do it together!' I would say."
Noir's laughter rang out, but it held no joy. Her expression was the same, her smile was merely a curve, unsettling in its emptiness.
"After that, we might reminisce about the old days occasionally. Camping outdoors? No, I would prefer to lie in bed with you and whisper. Anise? Molon? Vermouth? Why would I?"
Again, no reply.
"Of course, those are things I don't need. But Hamel, you need to be by my side. And I'll be by yours. That’s how—"
"Is this Sienna's dream?" Eugene interjected. "Is this… Sienna's dream?"
"Ahaha!" The rocking chair creaked. Leaning back, Noir clutched her stomach and laughed.
"That's right! This fresh and adorable dream belongs to Sienna Merdein. What? You don't like this one either? Then I'll show you Anise's dream. You know, Hamel, what that serpentine Saint dreamed of for your future!?"
Silence again.
"After the war, that woman planned to bless your marriage to Sienna and then disappear alone. That's what she appeared to want on the surface. But underneath, it wasn't so. Saint or not, she is still a woman! In truth, she didn’t want to give you up to Sienna. She wanted to live with you, perhaps setting up an inn in some quiet countryside where she could sell drinks and food — she wanted to live and die with you!" Noir shouted.
There was a pause.
"No." Noir's voice stopped as suddenly as she had shouted, though her breathing remained steady. However, she allowed herself a moment of silence.
She came down from the rocking chair.
"That wouldn't have bothered me three hundred years ago. I felt love for you, Hamel. But the reason I loved you was entirely different from ordinary love,” she professed.
Click.
The sound of high heels striking the floor resonated profoundly within Eugene, though it was merely a solitary noise.
"Even years ago, I wouldn't have cared. You were dead and then reborn, and I felt a destined thrill when we met again. But this love was always one-sided, wasn't it? Yes, so who you held in your heart and whom you loved didn't matter to me. It wasn't my concern,” she continued.
Thud.
This time, the sound of footsteps didn't end with just an echo. The library, the annex, no, the entire dream weighed down on Eugene like a thousand kilos.
"But now it's different. Not today. It doesn't matter whether it's your dream, my dream, Sienna's dream, Anise's dream, or any dream. Today, this moment belongs only to the two of us. In every dream you dream, only I, Noir Giabella, must exist and be the center,” she declared.
"How dreadful,” Eugene muttered under his breath as he shook his head. "You ask about my wishes and dreams, yet in the end, you do as you please, Noir Giabella."
His cloak fluttered. A sword with a blade-like clear glass appeared. Levantein, the Holy Moonlight Sword. Noir gave a wistful smile at the sword that had ended the life of an old friend.
"It’s because this is a dream,” she said.
The annex crumbled with a loud crash! The forest shook, and the river surged. The moon, high in the night sky, contorted grotesquely, and all the stars turned into eyes that stared down at Eugene.
"Don't you wish this were all a dream?" she asked.
Eugene did not answer her. He raised Levantein to the side. Inside the glass blade, a spark ignited.
Crackle!
Crimson flames engulfed the blade, shaking the entire dream with their intensity.
"Indeed." Under the twisted moon, Noir leaned forward. "So, you choose me over dinner or a bath?"
The flames from Levantein split the night.