It had been four days since Sienna had returned to Aroth, and she had a packed schedule for every one of these past four days.
On the first day, she met with the King and the Magic Tower Masters, and immediately after that, she gave a speech to the crowd that had gathered in the Green Square.
As she finished her speech, which was met with both tears and cheers, the whole city of Pentagon had begun preparing a huge festival. The next day, Sienna participated in the festival procession and was paraded around Pentagon.
The day after that, Sienna took the time to meet with a group of young wizards, carefully selected by the four Tower Masters and the Head of the Wizard’s guild, who dreamt of becoming the next generation of Aroth’s leaders. The meeting started with a light lunch, but the attending young wizards were more interested in listening to Sienna’s nagging than in the food. Sienna’s nagging started with her complaining about “the problem with young people these days,” but as it eventually led to her providing each of the young wizards with individual guidance, everyone left the meeting satisfied.
Today was still the fourth day of her return to Aroth.
Sienna had one final meeting with the Royal Family of Aroth and the Royal Parliament. They had also tried to occupy her schedule for the rest of the day, but Sienna had firmly refused all of their appointments. This was because she felt that she had already done more than enough by allowing them to pester her for these past four days.
Sienna complained, “It’s not like I’m going to die any time soon. Even if I don’t take any measures to prevent my death, I’ll still be able to live for over a hundred more years. So why are you all making such a fuss? Fine then, I’ll do whatever you want me to do, but in exchange for that, I won’t ever set foot in Aroth again. Is that okay with you?”
How could anyone dare to pressure Sienna further after being told it might make them an enemy of Aroth for the rest of their life?
Once Sienna managed to free up her schedule for the rest of the day by using this argument, she returned to the top floor of the Green Tower of Magic. This was originally the office of the newly appointed Green Tower Master, Rynein Boers, but during these past four days, Sienna had been using it for her temporary lodgings.Of course, Rynein had offered to return the entirety of Sienna’s mansion to her for her private use rather than just the top floor of the Tower of Magic. If Sienna had so desired, she could have even claimed the entirety of Aroth’s Royal Palace for herself, but… no matter what, Sienna felt the most comfortable here, on the top floor of the Green Tower of Magic.
Along with her mansion, which had now become a museum, this was where Sienna had spent most of her time when she first lived in Aroth three hundred years ago.
“Hm,” Sienna hummed thoughtfully as she sat in a comfy chair, holding up a gem as she carefully examined it.
This gem was the Demoneye of Fantasy, which had gotten cracked during their battle against the Demon King of Incarceration. Since then, it hadn’t seen any use, and thanks to Sienna’s regular infusion of soul power, the crack in the Demoneye of Fantasy had completely recovered.
“Hmmmm…,” Sienna’s focus intensified.
She didn’t have any regrets for what she had done.
After inheriting the Demoneye of Fantasy from Noir, Sienna had immediately sealed Noir Giabella’s soul into the Demoneye. At that time, she believed it was the best option available. If Noir was allowed simply to perish and disappear like that, she might become an eternal nightmare that would continue to weigh heavily on Eugene’s heart.
Sienna just couldn’t accept that. That was why she couldn’t allow Noir to die completely.
Of course, there was also a secondary reason that she needed Noir’s help to control the Demoneye of Fantasy. Back then, Sienna had no choice but to admit to herself that, no matter how hard she worked, she wouldn’t be able to wield the Demoneye of Fantasy against the Demon Kings as skillfully as its original owner, Noir Giabella.
“In the end, I was proven right, wasn’t I?” Sienna muttered, her lips sticking out in a pout.
When they fought the Demon King of Incarceration in Babel, would they have still been able to win if they hadn’t used Noir to control the Demoneye of Fantasy? Thinking about it rationally, the possibility of their victory would be extremely low.
During that battle, everyone’s strength combined was still less than that of the Demon King of Incarceration. If the Demoneye of Fantasy hadn’t been able to fuse reality with a dream world, it would have been much more difficult for them to push the Demon King of Incarceration as far as they had.
It was only because they had pushed him as hard as they could, that the Demon King of Incarceration had been forced to unleash his full power, which was what allowed the poison Balzac Ludbeth had turned himself into to activate….
“Aaagh…,” Sienna groaned in frustration.
Since all Demon Kings were now dead, there would no longer be any reason to use the Demoneye of Fantasy. In that case, sealing it away like this might be able to put a clean ending to everything.
However, the power held by the Demoneye of Fantasy was too great in its potential to limit it to mere battles. Her instincts as a wizard drove Sienna to figure out how to replicate the powers of the Demoneye of Fantasy, using only magic….
But that wasn’t the only reason Sienna was hesitant to simply seal away the Demoneye of Fantasy forever. Her interest in its magic was just an excuse. Sienna let out a deep sigh as she shook her head. If she just sealed the Demoneye away like this, wouldn’t Noir still become a nightmare for Eugene?
‘No, I can’t allow that,’ Sienna thought, shaking her head, knowing full well just what kind of personality Eugene or Hamel possessed.
During the moment that he had slain Noir, the feelings that Eugene had carried for Noir Giabella… those feelings weren’t just born out of the lingering influence left from his past life as Agaroth.
In the end, it was Eugene who ultimately remembered his past life’s relationship with Noir. And while the two of them were facing each other in Noir’s dream realm, they must have seen something in each other that appealed to both of their heart’s desires.
So, the nightmare of Noir Giabella that clung to Eugene following her death was ultimately an accumulation of his unfulfilled feelings for her. Such feelings would not disappear no matter how much time passed, but would instead grow stronger. Even if he didn’t usually think about it, someday… it would suddenly return to the forefront of Eugene’s mind to torment him.
But was that really the only reason why she had yet to seal the Demoneye of Fantasy even though everything was finally over?
At the moment of Noir’s death, the feelings that Sienna had felt were….
Sienna couldn’t help but admit the truth.
The words that Noir had whispered to her amid her specially crafted nightmare still bothered her — Noir’s claims that Sienna would absolutely never reach the level of intimacy that existed between Noir and Eugene. Even though it was a destructive relationship, where they were doomed to kill each other despite harboring affection for each other, the bond between Eugene and Noir was so strong that, whoever died, the scars that would be left on the survivor would never be erased.
Sienna might not hold any desire for such a relationship but in their final moments… Sienna had felt jealous of them.
At the same time, she had also felt fear. Fear that if she allowed Noir to die like this, then perhaps… no, Noir would definitely reincarnate someday and come looking for Eugene. Noir had even personally warned Sienna about the possibility of this happening.
—The bond of fate that exists between Hamel and me… is an extremely strong one. When I am someday reincarnated, I will definitely, without a doubt, be able to remember Hamel.
Sienna had denied her feelings at the time. However, now that everything was over, she could admit that all of the comforting lies she had told herself at that moment were false.
The jealousy she had felt at the moment of Noir’s death, the fear of her possible return, and also…
“It’s all because I’m far too kind,” Sienna muttered with a deep sigh.
Having already given in and admitted to the truths that she had previously tried to deny, there was still one emotion that Sienna had felt at that moment. And she was fully aware of what that emotion had been.
It was sympathy.
As the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch, Noir Giabella had been reborn as a Night Demon. Sienna sympathized with Noir Giabella who, let alone being able to satisfy the unfulfilled desires of her past life, was forced into a relationship with Eugene where they had no choice but to try to kill each other. She also sympathized with Eugene, who had chosen to kill Noir even though he had reached a point in their relationship where he could admit to himself, “I don’t want to kill her.” So instead, Sienna had captured Noir’s soul….
“But there’s our promise,” Sienna said with a frown.
In Babel, Sienna had made a promise to Eugene. That once everything was over, she would release Noir Giabella’s soul.
However, doing that wouldn’t be enough to put Sienna’s heart fully at ease. Sienna let out another deep sigh as she tapped the Demoneye of Fantasy with her finger.
[Oh my,] Noir said as she rose from the jewel in a purple cloud. She blinked her eyes for a few moments, stared at Sienna, then grinned happily, [It seems… that very little time has passed since I was last out. Sienna Merdein, you appear to be in perfect health. And this place is….]
While Noir was sealed within the Demoneye of Fantasy, she wasn’t able to observe what was going on outside of her prison.
Noir tilted her head as she looked around. [This looks like a wizard’s room.]
Her probing gaze landed on the nameplate on the office desk.
[The Green Tower Master, Rynein Boers…,] Noir read out. [Ahaha, the position of the Green Tower Master was vacant at the time of my death. So it seems that, since then, she has become the new Green Tower Master, hasn’t she?]
“You’re still just as talkative as ever,” Sienna complained.
[Well, that can’t be helped, can it? It isn’t like you’ll be willing to explain the situation otherwise. So, what’s going on? How much time has passed since I was last let out? Since you aren’t dead, you must have defeated the Demon King of Incarceration…. Hmph , and naturally that means Hamel didn’t die either, right? If Hamel were dead, you would definitely have followed him in death. And even if you were left with no other choice but to survive, you definitely wouldn’t have this expression on your face,] Noir observed with a giggle as she leaned forward to scrutinize Sienna.
As long as the Demoneye of Fantasy was under Sienna’s control, Noir couldn’t use the powers of the Demoneye of Fantasy. However, her eyes, which should only be those of a lost soul, shone with a bewitching light as she looked into Sienna’s eyes.
Noir smirked, [So it seems like everything is finally over, isn’t it?]
Sienna remained silent.
[Ahaha, it looks like my guess is correct. But even if you defeated the Demon King of Incarceration, that should have still left you with the Demon King of Destruction. Hmmm , did you actually manage to defeat the Demon King of Destruction without my help?] Noir said with a doubtful tone.
“Don’t act so cocky,” Sienna snorted. “We didn’t even need your help.”
[ Hmph , I guess that does make sense. After all, my abilities probably wouldn’t have been a good match against the Demon King of Destruction. However, when you fought against the Demon King of Incarceration, you definitely did need my help, isn’t that right? You don’t actually intend to deny that, do you?] Noir asked challengingly.
Sienna tried to avoid the question, “Stop bringing up something that’s already in the past.”
A faint smile spread across Noir’s lips, [In that case, shall we talk about the future instead?]
Noir stepped back from Sienna with a light skip and sat down on a nearby sofa, as casually as if this was her room.
[So, what do you plan on doing with me?] Noir asked.
Sienna fell silent once more.
[I’ve already known about the complex mix of emotions you feel towards me for a while now,] Noir said before smirking. [No way, did you actually think that I hadn’t noticed? Sienna Merdein. You’re truly much worse at hiding your feelings than you think that you are.]
“A comfortable death would be a luxury you don’t deserve,” Sienna spat out, glaring at Noir. “I will not allow your death to become Eugene’s nightmare. I also won’t allow you to come looking for us someday after being reincarnated.”
[And what does that leave?] Noir raised a brow.
“I will not set your soul free. I’ve given it… a lot of thought,” Sienna slowly admitted. “How can I make you, who has already died, suffer even more? How can I make it so that your death will not become a nightmare for Eugene?”
Noir didn’t say anything to this. Instead, she kept staring at Sienna with that same annoying smile that she had always kept on her face while still alive.
While feeling like Noir’s gaze was piercing a hole right through her, Sienna snapped her fingers.
Click.
Falling from a wide-open hole in space was a ball-jointed doll the same size as a human.
“I am going to stuff your soul into this,” Sienna revealed.
Noir shook her head. [When did you go and become a necromancer? To think that you would actually learn how to stuff souls into bodies that didn’t belong to them. Hmmm , I do recall that there was a certain woman among the black wizards whom I was acquainted with who happened to be skilled in that sort of work. Her name was Amelia Merwin. Speaking of which, you happen to be holding Amelia Merwin captive, aren’t you?]
Amelia Merwin hadn’t been sentenced to death and was still alive. However, her mind had been shattered beyond all hope of recovery.
[Sienna Merdein, it seems that you were able to learn black magic by using Amelia Merwin’s memories. You were also using her as a source of dark power to draw upon. Could it be that you fell for the temptations of black magic while doing so?] Noir speculated.
“Black magic is, in the end, just another type of magic,” Sienna defended herself. “And I am the Goddess of all magic.”
[How convenient for you. Well, fine, if that’s what you’ve decided to do. So what next? After stuffing my soul into that toy, what else are you going to do to me?] Noir asked.
“I’m going to show you everything,” Sienna proudly replied.
Noir’s cheeks twitched slightly as she allowed Sienna to continue speaking.
“The world is at peace. All of the Demon Kings are dead, and there is nothing left to threaten it. Now, all that is left… is for everyone to live happily. Noir Giabella, you… are going to watch as we all live happily ever after,” Sienna declared.
It was Noir’s turn to fall silent.
“I’ve already said it, haven’t I? Death and reincarnation would be a luxury for you. As such, I am taking all of that away from you. You won’t be able to die, nor will you be able to reincarnate. Instead, you will just continue to be trapped within that doll’s body… as you watch Eugene and I live happily together,” Sienna finished speaking triumphantly.
Noir didn’t say anything in response to this and just kept staring at Sienna.
Sienna took a deep breath before declaring, “That is the punishment I will be delivering to you.”
[A punishment, you say,] Noir began to speak following the short silence. [As for whether or not you are even qualified to punish me… ahahaha … let’s put that aside for now. After all, it’s not really that important. But speaking of your punishment, Sienna Merdein, I already told you earlier, didn’t I? That you’re much worse at hiding your true feelings than you think you are.]
Noir chuckled before muttering, [Indeed, this is truly… a selfish, vicious, and insulting act of mercy. It’s also extremely effective. Certainly, for me, who thought that I had gotten a perfect ending , there is no greater punishment than this.]
Sienna kept her silence.
[But what do you think about this?] Noir, who was leaning back into the sofa, turned her head to the side and asked, [My dear Hamel.]
Sienna also gathered up her courage to turn and look towards him.
Eugene was standing in front of the office door. He had been listening to the whole conversation from the other side of the door. Partway through their conversation, he had opened the door and let himself in, unable to be a silent bystander. However, he hadn’t inserted himself into their conversation.
Instead, he had just kept listening.
Eugene let out a long sigh and shook his head, then said, “You promised that you would release her soul, remember?”
Sienna shrugged. “I already explained why I am not going to do that.”
“And if I say that I can’t accept that?” Eugene asked.
“In that case, you’ll just have to go along with my stubbornness,” Sienna insisted.
“There’s really no need for you to be so afraid,” Eugene changed tack.
Sienna shook her head and said, “You also know full well that I’m not just doing this out of fear.”
Eugene closed his eyes at Sienna’s muttered response. The dark silence that followed was interrupted by the sound of Noir’s giggles.
[What a disgraceful and tacky act of salvation. Don’t you agree, Hamel? This isn’t what either of us wanted,] Noir said, shaking her head.
Boom.
“Are you sure about that?” Sienna asked as her hand slammed down on the nearby desk. She glared at Noir, who was still sitting on the sofa, and at Eugene, who was standing there with his eyes closed, before spitting out, “Rather than missing you after your death, it’s much better for you to live… stay alive—. Well, even if it can’t really be called living, in any case, isn’t it much better to keep you around in some form or other than letting you just disappear?”
[Are you speaking from experience?] Noir asked with a smirk. [Aren’t you just projecting your feelings from three hundred years ago onto Hamel?]
“Aaargh, fine, you’re right!” Sienna shouted as she slammed her hand down on the desk once more. “It truly feels like shit when you have to grieve the loss of someone who has died…! And I just don’t want Eugene to be forced to feel that way!”
“I have no intention of grieving her,” Eugene spoke up.
Sienna shook her head and said, “Of course you shouldn’t! Because I wouldn’t allow you to. However, still… you know that, don’t you? That, sometimes, she would still appear in your dreams.”
The doll that had been sprawled on the floor floated up into the air.
Sienna threw the doll next to Noir and continued speaking, “I know… that everything I’m doing just seems selfish, vicious, insulting, and petty to the two of you… so fine then. If you don’t want to do it, I won’t force you to. I’ll just destroy this doll right here and now and free your slutty soul—”
“Ten years.” Eugene let out a deep sigh and opened his eyes. “Let’s go along with your stubbornness for ten years. If it’s that long, I don’t think there will be any regrets after that.”
[Doesn’t my opinion matter in this?] Noir asked while observing the doll lying next to her. She grabbed the doll’s arm and shook it. [Ten years, hmmm , that duration feels a bit ambiguous. If we’re going to do this, then how about giving it a hundred years? You’ll definitely be living for that long in any case, right?]
“Shut up,” Eugene growled.
Noir sighed. [Your attitude has gotten colder than when I was alive. Aha, could it be that? Are you trying not to get attached while I’m still here? Hamel, you should already know the truth, don’t you? That dislike is just another form of attachment. Instead of being rude, it would be better to try and satisfy both our desires in a way that won’t leave any regrets behind.]
“Satisfy our desires?” Eugene repeated doubtfully.
[For example, how about sleeping with me?] Noir offered with a smirk.
Both Eugene and Sienna’s faces twisted in distaste at this inappropriate response.
[Hm… now that I think about it, that might not work,] Noir admitted. [If you sleep with me, that will only leave you with more regrets once I leave.]
“Crazy bitch,” Eugene muttered in disgust.
Sienna was also about to let out a similar curse, but she was struck speechless at the sight of Noir groping the doll’s chest with a serious expression on her face.
Noir frowned and asked, [I’m just asking this to be sure, but if I do go in here, I won’t have to keep this doll’s bland appearance, will I?]
“Your soul’s true appearance will be projected on top of it,” Sienna admitted reluctantly.
[Is that so?] Noir said, her purple eyes sparkling in interest. She turned to look at Sienna with a seductive smile. [If that’s the case, does this doll have reproductive functions as well?]
Eugene just clicked his tongue in disgust at this question. He naturally expected Sienna to let out a foul curse in response to this inquiry, but surprisingly, Sienna’s expression was ever so subtly off.
Her response, which finally came after a moment of hesitation, was truly mind-boggling.
“It can’t have children,” Sienna prevaricated.
Eugene let out a snort as he shook his head in disbelief, and Noir’s smile grew even wider.
[Does that mean, while it can’t have children, it can do everything else?] Noir said suggestively.
“Why did you include such useless functions?” Eugene complained.
“That’s…,” Sienna hesitated. “This is also one of my proudest works… and while creating it, I thought of it as a challenge to further develop my skill in magic, so I just unconsciously….”
[How amazing, Sienna Merdein. You truly are a genius, no, you are the Goddess of Magic,] Noir complimented as she lifted the doll’s arms and clapped its hands together for Sienna.
“How crazy do you have to be…,” Eugene muttered in a low voice.
Sienna heard Eugene’s mumbling, but she ignored it to ask, “So why did you come looking for me suddenly?”
Eugene was confused by this abrupt change of subject.
Sienna glanced over, taking in the confusion on Eugene’s face, before continuing to speak, “We originally planned that I’ll visit you later today. So, is there something going on for you to come looking for me like this?”
“There is something, but it’s not as ridiculous as what you’ve managed to come up with here,” Eugene responded.
“So what is it?” Sienna pressed.
Eugene explained, “The Lionhearts are moving our main estate elsewhere.”
Sienna’s eyes widened in realization at these words. She had already heard wind that the main family of the Lionhearts, who were based in Kiehl, had started preparing to move weeks ago.
Soon, Sienna’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she asked, “I understand why you came looking for me. It seems that you need the help of I, Lady Sienna, don’t you? Indeed, moving the entire mansion as a whole would be far from simple. Alright then, what do you need me to do? Should I just uproot the entire forest and move it as well?”
“Mhm,” Eugene nodded his head.
Over the course of these past four days, Eugene had shared a lot of discussions with the members of the main family about the move.
At first, they had been planning on just the main family members moving out, allowing the elves to use the entire estate for themselves comfortably, but the elves had rejected this plan. The elves led by Signard had already adapted to life in the outside world and had no desire to return to the rainforest and their former home next to the World Tree. But more than that, they were determined to use a part of their long lives to repay the favor the Lionhearts had shown them.
“What about the dwarves?” Sienna asked.
“They said they would follow us as well,” Eugene answered.
Sienna raised a brow. “In that case, things won’t be all that different from how they are now.”
Eugene shrugged and said, “That just means we need to claim a much bigger territory than the one we already have.”
They needed a territory so large that, even after including the forest of the elves that was centered around the saplings of the World Tree as well as the dwarves’ continually expanding workshop, it still wouldn’t encroach on the main family’s living space.
“No way,” Sienna gasped.
She had suddenly thought of an abandoned piece of land that was no longer owned by anyone.
The new home of the Lionheart family would be located in the city of Pandemonium.
Openbookworm & DantheMan's Thoughts
OBW: So I guess this makes Sienna the Goddess of Sex Dolls as well?