| ARC III | Chapter 13: Entwined Fates

 In a room filled with a looming and heavy atmosphere, Alum enters the chamber while Amethely gently holds his hand.

 Then… the source of this uneasiness, the man calling himself Alester, greeted Amethely.

 "It's been like yesterday, little one," Alester said, sounding indifferent.

 But despite his indifference, the tone was somewhat gentle and warm, contrasting his overwhelming threat of an aura.

 But that did not bother Amethely at all as she cheerfully greeted her master.

 "Master Alester! I'm happy to see you again!"

 …Alum could tell that she was genuinely happy to see this man she called master, But… there was something about him that Alum couldn't put his finger on.

 It was a feeling of familiarity, but… why did he fear him so much then? It was strange, he thought, since he'd never really feared anything prior to this… sure he might've been a little traumatised, but after that, Alum had always been indifferent to most things….

 (…She's really something, isn't she?) Alum thought as he was getting pulled along.

 It appears to everyone that she was the only one who didn't seem to mind this heavy threat.

 Alester then turns his attention to Alum and greets him as well.

 "...You must be little one's lover," Alester said while glaring at Alum as he and Amethely took a seat.

 "...Nice to meet you…." Alum replied.

 Oddly enough, a somewhat soft smile arose from the man's cold face—which surprised everyone.

 Chely, who was probably the one most cautious of him, felt strange. As she felt bothered by the fact he'd manage to lower her guard….

 Luna was probably as cautious as Chely, but… she felt oddly calm. It was probably due to 'work mode' kicking in as she seated beside her parents, the Emperor and Empress. But… her parents, on the other hand, although they weren't powerful fighters or mages. They could usually withstand pressure from other powerful individuals, so when Alester showed some humanity, they were utterly baffled.

 The only one that seemed to not be taken aback was Rigeld. He didn't seem to be so bothered by Alester in general. And, of course… Amethely was the one most surprised by this. In her memories, not once did he smile. So why now?

 "In any case, I see that you are doing well, little one."

 "...Yes, thank you, you too, Master… Oh! Pardon my rudeness, Emperor Enon and Empress Ririsa. Greetings to you."

 Both the Emperor and Empress seemed stiff, but as soon as they heard Amethely's soft and gentle voice, they snapped out of it and greeted her as well.

 "No, no, you needn't be so polite, Saint Amethely…" the Emperor replied. He glanced over at Luna and then at Alum. "I should be thanking you for taking such good care of this asocial daughter of mine… Saint Amethely and Mister Alum…."

 Amethely shook her head.

 "Luna has been a very good friend, so it's nothing to thank me over," she said.

 Alum nodded as well, agreeing with her.

 "...I see… if you say so." the Emperor responded.

 "Mister… Alum, right?"

 "...Yes, It's an honour to meet you, Empress Ririsa."

 "I see~! Ah… excuse me, this isn't the proper occasion, but I want to properly thank you, and… are you okay with it being on another date?"

 "...It would be an honour…." Alum said, thinking it would be rude to turn her down.

 Luna stared at her parents with a sulky face.

 (…This is about Luna, isn't it?) Alum thought.

 "Ahem…. Well then, Sir Alester, now that Saint Amethely has arrived, why have you come to Ilifel?" Pope Lue asked.

 …Amethely didn't notice the pope and lowered her head, feeling ashamed, but Pope Lue just smiled it off, gesturing to her it wasn't a bother.

 "....Nothing much. I just wanted to announce that I'll be taking residency in the Zederes mountains." Alester said.

 ""...""

 The whole room became quiet when they heard the announcement.

 Rigeld was sitting with his arms crossed—this was the most serious Alum had seen of him….

 "...Why did you decide that?" Rigeld carefully asked.

 Alester glanced his way, giving it some thought before replying.

 "I suppose it's a vacation? I recently had my subordinates build a villa in the mountains… and as an apology for chasing away some monsters, I'm here to pay the damages. Of course, there is no casualty, but… my actions caused damage to the nearby residence, nonetheless."

 Hearing Alester's statement made a lot of things clear. He was the reason monsters migrated from their usual habitat and may have been the cause for the awakening of the Selges beast.

 As if reading their mind, Alester cleared the misunderstanding before it could escalate.

 "Though… I will make it clear. I started this after the awakening of the Selges beast. And I have no involvement in it."

 "...I see," Rigeld replied, as he let out a slightly relieved sigh.

 For a moment, the chamber became filled with killing intent toward Alester, but… even if he was the cause… there was little that they could do. After all, Alester was a walking natural disaster, and as humans, they had to adapt….

 "That is my reason for coming here, well… partly to that and visit my disciple while I'm here. Well then. As an apology, I will grant everyone in the room one wish." Alester declared.

 This declaration, however, confused them all. Is he testing them? Or what was he up to? Was it some sort of a joke for a natural disaster such as him to apologise and grant wishes while he's at it?

 "....."

 "Of course, it has to be reasonable. I cannot raise the dead, at least not the way you hope, so go on. I'll tell you if it's possible or not." Alester said.

 Though… amidst the silence, the Emperor was the first to speak.

 "....We appreciate the offer, but… as an Emperor, I will have to refrain—or so I wanted to say. If possible… I don't want your stay to be known….." Emperor Enon requested.

 "...I'm fine with that," Alester replied, looking around to see if anyone else wanted to have their wish granted.

 Though… only Rigeld seemed to have something he wanted to ask of him.

 "...In that case, do you know who woke up the Selges beast?" He asked.

 "....It's not an individual per se but a group. They call themselves The Seven Cults. Though I'm unaware of their intentions, they do seem to want to summon an Eldrich god. well… I don't involve myself in human affairs all that much, and summoning magic is almost impossible with the lack of divinity in the world." Alester replied.

 "...I see. Thanks, that helps…." Rigeld replied.

 Although he couldn't understand some parts of what Alester had said, he was convinced that he had to shoot the cults down before it became a massive problem in the future.

 It didn't seem like there was anyone else that wanted a wish granted, so… so, Alester wanted them to leave.

 "If that's all. Then I want to speak with my disciple and her lover privately," he said, looking at the others coldly.

 Chely was a little reluctant, but Amethely signalled that it was fine, so everyone exited the room with her, leaving the three of them alone.

 "Master Alester, is there something you need to talk about, coming all this way and all?" Amethely asked.

 She found it strange that he'd come all the way here just to say he made a home in the mountains and was paying for the damages.

 "Nothing much," Alester said. He then looked at their hands as they intertwined. As he then said, "I heard that you got engaged. Congratulations."

 …Alum looked at Alester, slightly confused, and he also glanced at Amethely as she seemed happy to hear those words. She brightly smiled and grasped his hand even tighter.

 "Yup! Thank you!" Amethely cheerfully replied.

 (…Oh, right… couples that go through with the tradition are treated like they're engaged.) Alum thought.

 …He might've overlooked that part a little since he was more worried about her like his gift. And, well… he didn't read in on the subject… which was a blunder on his end.

 But he wasn't going to mention that since she seemed so happy, and he didn't mind if everyone thought they were officially engaged. In fact… it made him happy.

 "This is the man you've chosen?" Alester said, closely inspecting Alum as if he were judging him. And well, he was. "He looks rather weak," he later commented.

 (…In comparison to you, maybe…..) Alum thought he didn't know why, but he felt a little timid….

 In response, Amethely shook her head, saying, "Master… it isn't fair to compare him to you, is it? Besides, Al is very talented. He managed to get this strong despite only being here for about two months!"

 Alester smiled a little as he watched Amethely cheerfully praise Alum. He then glanced at Alum, smiling softly at him as well.

 Amethely and Alum both thought it was rather strange. And Amethely, despite being Alester's apprentice, did not know much about the man except what she learned from books. Still… it was refreshing seeing him with another expression on his face.

 Alum, on the other hand, was from another world. So… the only thing he knew about Alester was that he was one of the most powerful beings to exist. His history is clean because nations keep him hidden, and he only found out by reading some random book in Luna's study.

 (…But something doesn't hold up….) Alum thought about it some more.

 A being this powerful, capable of destroying the world, is kept hidden? Sure, he could understand the reason for wanting to keep him unknown by the general. But… is it even possible to hide something that devastating?

 "I'm glad you found someone you love," Alester said, looking somewhat empty.

 (Why the empty look? But it doesn't appear to be jealousy… it's… more like regret?) 

 Alum had to wonder since those words strangely resonated with him. This man. Just who is he, and what has he been through?

 Sensing the gloomy atmosphere, Amethely tried to be as cheerful as possible to raise the mood.

 "Ehehe~yup! I love him with all my heart!"

 ….Alester moved close to them instantly and then grabbed Alum's chin to inspect his face closely.

 Alum froze on the spot, not comprehending his actions. Of course… no one but Alester knew the meaning behind those actions.

 "Boy, tell me. Do you love her as much as she loves you?"

 "...." Alum was surprised. Never in a million years did he expect Alester, like… Alester, of all people, to ask him that.

 "I love her more," Alum stated without a hint of any embarrassment.

 "I see," Alester responded with a smile, letting him go.

 And it was this bold declaration that made Amethely redden while she kept saying, "Dummy dummy! What are you saying!? I'm the one that loves you more!"

 The two of them would then argue about who likes who more. Whilst Alester watched with some nostalgia.

 (…We used to be like this, too… huh?)

 Alester didn't mind the two as he ruffled Alum's hair, messing it up. Both of them looked at him, and their expression filled with shock. Alester didn't mind as he calmly began to speak.

 "You're a good boy. Take care of her." his expression was that of a kind father, but… only Amethely knew since Alum never had a proper family growing up.

 Alester didn't stop as he kept speaking, "But… some advice from this old me…. 'Be afraid of death'. If not…. You'll only hurt those around you."

 ….Alum felt an odd sense of comfort; it was a little different from how Amethely would comfort him, but it didn't feel bad.

 Still….

 (…I should be afraid to die…? Aren't I already, though?) Alum pondered.

 …Amethely stared at Alester; her eyes were wide open, and she held Alum's hand more firmly. Maybe Alum doesn't understand the weight of those words, but to her, it sounded like Alum would end up doing something thoughtless again.

 (I won't let that happen!) She thought.

 And With determination, she swore that she wouldn't let him get into more dangerous situations than he already has.

 "...I see. I'll heed your warning then…." Alum replied.

 He wasn't sure what this all-powerful being wanted, but he didn't think it was a bad thing that Alester seemed oddly concerned about his well-being.

 In turn, he is confused since this is their first meeting.

 (…Maybe he isn't as bad as he's portrayed…) 

 Alester then stood up and said, "Well then, I'll be staying for a short while, about ten years or so. Be sure to visit me when you're expecting a child, little one." he said, chuckling. "Well, I suppose it will be brief since you are so in love with one another."

 "M-Master Alester! What are you saying!?" Amethely retorts, her face flustered as she questions what her master meant by those words.

 Alum avoided her gaze; his ears were red, and despite his turning away, it was easy to tell he was just as shy as she was.

 And with that, Alester just disappeared.

 …..

 …

 Alone in the big chamber, Amethely leaned on Alum's shoulder. She pouted a little but stuck close.

 "Al… M-Master Alester may not be wrong…." Amethely said.

 ".....I… I see."

 (…WHAT!?) Alum was starting to panic a little when he heard that. In turn, this flustered Amethely.

 "N-No, that's not what I meant!" she cried, "I… I was just saying… I want to start a family… m-maybe in a year from now on…." She was turning redder and redder the more she spoke, "Our happy family…." she said as she then sheepishly looked at him, "Is that too soon?"

 Hearing her confession made his heart flutter as he, too, wished for that.

 (…A happy family, huh…?) he felt incredibly happy that she wanted to start a family, and… of course, he wanted to….

 He kissed her, though… he felt it was a little inappropriate to do so in this room. But… he went with a deep kiss. Their breaths ragged and eyes cloudy—suddenly, they hear a knock on the door… and immediately snap out of it, averting their eyes and feeling a little ashamed. Still… they shyly laughed a little as they smiled at one another.

 …

  …..

 …

 On a certain shore of one of the beaches in Ilifel, far away from where people usually swam, a girl watched the sunset all on her own. The sounds of waves calmed her as she was occupied in her own mind. She felt as if she was at peace whenever she looked at the ocean.

 She missed her home and her parents. But… she knew that going back would be near impossible.

 And then… she was approached by a man. She looked at him. He had white hair that shone golden in the sunset, and his eyes were either grey or white or possibly even gold. It was hard to tell….

 "What a lovely sunset we have here, don't you think?" The girl asked.

 Usually, she wouldn't speak to random strangers, especially when they were the first to approach her, but this man seemed different somehow.

 "It is indeed," the man replied.

 He sat down beside the girl, and his eyes seemed sorrowful. Empty as they gaze out into the sea.

 "...Did something bad happen?" The girl asked. "I don't know if there's anything I can do… but I'll listen."

 Her gentle voice and soft demeanour made him turn to her. She had ruby-like eyes and silver-white hair.

 He slowly shook his head. "No, nothing bad happened per se. Just… reminiscing a little."

 "I see… you too?" She asked.

 The girl would usually be cheerful and energetic, surrounded by people. But… every now and then, she wanted to be left alone. Today was one of those days. Despite that… she didn't mind his presence at all.

 "My name is Miu Nanase. What's yours?"

 The white-haired man leaned back, lying on the sand and looking up at the sky.

 "Alester…" the man said, seeming a little conflicted, as he then iterated what he just said, "...Just Alester."

 Miu smiled, trying to cheer him up.

 "Oh! Alester! That's a beautiful name!"

 The man didn't seem surprised by her excitement as he responded with a chuckle.

 "Thank you…. I feel a little better now, seeing how cheerful you always are….."

 Miu blankly stared at him. She didn't understand, 'Seeing how cheerful you always are?' she began to think.) Have we met?)

 And when she was about to ask, he disappeared.

 "...What a strange guy…."