Vionette pointed her hand at the empty space between Noa's sitting height and her own laid down form, and a blue screen flickered into existence. The ethereal glow of the interface cast sharp azure highlights across their features as they looked at the text together.
Noa shifted, his arm snaking around her waist to drag the laying Vionette closer until her back was pressed firmly against his chest, their shoulders brushing in the quiet room.
[Crown of Accumulation is a unique skill awakened when a sufficient number of individuals have formed absolute allegiance toward the user.]
"So it's from when the war happened." Noa placed his hand on his chin, his gaze shifting from the window back to the screen. "How does this thing work then?"
[Primary function: The skill allows the user to harvest traces of growth from subordinates and convert them into Accumulation Points. The user may also sacrifice their existing skills to obtain Accumulation Points.]
[Secondary function: Allows the user to make a shallow soul connection between the user and the subordinates, thus allowing user to harvest traces of growth and communicate with subordinates.]
"What are these 'Accumulation Points' even used for?" Vionette asked, her eyes sharpening like a predator's as she scanned the data. "And what are the conditions?"
[Accumulation Points can be used to evolve the user's skills.]
[Conditions:]
[1. User must possess an Essence Fragment to utilize Accumulation Points.]
[2. Conversion and evolution are restricted to skills owned by the user.]
[However, through the deep soul connection established between user Noa Ravel and user Vionette Crimvane by [A Match Made in Hell], it is possible for the Essence Fragment to evolve and sacrifice the skills of user Noa Ravel as well.]
"Mmm… pretty useful, more if we use it the right way," Noa said, looking at Vionette. "You can utilize that, right?"
"Of course," Vionette replied, letting out a quiet, amused breath that Noa could feel against his arm.
Noa stood up from the bed, his hair now completely dry and messy. He walked around the mahogany frame to the opposite side and slid back under the covers, laying down with a sigh of relief. Vionette followed his lead, crawling across the bed like a cat toward the pillow next to him, turning on her side to face him.
"What are you going to do about Jain?" he asked, his hand coming to rest casually on the curve of her hip. "I know for a fact that she won't join us if she finds out how we actually act. She's way too 'holy' for our brand of chaos."
"Well… we'll have to see if her personality has any loopholes we can use to drag her to our side," she smirked, the amber light of the room dancing in her eyes. "You said she's stronger than you, though? You actually wanna fight her?"
"Bet I am. Fighting someone at the same level or stronger is always more enjoyable," Noa admitted, his eyes darkening with a flicker of excitement.
"You truly are an evil thing… well, that makes two of us."
"Let's talk about the other stuff tomorrow," Noa said, his eyelids drooping as he settled into the mattress, closing his black-purple eyes. "I'm sleepy."
"You don't even have to sleep though… you're just doing it for the fun of it," she teased, though she also shifted into a sleeping position.
"Well yeah," he opened one eye, flashing a lazy, genuine smile at Vionette. "Cuz I want to sleep with you."
"Oh yeah~?"
She slowly wrapped her arms around his face with a playful smile. Noa looked back with momentary confusion.
Grab…
She suddenly closed the distance, pulling his face forward until it was pressed firmly against her chest. She curled her body toward him, her arms locked around his head while her legs moved to entangle with his. Noa blinked twice in surprise, muffled against her, but then he closed his eyes and smiled, wrapping his own hands around her waist.
Holy… boobs… so soft~ I'm literally in heaven right now.
"Good night… darling."
With Noa's muffled words, Vionette also closed her eyes. A faint, soft blush crept onto her cheeks, and a satisfied smile remained on her face as the room fell into a comfortable silence.
***
Step. Step. Step.
The morning air of Cirelith was crisp, carrying the scent of stone and old secrets. Noa adjusted his jacket slightly, one hand buried in his pocket while the other rested habitually near the hilt of Acheron. Beside him, Vionette walked with a certain bounce in her step, her hands waving in a rhythmic sway as they moved toward the exit of the inn.
"We're going to find out about that today, right?" Noa asked, looking over at her. "That Fable Mark thingy."
"Yeah, we are. But first," she paused, looking at Jain waiting near the door and flashing a bright smile, "let's plant some flowers so it'll bloom when we come back."
As they walked toward the door, passing the polished wooden counter, the clerk from the day before bowed to them with a professional smile.
Then, Vionette suddenly paused, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the woman with an expression caught between uncertainty and a flicker of recognition.
"I've met you before, haven't I?" she asked, her voice dropping into a more serious tone.
The clerk stared at her for a moment, tilting her head in polite confusion.
"I don't believe so, madam. Perhaps you're thinking of someone else?"
"…Maybe I am?" Vionette started walking again, waving her hand smoothly as if brushing the thought away. "Well, good day."
Does she have amnesia or something? the clerk wondered, staring at Vionette.
Man~ What a lucky way to start the day, Vionette thought, placing both hands behind her head as a satisfied smile formed. Did spending time with Lucien affect my luck too? Speaking of which, I really should've brought him if I knew this kind of event was going to happen.
"What are you smiling like that for, Lady Vionette?" Jain asked, crossing her arms as they approached, blue eyes searched their faces. "Did you two really… you know… have—"
"No, it's not for that!" Noa gritted his teeth. "Dude, how are you asking that with such a casual face? You're supposed to be a Saint!"
"Anyways, did you do what I told you to?" Vionette cut in, shifting the focus.
"Yes, Lady Vionette. We've spread rumors that we're searching for a criminal organization," Jain reported, gesturing toward the knights standing nearby. "Each group was assigned a different version of the story. Along with that, we adjusted our patrol routes to match those rumors—three locations, one for each version."
Vionette looked at the knights behind her, and as her gaze swept over them, the men instinctively strengthened their poses, standing taller under her scrutiny.
"You guys better not take those helmets off in public now that you've become rumor spreaders," she pointed a finger at them, her voice carrying an edge of command. "And don't even think about going anywhere alone."
The knights exchanged glances—some confused, others simply accepting the order without knowing the cause.
"My lady, my lord, we've prepared everything and are ready to go."
Rose and Kaelen joined the group from the side, their presence adding a layer of grounded steel to the party.
"No, sudden change of plans," Vionette said, shaking her head before looking at Jain. "We're going to join you in your 'gathering clues' expedition first. We'll only go to the library if we have time today."
"You're going to join us? Well, we're okay with th—"
"Lady Jain, is that really okay?" the man standing beside Jain interrupted.
He had long green hair that reached his waist, swaying like forest vines, and cyan eyes that matched the sigil on his chest. He held a sword that shone brightly in the morning sunlight, its radiance matching his handsome face. He wore shining armor under dark clothes, the chestplate marked clearly with the Sigil of the Church of Liara.
"And… who exactly are you?" Kaelen asked, his eyes sharpening. He wasn't about to let anyone show disrespect to his rulers.
"A servant like you has no right to ask who I—"
Clang!
The man's words were swallowed by the sudden shriek of steel hitting steel, the sound echoing through the lobby like a hungry ghost. One side glowed with a deep purple aura, while the other flared in a pure, blinding gold.
"Calm down, Lord Noa."
Jain was suddenly between them, holding back the incoming thrust with her spear. The tip of Acheron was pressed against her spear's blade, the gold and purple energies forcing against each other in a static hum. Even so, the golden light of the saint seemed to hold the upper hand. Around them, the knights, Rose, and Kaelen all reached for their weapons the moment the impact rang out.
"Listen here, dipshit," Noa said, his eyes turning intense as he stared the man down. "I know my subordinates as friends—the only friends I've ever had. So quit it with your tone," he pulled Acheron back, sheathing it with a sharp click. "Or your superior won't be able to save you next time."
Hmpf! Like you could ever surpass Lady Jain, the man, Nill, mocked internally, though he kept his mouth shut.
"I apologize for Nill," Jain said, immediately bowing as Noa retreated. "I know we are the ones asking for help, and even after that, something like this happened. I'm so sorry!"
"Don't sweat it," Vionette tapped Jain's shoulder with a warm, sisterly smile. "We all make mistakes, right?"
Goddamn, Noa, you did something really rewarding there.
Vionette had been angry when Nill spoke to Kaelen, but seeing the 'outcome' reminded her of her goals. She smiled instead of lashing out; if she could get this saint to her side that would be a far better reward than just venting her anger.
"Ah! Please forgive me again," Jain bowed once more, her face etched with worry. "You won't leave the case because of this, right?"
"Of course not," Noa added from behind, also smiling sweetly. "We can set our personal business aside when innocent people are involved, right?"
Jain looked at the two of them with sparkling eyes, her heart warmed by their seemingly selfless words.
"Let's go to the library then. We can investigate and also get the information your majesties want."
***
In this world, when people died—truly died, beyond the reach of reincarnation—only faint remnants of what once was remained. Fragments of will, regret, and identity—egos. They drifted into the void, the beginning and the end of everything, scattered and formless, fading with time until even the idea of their existence was erased. That was how it had always been.
Until, once, something broke.
A crack appeared in the void. No one knew when it formed, nor why, nor how something like the primordial void could fracture at all. Yet it did—and because of that crack, the egos did not fade. Instead, they gathered, not by force nor by design, but as if drawn together by something that had never existed before.
And from that gathering, something emerged. Not born, not created, not given shape or purpose—something that simply happened: a 'will'.
That will did not understand itself, nor did it understand anything else. So it began to learn. It observed, it listened, it watched the world beyond the void—the living, the moving, the ones who 'were'.
And in time, it turned its awareness inward and saw itself for what it was: formless, undefined… and fading. The egos that formed it were dispersing, returning to nothing as they always had. It was no different.
But it did not want to fade.
So it searched—not for meaning, but for a reason. Why was it fading? And in its search, it found an answer: it had no self, no boundary, no identity—nothing to define 'who' it was.
So it decided.
After observing the ones who lived, the ones who remained, the ones who did not fade, it chose to become like them—to take form, to define itself, to become something that could exist.
To become one of them, and in doing so, find a 'self' that would allow it to remain without fading.