Only Suge, Zhenny, Kobi, and, of course, Alya were left.

Suge sniffed the air as Alya and I searched the surroundings with [Eye of Sanguine]. There was a lot of fighting going on, and I sensed three temperatures as strong as Jah's, maybe, Jah himself.

Seems most of the slaves are still alive. It was Kael at work. Almost all of the people released from both mine and Vanitas's side had gathered in a huge group. It's only because of that fact that they could survive for this long.

We knew our target, and we burst into a fast but calm jog towards it. We will just join up with them, check on them, and then lead them. If I got the chance, I wanted to find Vanitas too.

…

"Something wrong, Alya?" I noticed her lips pressed thin.

"I am sorry, I just can't get this off my mind…" Her face grew tense as her loose hair flew with her every step forward. "Why would she shove it on you?" Her fists clenched.

"Hm? She…?" What is she talking about suddenly? I was genuinely confused for a moment.

She glanced at me. "Her Highness," said flatly.

Her lips trembled. "She wouldn't have given that divine artifact to you for no reason…"

"Be careful, Luci." She whispered. "It's either she wants to use you for revenge against humanity, or raise the Nocthra Empire back to its prime…."

"What my mother did to me, she is trying to do the same with you. I can see it! I don't want to lose you to this." Alya looked pleadingly into my eyes.

I grabbed her hand, pulling her closer to me.

"…Luci?" Her face instantly flushed red. It was natural; Zhenny and Kobi were right beside us, but at least they were pretending to ignore it.

I am so fucking happy!

How I treated her had a huge effect on her. I was pretty sure she wouldn't have been able to say those words before to Zhenny, or be vulnerable when I was near, or worry about me like this.

She probably would've just nodded along like an obedient robot. I was so glad I changed her a bit...

"I won't be like that." I firmly shook my head.

My voice grew deeper. "If I want to kill someone who had killed vampires and his existence is pissing me off, I won't really hesitate to kill him in the name of revenge. Even chase him, I won't deny that."

Alya lowered her head. In her mind, I was proving her right.

"But the key thing is, 'I want'. I don't want to suppress my wants just because I fear becoming a revenge puppet. Like, I don't know if it's making sense, but following my want to take revenge won't make me a slave, but not doing it would, if I want to."

Alya's lips parted as she stared at me for a good minute, completely flabbergasted on how to reply.

"I am all about myself! I am the last person you need to worry about becoming a puppet." I added.

Alya could only nod. "Seems you already thought about it… I was worried for nothing." She sounded relieved.

"That's quite a flawed way of thinking." Suge looked only once before turning back. His voice deepened. "What if someone were to manipulate your want itself? Could it still be… your want? I think you missed little Missy's point."

"That sounds unavoidable." I scratched my chin. "If you want to do something, you want to. If someone can control it, it simply means your personal wants weren't strong enough. In that case, you'd be happier with those stronger wants someone will manipulate you into."

His lips parted slightly. "You're more twisted than I thought… How can you accept someone putting their ideas in your head at all?"

I shrugged. "We aren't born with wants besides the most primal ones, no? So every idea has to be put in your head from somewhere. Being original is probably just one of those comfort lies."

I wanted to suck Alya's breasts while entering that warm cave fully. Get world-destroying levels of strength and use cool magic spells. Get rich enough to buy all the stupid shit I want.

"You can at least strive to be original…" Suge grew speechless at my casualness.

"I do strive! I just chose the ideas I want to keep. It makes them original… For me."

These ideas were surely put in by novels I read; overpowered cool main characters face-slapping authority nobles, marrying twenty hot wives who had amazing personalities and loved him obsessively...

Comparing them with my shitty, poor life with a weak, easily destroyable body when I woke up from the fantasy, or the book ended… it burned a fire, a fire that keeps me moving even in this crazy world right now.

It was a complex topic.

He seemed taken aback by my quick comeback, but before he could reply, Zhenny made a stern face with a finger on her lips.

"Shhhh… We are close."

Shrieks of people screaming, weapons clashing, strong smell of dead bodies confirmed her words.

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