"Raise your heads!"

  Almodeus thundered, sitting in his chair that served as a throne. The servants present—Hardshell, Smaug, Morello, Sergio, and Conrad—raised their heads as ordered, but remained on one knee as a sign of respect. Only Almodea and Hirashi remained standing, positioned to Almodeus's left, and C, who was on his right.

  "Very well, gentlemen, I think we should start with the report. Sergio?"

  The robot dressed in the brown suit stood up and took some papers- presumably notes- out of his jacket, taking a few seconds to decide how to present them.

  "The search has begun in the Dark Jade Forest. Soundwave and Cortex are handling it. I don't have any further information at this time, but I'll let you know as soon as I can..."

  "Very well, but what about nations? Who would be best for us to ally ourselves with if the need arose?"

  "Conrad and I have managed to compile a list, and after much research, we believe the Ashen Kingdom is the nation with which it would make the most sense to form an alliance."

  Almodeus seemed surprised by the answer-

  especially since up until that point the Ashen Kingdom had only been mentioned in the background, but never taken into consideration as a protagonist.

  "And why? Could I know the reason?"

  The tone of the question did not hide the curiosity of his interlocutor, even if the subordinates mistook it all for a rhetorical question, firmly believing that their lord already knew the answer-from the height of his omniscience which they believed to be such.

  "It was a process of elimination, actually. The Empire was eliminated because it is the weakest nation in terms of warfare. It has the largest army, yes, but aside from Gareth Stronghold, it doesn't boast highly skilled soldiers. Furthermore, internal feuds over the succession to the throne, disputes among the nobles, corruption, and organized crime make their government- and the very existence of this power- highly unstable. Simply put, they would be untrustworthy."

  "I see, the Empire is basically a painting of a failed state..."

  Almodeus raised his hand to his chin and began to think: He knew the Empire wasn't in the best of shape; his various conversations with Annie and Fiora had brought a lot of information to light, but he didn't believe the aforementioned state was so rotten. Would it be easier to destroy it and rebuild it from scratch, rather than conquer it or ally with it?

  "What about the Theocracy?"

  Almodeus looked toward Almodea, who had asked the question. It wasn't a stupid question; the Theocracy of Reia was the strongest human nation on that part of the continent. It was true that they had clashed directly with him, but it had been a mere coincidence, and until proven otherwise, they had not shown open hostility towards them.

  "We had thought about it. However, I believe it would be highly unlikely! The Theocracy is based on a strict religion that establishes humans as the dominant race. They would never ally themselves with a race of mechanical beings or demons. In fact, this could be an excuse to eliminate us or consider us enemies outright.”

  Sergio responded carefully. His statement, though sensible, made Almodea snort. For her, racism was a stupid and useless concept, but she couldn't expect everyone to reason with her eighteen-year-old simplicity.

  "Grrr...Those organics! Who do they think they are? No one can believe themselves superior to the Absolute Lord!"

  Hardshell blurted out. He hadn't understood much of Sergio's speech, but from what little he had understood, it seemed to him that the Theocracy believed itself superior to Almodeus by default—a presumption he found utterly unacceptable.

  "My lord! Say the word and I will tear those insolent organics to shreds! I’ll serve their heads to you on a bloodied platter!""

  The robot's fury was more like that of a roaring beast than that of an honorable warrior, yet no one dared to doubt his words.

  "I appreciate your loyalty, Hardshell, but we can't just randomly destroy things. We'll give them a pretext to be attacked with a fury of unpredictable power..."

  Almodeus knew full well that his servant would actually carry out his proposed plan if given permission. While he knew Hardshell's power was unquestionable to the inhabitants of the new world, he didn't want to risk losing his most powerful robotic soldier, second only in strength to Hirashi, Almodea, and himself, of course.

  "As you wish, my lord..."

  "What about the Holy Kingdom of Orwel? I know it's a puppet state of the Theocracy, but would it be possible to create dissent between the two nations?"

  Sergio seemed surprised by his boss's idea, looked at his notes and tried to figure out how best to respond to his master.

  "Actually, after thorough research, we discovered that the Holy Kingdom of Orwel is divided into two parts: the western and the eastern. The eastern side serves as a puppet state for the Theocracy, while the western is ruled by a monarch known as the Sacred Queen—or the Enlightened. I’m already putting a plan into motion for the Holy Kingdom, but for now, I’d set it aside. Internal strife runs deep there as well. The Kingdom of Ashen remains the safest choice for an alliance."

  "I see...I agree with you, Sergio. I trust one of the finest minds in Fear Tower."

  Almodeus trusted Sergio implicitly. He wasn't even remotely the strongest, but he made up for it with great economic and political knowledge, as well as being an excellent strategist in general.

  "Thank you, my lord. I don't come close to your omniscience, but I appreciate being considered wise! Moving on, I would now like to discuss the matter of the maids, if that's okay with you, Lord Almodeus..."

  "Maid issue? Is there a problem?"

  He seemed very interested in the topic, after all the maids were sort of a new acquisition for him, except for Frederica, they were all human and he was curious how the A.L. Bots would interact with them.

  "Yes. Unfortunately, their numbers are insufficient to cover the entire Fear Tower, which spans twenty floors above ground and over fifty undergrounds—between laboratories, arenas, and other areas such as the amphitheater."

  "Mhhh… I see…"

  Once again, Almodeus stroked his chin in thought. It was indeed unreasonable to expect twenty maids to regularly service seventy floors, especially considering each floor had about ten rooms the size of an average living room. The task wasn’t just difficult—it was impossible.

  "In this regard, Shockwave has a solution that could not only solve this problem, but also keep the organics under control and avoid using the remaining A.L. Bots for cleanup work..."

  "And what would this solution be?"

  "Bring them in!"

  Sergio turned toward the office door and gave the order, ushering in a pair of A.L. Bot soldiers followed by about forty humanoid women, ranging in height from five feet six to five feet eight, all dressed in identical black and white waitress uniforms. The only differences between them were physical, such as hair or eye color, and behavioral; some had stoic expressions on their faces, while others were more relaxed.

  "I admit that I'm surprised! I rule out the possibility that they're human. Am I right, Sergio?"

  Almodeus's tone did not betray his surprise; he expected anything but humanoid maids in his office.

  "Exactly! They are Homunculus!"

  "Homunco…What?"

  C asked confusedly, not having fully understood the race of the new arrivals.

  "Homunculus, my lady. It is a kind of malleable and summonable monster, similar to golems, although they are normally used less because they require food; in fact, they eat much more than a standard human. However, they are extremely useful for fine tasks that golems cannot perform, and their humanoid appearance can make them blend in with the other maids, making them act as our infiltrators!"

  "Very interesting! How did Shockwave manage to summon so many Homunculus?"

  "He used the remains of the corpses of the guards killed at Marquis Baldur's villa..."

  "Listen...I don't want to spoil the moment, but they seem a little weak to me. Will they just be serving as maids?"

  The question was asked by Hardshell, his tone was more confused than provocative- the question was sincere and not meant to serve as a criticism of the brothers' actions.

  "Let's say so. However, each one of them knows a defense spell that allows the summon of a Golden Homunculus. It's a monster of this world that grows stronger based on how many summoners are actively present at its summoning ritual!"

  Surprisingly, the most interested seemed to be the stoic Hirashi, who, as a good monster lover as she was, immediately took an interest in the topic, but remained cold and unemotional both in her face and in her tone of voice.

  "Listen Sergio, how powerful is this Golden Homunculus?"

  "We could compare it to a medium tier monster, so from level 40 to 60. I personally consider it on par with a Mud Elemental, a level 45 monster."

  As Hirashi nodded in interest, Almodeus began to ponder the comparison: Mud Elementals were a fairly powerful type of monster, but risky to use, as the more damage they took, the smaller and less powerful they became. If this Golden Homunculus was as strong as a Mud Elemental without this disadvantage, then it was a good deal.

  "Very good, Sergio! I like how the conversation is going, but I have a question: are they faithful?"

  Loyalty was everything at Fear Tower, a principle upon which the very strength of their organization was based; those who were not loyal deserved a fate worse than death.

  "Absolutely! Shockwave programmed these Homunculus maid to fit into our hierarchy, where you are at the top."

  The Fear Tower's hierarchy was simple enough: Almodeus was the absolute ruler, with C as his consort and equal, followed closely by Almodea and Hirashi. Next came the Terror Trio of Nocturn, Anxy, and Shaco, followed by the Elite A.L. Bots like those present, such as Hardshell and Sergio himself. All other A.L. Bots or human maids fell at the bottom of the ladder of command.

  "Very well. Do they have names or do they also use a number system like normal AL bots?"

  The question was not obvious. Almodeus knew that only the Elite A.L. Bots used proper names, all the others of their species had a number.

  "We have opted for a nominative system. Let the representative come forward!"

  At those words, one of the maids approached the desk. She was one of those sunny and seemingly carefree ones, with beige hair with bangs on the sides of her head, as well as ruby-colored eyes.

  "It is an indescribable honor to be before you, Absolute Lord. My name is Fifth..."

  The maid bowed, smiling with a naturalness that would have made anyone pale. She seemed to be before a God with all the reverence she tried to show.

  "Fifth, huh? May I know the reason behind choosing this name?"

  "It's because I'm the fifth to be created by Master Shockwave. All my sisters had iconic names, like Debby or Foth. I wanted something that identified me. If you want, you can change my name of course, I exist only to serve you."

  "No! No! Your name is fine, Fifth. That's your choice. From what I understand, you'll be the representative of the Homunculus Maids, right? You'll have to report to Frederica."

  "Certainly, Absolute Almodeus!"

  The maid gave a short bow and returned to formation with the others.

  "Well, that's taken care of too. What's missing?"

  Almodeus asked, looking at the A-shaped glass window behind him. It was getting dark, and he would soon have to put Amon's clothes back on to meet Fiora and her group at the Adventurers' Guild.

  "Nothing, we're done! However, I have a question for you, my lord, if I may ask it..."

  "Certainly, Sergio. Go ahead and speak..."

  "It's not clear to me where you're going with Amon's story. Could you enlighten me?"

  Almodeus remained stoic, but in his mind, he was asking himself the same question as his subordinate.

  He'd created the persona of Amon to gain information, but had to admit he enjoyed spending time with his daughter on trivial missions; it was a good way to break away from being the Absolute Ruler of the Fear Tower and relax a bit. He just couldn't reveal this truth, because they probably wouldn't believe him or it would seem trivial. Lying wasn't something he enjoyed doing, but he had a half-baked idea of how to get out of this situation.

  "A symbol..."

  Almodeus replied, trying to sound convincing.

  "A symbol?"

  Sergio asked, trying to understand his master's intentions.

  "Exactly! For fear to reign supreme, there must be hope! And what could give more hope than a symbol? Amon will become a great hero! His name will be known far and wide!"

  Everyone seemed surprised by the admission, especially Hardshell who scratched the back of his neck in confusion.

  "Excuse me for asking, my lord...But don't you yourself always say that giving hope is the worst thing someone can do?"

  "That's correct, Hardshell, but it only holds true if hope is given with the purpose of shattering it secondarily..."

  "Wait! You mean you don't want to shatter the hope that Amon will bring? Then what's the point?"

  The question was raised by Morello, who seemed to support Hardshell's doubts.

  "Don't you understand, brother? It's logical! After all, our minds cannot reach that of the Absolute!"

  The attention shifted to Sergio, who seemed to be the only one who understood anything.

  "Our master wants Amon to be his personal factory of hope! More hope equals more terror when it is shattered! Amon's deeds will bring continued security to the hearts of humans, which Lord Almodeus will gradually take away. You are setting the stage for a feast with all your might!"

  Everyone stared at Sergio, absorbing his explanation, even Almodeus, who was looking for a way out of this embarrassing situation.

  And now what I do? As usual, they glorify me as a God, and I have to play the part of the know-it-all just because they exaggerate every word I say! I can't say I'm continuing to impersonate Amon because I enjoy spending time with my daughter in an innocent way—if killing monsters and bandits can be considered innocent. I don't want to take Sergio's idea for my own, but I think the truth would be too complex and embarrassing. They might not even believe me!

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  He was now lost in his thoughts, so much so that Sergio had to call him several times to get his attention.

  "Is something wrong, my lord? Did I make a mistake in my analysis?"

  "Eh? No, no...It’s all correct! As always, you're right!"

  "I'm glad, Master! Speaking of which...Do I have permission to devise plans to increase Amon's fame? If you haven't thought of them, of course!"

  "Go ahead, just keep me informed."

  "Yes, glorious and Absolute lord!"

  Almodeus internally breathed a sigh of relief, it wasn't the first time that the AL bots glorified everything he did thinking it was part of a grand plan that only he could devise, it was embarrassing for him.

  "Speaking of Amon and Alcina, aren't you supposed to be meeting up with that Fiora girl and her group at the Guild anytime soon?"

  It was C who spoke, who, as always, kept track of her husband's commitments.

  "Ah, yes...Almodea! Let's get ready, I'd like to avoid being late."

  The girl nodded, happy to see her friends again, especially Fiora with whom she now had a very deep bond.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  After the two demons left the room, the other servants also scattered throughout the tower, leaving C and Hirashi alone in the office.

  "I think I'll go and relax for a bit. Playing the noblewoman is tiring! What are you doing, Hirashi? Will you join me?"

  Although Hirashi was not very talkative and usually unemotional, C enjoyed spending time in the company of the white giantess.

  "Maybe later, now I'll go training a bit..."

  "Again? Nikusa told me you were obsessed. Don't you think you're exaggerating?"

  C laughed lightly at her own joke. Hirashi's mother, Nikusa, had revealed that her adoptive daughter was very introverted and had few interests, escluding reading and training. C knew Nikusa would have preferred her daughter to be more sociable, but Shockwave had never complained about her, so he didn't want to force anything if she wasn't willing to do it.

  "It's a hobby of mine. Besides, I always have to be ready to defend you while we're undercover. Defending Almodea is also very important, if necessary. I'll be with you in a few hours...Okay?"

  C rolled her eyes at that statement. She couldn't ignore the truth in it, but would have preferred Hirashi to unwind a bit rather than train half the time she was awake. However, she couldn't deny that the giant woman seemed to enjoy her gym, swordplay, and magic sessions.

  "Okay, but don't destroy anything! And don't complain that your clothes don't fit you anymore because you're getting too big!"

  Having said that, with an ironic and joking tone, C left the room, leaving Hirashi alone next to the office window.

  "Mh..."

  She stood there staring into space for a few minutes, her purple eyes illuminating the dark room along with the light of the rising moon.

  "Mother…"

  She sighed, looking out the window. Ever since Nikusa and Shockwave had adopted her, she had always remained faithful to her parents, especially her mother. Not knowing where she was caused her pain, something Hirashi didn't know physically, but was all too familiar with emotionally. She was sure Nikusa was fine, but blamed herself for not being by her mother side to fulfill her primal duty: to serve her as she always had. After all, she had no other reason to live, even though others often told her otherwise.

  “Why am I such a huge disappointment?”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Where are they? We've been here for almost half an hour and Fiora's team is nowhere to be seen, yet we promised each other we'd meet here after sunset.

  "Dad, do you think we're in the wrong place?"

  Almodeus turned to his daughter, who was also surprised by the unexpected delay.

  "No, there's only one Guild in this town, so I don't think that's the problem. Maybe they went drinking somewhere and forgot about the meeting."

  He knew that Fiora had a hard time holding her alcohol, that Roman was a heavy drinker, and that Nark followed suit, so there were all the ingredients for an embarrassing situation like that.

  "Yeah, shall we go look for them? Maybe they're late with their shopping. From what I understand, they were supposed to go buy some armor and then some potions at a shop nearby. At a shop owned by some Jaako guy."

  Almodeus stood up and nodded, thinking that perhaps they had lost themselves in glories.

  Let's hope this is all there is to it.

  After about ten minutes, Almodeus and Almodea, disguised as Amon and Alcina, reached Jaako's shop, which appeared to be deserted.

  “Here we are, this should be the place."

  "It seems to be closed..."

  The young woman commented as she tried to open the door.

  "Let's take a look..."

  He looked through the window and noticed that the door behind the counter was half open, with a light shining on the other side. Could the owner be counting the day's takings or brewing new potions?

  "There seems to be someone..."

  He knocked on the window quite insistently, but received no response.

  Strange

  Something wasn't right. He smelled the unmistakable stench of death.

  "Maybe he can't hear us, Dad. Should we go in and check?"

  Almodeus nodded and forced the door, breaking the lock and entering without making too much noise to avoid being mistaken for thieves.

  "Is anyone there? We'd like to-"

  He stopped when he noticed something blocking the door's full opening. He looked down and noticed a slumped body surrounded by blood. He knew who it was.

  "Roman..."

  Almodeus muttered, not even having to bend down to check—he already knew the man was dead.

  "Oh my God...No!"

  Almodea shouted, looking at the corpse.

  It's normal for her to have this reaction; they were her friends. I have to keep her from making too much noise, though.

  "Alcina, shhh! The blood is still fresh- he died recently..."

  The girl nodded and moved with her father toward the half-open door, but they were stopped by the sight of another body on the floor. This time it was Nark's one.

  "Nark too? Dad, do you think Fiora and Annie are-"

  "I don't know, little spot. We'll find out soon, but I promise you, your sadness will be able to vent."

  Almodeus stopped whispering and moved forward, the sight of those corpses was making him...Angry. Not so much because it mattered to him, but because he knew it mattered to his daughter. Almodea's sadness was something he couldn't tolerate.

  Whoever did this will pay with his life!

  "Is anyone there?"

  Almodeus asked aloud, approaching the half-open door behind the counter, slowly opening it, waiting for a surprise attack. Judging by the blood, Nark and Roman had died recently, so it was plausible the killer was still there.

  However, the aforementioned surprise attack does not happen, the only things in that room were some potions, stills and a corpse in a pool of blood.

  "And who is this?"

  They didn't know him. He looked to be a man in his fifties, plump and bearded.

  "He could be the shop owner. His throat was sliced like Roman's, which implies that the deaths of the two men, and perhaps Nark's as well, were the work of the same person. Very skilled if he managed to kill them in one blow and without even having to wound them first."

  "Do you think this is a robbery gone wrong? We're in a store, after all."

  "Your hypothesis makes sense, however-"

  Almodeus turned toward a display case filled with distilled potions. He wanted to be sure before speaking again; he wasn't entirely convinced that this had been a simple robbery.

  "-The potions are still here. Nothing appears to have been stolen."

  "Damn! So, I was wrong! I don't understand anything anymore!"

  Almodea commented, visibly frustrated. He understood her; she wanted to find the culprit as quickly as possible and tear him to pieces.

  Her right eye and hand are pulsing crimson. She's getting angry. I have to calm her down before she goes into a blind blood rage and commits genocide...again.

  "You know, your theory isn't entirely wrong..."

  "What do you mean? You said nothing was touched, right?"

  "I said it looks like nothing was touched. Without knowing what was here before the crime, it's hard to say if anything was missing afterward. The apparent order doesn't rule out the possibility that an object might have been stolen."

  "Sorry Dad, but I don't follow you..."

  "If whoever killed Nark and Roman came here with a specific target in mind, it's likely they'd take just that..."

  "Ah...Now I understand! But what did he take?"

  "I don't know yet, but if we find this mysterious someone. We'll let you know..."

  He walked around the room, he had to find some clue that would lead them to the culprit, but for now he was happy that his daughter was calming down.

  "Um...Dad, can you come here for a moment?"

  He turned to his daughter, who had returned to the previous room. Her broken tone of voice did not indicate anything good.

  "Yes? What is it, little spot?"

  He asked, approaching. But Almodea didn't answer, simply pointing to a spot in front of her, one side of the counter. There was great desperation in her eyes.

  "What the hell?"

  If he couldn't see in the dark, Almodeus wouldn't have believed it. In front of them, sitting against the wall with her head slightly lowered, was Annie's corpse, covered in cuts and blood, her eyes gouged out and her belly wide open.

  "We're not dealing with a murderer; this is a full-blown psychopath!"

  Almodea blurted out.

  She is right. Killing a child is already emotionally difficult, but even disfiguring her like this. And for what, anyway?

  "A psychopath with a thing for ribs. He took Annie's and pulled out her teeth too."

  "What?!"

  The Absolute Lord had his daughter approach the little girl's body. From the open belly, it was possible to se that the entire rib cage was missing.

  "What does a killer do with a rib cage!? I-I mean...What the hell!"

  Almodeus was getting angry. However, something wasn't right in the elder demon's head.

  Why bother torturing Annie but leaving Nark, Roman and the alleged owner untouched? Was it just a strange fetish? Or did the killer do it for a reason?

  "Why..."

  He stood up and walked away, leaving Almodea to observe the body.

  I can't make sense of it. Why this difference in treatment? I've committed much more brutal acts, yet there was always a logic behind it; even madmen have their own reasoning, just like psychopaths and perverts.

  "What are you thinking, Dad?"

  "Why did the killer leave the other bodies untouched, but killed Annie so brutally? It doesn't make sense to me..."

  "If I had to reduce someone to this level, I would do it to make them suffer as slowly as possible, perhaps in front of a loved one to kill two birds with one stone..."

  Almodea's words made her father open his eyes under his helmet.

  Of course! He wanted to make Annie suffer, but more importantly, those who were watching! It was all a show to enjoy the torment; we're dealing with a pervert who revels in other people's pain. Too bad for him that my daughter is also a pervert who revels in other people's suffering- but only in those she dislikes.

  "You're a genius, little spot! The killer's goal was to make both Annie and whoever was watching that show suffer, which brings us to the only missing piece here...Fiora."

  Seeing how much she cared about Annie, it's natural that Fiora was devastated by what happened, however she's the only one who isn't here. Who knows where she is and if she's alive.

  "Dad, there's a door we didn't check."

  The girl pointed to a door to their right, next to Nark's corpse. With everything else there, the closed door seemed unnoticed.

  "You're right, I'm opening it now, be ready!"

  "Yes, Dad. I really want to kill whoever did all this!"

  Almodea's hands were shaking. She was filled with a mixture of anger and anxiety.

  She needs to calm down.

  Almodeus approached the closed door and grabbed the handle, slowly opening it. It was a small room with stairs leading to a floor of some sort, but both demons' attention was drawn to what they found before them: Fiora's corpse, crucified to the wall with two daggers stuck in her arms.

  Like her sister, she was covered in blood, stripped from the hips up, her belly slashed open, and the ribs gouged out. On her head, she wore a crown made from Annie's bloody, torn-out teeth.

  What a disgusting sight...

  "NO. NO. NOOOO!"

  Almodeus turned and saw his daughter throwing herself on Fiora's body. She began to cry like a fountain. Of all the people, the she was the one Almodea had grown most attached to.

  "Why is every friend of mine dying?! Why? Why? Why?!"

  Little spot…

  Almodeus's anger turned to sadness as he watched his daughter clean the blood from Fiora's body, in a vain attempt to improve an utterly tragic situation.

  "Almodea, I..."

  He began, sighing and falling silent. He had no idea what to do; he was fear, not compassion. What kind of father was he, if he couldn't even console his daughter at a time like that?

  I'm a failure as a parent, but I've always known that...Deep down.

  "Little spot, I promise you we'll find whoever did this. You'll have your revenge! I swear it on my name!"

  The girl pulled away from the corpse and hugged her father, resting her head on his armored chest. Such an embrace was rare: so desperate and so...vulnerable. Almodeus held her tightly, removing his helmet and cuddling the girl's head. Inside, he was burning with rage—who had dared make his beloved daughter suffer like this?

  "Dad, can't we do anything? Isn't there some magic that can bring her back to life?"

  Almodeus began to wipe the tears from his daughter's eyes, shaking his head.

  "Unfortunately, no. Anxy told me about a low-level resurrection spell native to this world, but it requires the body to be in good condition, and this is not the case. You can try higher-level ones, but I can't give you any certainty. Forgive me."

  Almodea lowered her gaze, refusing to let her face look so weak and broken. Only Hirashi had seen her like this. She couldn't disappoint her father by appearing like a whiny little girl.

  "I'll have Shockwave come here to examine the bodies for clues that aren't obvious to us. I'll tell him to preserve them and try to make them presentable for a proper burial. We'll have them buried in the Fear Tower cemetery. I'll also have a room prepared for them, so you can visit them whenever you want..."

  "Thank you, Dad."

  Almodea clung to him. Her voice was broken, and the red tears continued to fall from her eyes. Almodeus held her even tighter, as if he were afraid that his little girl might disappear from the sight at any moment. For him, seing his daughter in that state was...Painful.

  I swear I'll find who did this to my little spot. I'll tear them to pieces!

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Two hours had passed since the discovery.

  Almodeus sat in his chair, one hand covering his face, pondering what to do while he waited for Shockwave's analysis. He was visibly frustrated; despite being the embodiment of Absolute Terror, in that moment he was not much more than a mere human—powerless in the face of his daughter's suffering, however temporary.

  "Honey, Almodea is locked in her room and won't come out..."

  C's comment made him look up at the woman who had just entered. She too had a sad expression on her face. C knew everything and had tried to talk to their daughter to console her, but Almodea had holed up in her room and didn't want to see anyone. She didn't want to appear weak.

  "I know. Let's leave her alone..."

  Almodeus's tone was dejected, almost submissive. A tone no one would have thought of applying to the Absolute Ruler of the Fear Tower. However, he was not just a living concept and a King, but also a father- and what mattered most to him was his daughter's happiness. Having failed to ensure it, he felt he had no right to use any tone other than that of a defeated man.

  "How long do you think it will take her to recover?"

  "I don't know! Let's give her some time!"

  He roared, gripping his own face. Almodea was gripping his own skull so tightly in his claws that he looked like he was about to blow his own head off at any moment.

  “She's 18 and has already lost four friends in one fell swoop! Let's try to put ourselves in her shoes, my love: she's a single teenager who finds herself in a world she doesn't know, she's lost more than a loved one to someone she doesn't know and who she can't even vent her anger at! We can't expect her to face it all head on without letting it get her down. That would be selfish!”

  C nodded- her husband was right. Their daughter was a strong demoness who reveled in the pain of others, arbitrarily killing innocents and otherwise, with no moral or ethical qualms about it and taking advantage of her extreme power. But she was still a teenager, wanting to make friends, discover herself and the world, and she wasn't driven solely by malice or personal pleasure, but simply by the instinct to follow her own will and fulfill her desires.

  "Speaking of selfish people, it's ironic how I do everything I can to prevent Almodea from getting angry and committing mass genocide, but then I'm the first one willing to destroy a Kingdom, disembowel its innocent inhabitants, and burn everything to ashes when my daughter sheds a tear! As a father, i am a joke."

  He declared, laughing maniacally.

  "But after all, fear is selfish! Fear always does what it wants- it doesn't care about anything or anyone! Fear comes and does what it wants! Others just have to bow their heads and wait in silence for it to go away, knowing its inevitable return..."

  Almodeus's tone was much more decisive now, but there was some regret in it, as if he wasn't entirely proud of what he had said, especially the first part.

  "Darling...I know you’re fear and that you're being yourself. However, when you talk about Almodea, you're not only the Absolute Lord, but you're also a father and you think like one."

  C approached her husband, who was sitting at his desk, and placed a hand on his arm; the incredible difference in size between the two would have made anyone laugh, but this was no time for laughter.

  "Furthermore, if we really want to talk about selfishness, you're selfish for another reason too...You can't expect Almodea to never suffer. Suffering is part of the great light novel that is life; there isn't always a happy ending. The knight who wants to protect the princess? Maybe he's betrayed by her right at the end and remains her sex slave in bed forever; or the dark queen who always sits on her throne and continues to face a hero until he kills her at the end."

  "What are you trying to get at with all these quotes?"

  "Whether you are selfish or not, Almodea will suffer in her life! She's had crises in the past, and this is the worst one yet. What you must do now is help her overcome it. You are fear personified! The most powerful concept there is! You are not the villain of the story, you are the author! You decide how the tale ends. A story is written from the ending, not from the beginning..."

  Almodeus opened his eyes slightly. His wife's speech had reminded him not only why he loved her more than anything else—along with their daughter, of course—but also that he couldn't decide how the story unfolds in every single chapter, but he could decree its ending.

  "As usual, you always know what to say to make me feel better, my beloved."

  Almodeus's tone had returned to its usual tone of confidence mixed with inevitability. His mood had definitely improved.

  "Thanks, darling. But it's normal for you to feel this way. After all, being a parent is a difficult book to read, especially because of the fear of being inadequate..."

  "You're right. I'm a father now and I have to help my daughter get through this, but I'll continue to try to lessen the pain she's feeling. Between prevention and treatment, I choose both."

  C laughed at these words. It was just like Almodeus to rewrite the rules and bend them to his will. He was right about one thing; fear could do what it wanted and nothing could stop it.

  "I'm glad I could help you, darling. However, I'm still surprised by Almodea's reaction. She's very sad about that Fiora girl. I know she was a good friend of hers, but she's only known her for a few weeks..."

  "You know how our daughter is; she's unpredictable! She might like one person right away, and another might make her want to commit genocide. I think she found a kindred spirit in Fiora. She was a similar girl, they'd only known each other for a short time, but Almodea's heart had already set on her..."

  Almodeus sighed; he hadn't thought such a situation could happen in the new world. Until then, that new reality had always proven weak and inferior to them. However, that circumstance helped him remember that the universe always has more than one way to make you suffer.

  "Listen, darling. I'm curious to know...Are you also sorry about the deaths of those four?"

  C's question made Almodeus's right eye open slightly. Although he fully understood the question, he was still confused.

  "What do you mean?"

  "What I said. Are you sorry for the death of the humans, or do you only care about Almodea reaction? You were friends with them too, in theory..."

  He was silent. He needed to think about his answer, which was stirring conflicting emotions, and he didn't want them to be misunderstood as he tried to explain them.

  "I admit that i am a bit sad. Roman reminded me a lot of Brom, an old friend from our home world, always positive and willing to help, and also a lover of drinking. Annie was very interesting, a child prodigy who walked around with a small backpack. She could reduce a forest to ash with a touch, but she was scared of her own shadow. Nark, on the other hand, was a microcephalic idiot."

  "You're not fair, my love! It couldn't have been that bad!"

  "He was constantly hitting on our daughter..."

  "I take it all back! He was a 100% microcephalic idiot! He didn't deserve to die, but I'm sure it would have come at the hands of Almodea in any other scenario. She's not a fan of boys asking her out...Or about boys in general."

  Almodeus and C burst out laughing at her sudden change of pace, but the hilarity quickly died down and the two returned to their serious ways—more relaxed than before, though. They would have surely started talking again, had there not been a knock at the door.

  "Excuse me, Absolute Almodeus and Mistress C, but Master Shockwave told me to tell you that he would like to see you in his laboratory..."

  The speaker was one of the new Homunculus Maids, her name was Foth and she had blonde hair and brown eyes. At that moment she must have been on duty near Shockwave's main laboratory on floor -68 of the Fear Tower.

  "Okay, I'll be right there..."

  Almodeus immediately rose from his chair, adjusting his top hat and jacket.

  "C, you're in charge until I get back..."

  "As you wish, darling. I hope Shockwave brings you good news!"