Reivan naturally wasn't leaving for Arkhan on his own. As a rule, a member of a royal family was never alone — even when they seemed like they were.

Privacy was all but an illusion, and not even in the bathroom was a safe haven.

As for his retinue, Valter was pretty much a permanent resident of his shadow while they were outside, so his presence wasn't even a question. Helen had taken him up on his invitation, though Reivan had always assumed she would barge her way into the trip regardless of his wishes, so he never felt the need to embark on the futile endeavor of leaving her behind. There was a newly-promoted Grand Minister named Greteliana who would be the actual main diplomat instead of Reivan, who was just a figurehead. And to assist the youngest Grand Minister, was a small staff of Great Ministers to handle all sorts of matters. There were a number of servants for each royal and non-combatant as well.

As their general security detail, there were thirty Ascendants and two hundred half-ascendant knights coming along with them — this, of course, did not include the ship's crew, all of whom were formidable knights in their own right.

'I just noticed this now, but I'm walking — or rather, flying around with a small army, huh? Neat.'

In fact, each Ascendant was already a small army that could wipe out thousands of ordinary mortals in the blink of an eye. So strictly speaking, he was flying with many armies.

'And for some reason, it still feels insufficient. Eh, maybe my sense of what's normal has been ruined by living as a prince for so long...'

Shaking his head free of idle thoughts, Reivan scanned his entourage and checked if everyone who should be aboard was aboard. After that was done, he clapped his hands and smiled as he addressed them all.

"Right. Well, since you're all probably excited about being aboard Fenrir, you can all just do whatever you want for now. Tour the place, get some more sleep... do as you please. That includes our guards, by the way. Fenrir has its own security, so no need to patrol the ship or anything. Keep a lookout but don't be too stiff. Let's all enjoy~!"

There was an excited and somewhat chaotic chorus of affirmations as everyone split up.

'Heh. Look at them all, acting like little kids in a candy factory.'

Fenrir was officially meant to be a sky ark used by royalty, so it had amenities to match that status. There were even a few relics and paintings that held historical value decorating the lush and opulent interior of the vessel. Few ever had the chance to tour its insides since Fenrir only moved when the king willed it. Surely, anyone coming aboard for the first time would want to look around — including the patriotic ministers and knights who had already pledged to dedicate their lives to the kingdom.

Since everybody had storage rings, there was also no need to unload any baggage. In addition, room assignments had already been decided before boarding. As for directions, there was no need for such a thing because everybody had ridden sky arks before — and most sky arcs generally had similar layouts. It was very obvious when you were headed to a place that you weren't supposed to go to.

In essence, everybody accompanying Reivan was an adult. So he just let them do as they please.

'Well, one person on this ship isn't an adult yet...'

Reivan sighed as he directed his gaze at the floor — or rather, at the room below, where Jiji's presence could be felt.

'I'll give this girl's tail a good squeeze later...'

Setting her and her mischief aside for now, Reivan turned his attention to another room, where Filth's presence lay. Obviously, since Reivan could sense the man, Filth had elected not to use his special gift of invisibility — something Reivan had instructed him not to do while he was on the sky ark.

'Hm. It feels... underwhelming to refer to it as invisibility.'

Reivan gave the subject some thought before internally deciding to call what Filth did as becoming "imperceptible". That seemed to be a more fitting word. In any case, Reivan was too lazy to make up a new name for it. Plus, he hated having to name things.

"Hey."

A pleasant voice suddenly invaded his ears and a lovely scent invaded his nostrils.

Reivan looked to the source to find his raven-haired fiance resting her chin on his shoulder, barely doing so by standing on tiptoes. "Helen. You're too close."

"Am I?" Helen pouted. "Are you flustered?"

"No. I'm annoyed. Get off me."

Reivan shook her off but she immediately grabbed his hand and linked fingers with him. He spent a second for internal debate before deciding that this was an acceptable level of public physical contact.

Helen stuck out her tongue as if she'd won before asking. "You're going to iron things out with your new... subordinate? Spy? Informant? I dunno what you have planned for him. Surely he's not an assassin, what with being so weak and all. It'd be possible to somehow use him as a suicide bomber, but I don't think you'd go that far."

"Of course, I won't. As for his job... he'll be a little of everything... I think. Honestly, I haven't decided what exactly to do with him." Reivan shrugged as he led her by the hand. "Surely I'll find a use for such a useful ability one of these days. But for now, we'll pay our respects to the Fenrir's captain first. Then comes Filth."

"And then?"

"And then... I suppose I'll try to have a word with Grand Minister Greteliana. If not, maybe I'll have a talk with the little white-haired stowaway in a cabin below us."

"And then?"

"And then..." Reivan looked away from her, finally unable to withstand the pressure behind her gaze. "And then we can spend some time with each other...?"

"Good boy." Helen bobbed her head. A thought seemed to have struck her as she suddenly dropped her voice to a whisper. "About that guy... I don't like his name. Is that really his name? Y'know... his real name."

Reivan chuckled before shaking his head. "It's not his name in my eyes. His mother or father or someone else probably gave him a proper name before they... kicked the bucket. Sadly, the thug who found him after the fact didn't know it. And he probably wouldn't have cared about the kid's name looking at how Filth was treated."

"I see... If I had been a bastard child born there, I might have received similar treatment. I'm glad I was born here."

"I'm glad you were born here too. Otherwise, we wouldn't have met." Reivan teasingly smirked, earning him an embarrassed slap to the arm from Helen.

"Don't say things you don't mean." Helen glared at him.

"I wasn't lying at all though?"

"I find that hard to believe."

'Ah. Alas, this is my curse. People believe my lies, but they do not believe my truths...'

Reivan sighed, accepting his fate. He insisted with a serious expression. "I'm not lying though. Believe me."

Helen hummed in contemplation as they strode deeper into the sky ark's interior. "You probably mean you were glad to meet me as a friend."

"Maybe."

"Damn you..."

It was Helen's turn to sigh and Reivan couldn't help but turn his face away to avoid the guilt. Perhaps, he thought, he shouldn't have teased her. But then he simply couldn't suffer a one-sided assault without paying her back, right? She took every chance she could get to make him swoon, so he naturally had to shoot back from time to time.

"Look..." Reivan chose his words carefully, speaking slowly. "The time we spent as friends... The memories we made... I really cherish them. All of them. Becoming friends with you and Hector changed my life. Probably. And even if I went back in time, I'd still try to become friends with you two. What about you?"

"Of course," Helen answered immediately. "I'm the same."

"Then I'd rather you stop getting angry when I remind you that we are friends. It hurts, Helen."

Silence hung in the air for a moment and Helen showed a rare moment of immaturity by pouting like a child. "But I don't want to be friends with you anymore... I want to be something more. And you know that. And I also know you're not particularly opposed to the idea..."

Reivan pursed his lips and tried to find the words. "But we're already something more, aren't we? We're betrothed. And... We spend a lot of time alone together..."

"Sparring."

"Even so. That's our version of a date, no? You're not actually telling me you dislike swinging swords at each other's faces, right? It's fun, right? Right?"

"Well..." Helen lowered her head in silence, confirming her answer.

Reivan chuckled at her cute appearance and pinched her cheek. "Plus, it's not like we can't be friends and something more at the same time. Let's take things as they come."

"That sounds nice. But it's impossible in practice." Helen rolled her eyes and pulled him to a stop. "When Hector got together with Mimi, how did you feel?"

"Well... I saw it coming from a mile away. So I wasn't surprised, more like, Ah, it finally happened, huh? I'm probably going to be an uncle soon!... or something."

"Were you happy for him?"

"Of course I was. I was the first to congratulate him."

"Okay." Helen then tilted her head and pointed at herself. "What about me? Would you feel nothing if I married someone else?"

"I..."

"With the blessings of our families and everything. Then I'd get pregnant with his kids. Like that."

Reivan's face contorted into a grimace before he could stop it. Even though it was a hypothetical situation, he felt his blood pressure go up and he unconsciously clenched his free hand.

Helen's lips curled up into a small smile. "Wow. That's a face only a mother would love."

"...Shut up." Reivan cleared his throat and tried to relax his face. "What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm saying is that there is a clear distinction between a friend and... and what I want us to be." Helen looked up at him with unwavering eyes, as if she was determined to settle this right here and now.

Reivan wanted to remind her that they had just agreed to talk about this seriously later — not now, when they had a very high likelihood of being overheard by even the most ordinary mortal.

But his intuition informed him that such a foolish action would not be to the benefit of his face. A fight would no doubt ensue. And even if he knew that he could win in their current state, he would no doubt lose the war. Concerning his stagnant relationship with Helen, he had no allies after all. His entire family was against him.

He was a one-man army; a lone man on an island.

In his silence, she pushed her forefinger against his chest, simultaneously puncturing his heart with her next words. "By the way, the way you felt imagining me with someone else? That's how I feel every time you go off to that... that woman."

"Helen..."

"I understand though. I'm... I'm not a child. I'm not going to be like Lady Vianna or elder sister... don't tell them I said that."

Helen heaved a sigh. "I get it. I was here first, but she started before I even knew there was a race. I don't blame her for that. And I won't ever try to pry you two apart. You're royalty too, and since the other men in your family are... well, like that, you're the only hope left to secure the bloodline. That's why it's fine if you have a bunch of concubines. It's fine if you have a bunch of other women around you in that organization. I get it. I understand. I'm not stupid..."

Helen hung her head and bit her shaking lip.

"But then why can't I be one of them too...?" She grabbed the front of his clothes, her hands trembling — with rage or something else, Reivan didn't have the presence of mind to ponder. "I'm... I'm a woman too... I like you just as much if not more than all of them..."

"Helen," Reivan placed his hands on her shoulder and tried to calm her down while making sure nobody was watching them. "Let's calm down, okay?"

"I am calm." Helen frowned, her teary eyes alight with anger.

'Well, you could've fooled me...'

"Okay, okay..." Reivan struggled to maintain a calm smile as he gently held her hands and tried to pry them away from his neck. "Let's talk about this la—"

"You don't spare one glance at me but you go out and do it all sorts of women!" Helen bit her lip and for a moment, turned a bit murderous.

It really scared the crap out of Reivan.

"I-I'm being misunderstood here!" Reivan hastily made excuses, making sure not to lie and praying for her intuition to work in his favor. "I'm way too busy for that kind of thing!"

Helen's eyes narrowed and the fire in her gaze died down a little. "Lies."

"I'm not lying!"

"Then what about those sluts from that place in Starwater?"

"Please don't call them sluts." Reivan frowned a little but couldn't refute too hard because of how those women acted in bed. "They're all married now! We haven't... been like that for ages!"

"That's..." Helen raised a brow before her eyes narrowed once again. "Really?"

"Yes, yes..."

"Then what about your concubines?"

Reivan gulped down a glob of spit as his mind rapidly created a script for him to follow. "What could I even do with them? Even if they're concubines, there is a process to things... So I haven't bedded any of them yet, nor have I tried, by the way! At most, I've taken them out on dates and had garden parties with them to get to know them better..."

Finally calming down, Helen released her hold on him and crossed her arms. "Then you haven't done anything lewd with them yet?"

'Shit.'

"That's..." Reivan tried to find a loophole as beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

But his silence must have lasted for too long, sealing his fate.

Helen sent an essence-infused fist at his face, which Reivan dodged purely out of instinct. Sadly, she had likely expected that and another fist was already on the way.

Reivan was too focused on the monumental task of bullshitting his way out of the argument, so his mind wasn't in the right place to evade Helen's follow-up punch. Her frustrations were converted into Reivan's pain as her left fist buried itself into his stomach. The solid hit to his solar plexus immediately blew away all thoughts and he doubled over, taking a few steps back.

By the time he straightened up, Helen was already gone, leaving only a gust of wind and a trace of her fragrance behind.

 

---

 

'Damn. That hurt...'

Reivan rubbed his stomach as he made his way to Fenrir's bridge. The force of Helen's punch was much higher than what Reivan and his friends usually considered horsing around but he knew that Helen had held back quite a lot — she could hit him much harder if she really wanted to, a fact that his many sparring matches with her proved.

Strangely though, Helen's punch hurt him a lot more than it should have. The physical pain was long gone, but the guilt weighing down his chest had only grown heavier.

'I... I'll give her some space for now... Not that I have a choice, anyway.'

If Helen didn't want to be near him, there was no way in hell he was catching up to her without calling in reinforcements. She was much faster than him after all. Speed was her specialty while being a musclehead with infinite healing and stamina was Reivan's strength.

'What am I even going to say...? Fuck.'

Reivan sighed as he was forced to stop. On his way to the bridge, he ran into someone in the hallway.

'Oh, it's a knight.'

It wasn't strange to meet one considering that all the staff running Fenrir were knights.

What was strange was the man wore a black uniform that was much more decorated with gold than a normal knight. He wasn't particularly tall or short, nor was he particularly handsome or ugly. He was built like someone who frequently partook in manual labor though, and the warm smile on his face immediately disarmed Reivan's caution.

Most of all, Reivan knew this knight, having been briefed about important personnel by Gwen.

"Captain Suan?" Reivan asked with a hint of doubt.

"Your Highness!" The knight wearing a decorated black knight attire gave him a surprisingly crisp salute. "It is a pleasure to be of service!"

"Yes... At ease, Sir Suan. Uhm, what are you doing in the hallway, by the way?"

Sir Suan smiled and tipped his captain's hat. "I was on my way to pay my respects to you, of course."

"Ah, I see." Reivan nodded before chuckling. "You didn't have to. I was just on my way to the bridge."

"And I couldn't possibly make Your Highness go all the way there."

"It's no trouble at all. I wanted to see it for myself, actually."

"Is that so? Well, then please allow me the pleasure of escorting you there."

Reivan nodded and gestured for the Ascendent Knight to lead the way, internally wondering whether his little argument with Helen was overheard.

But he needn't have wondered.

"It seems you have womanly problems, Your Highness," Suan smirked as he led the way, giving Reivan a knowing glance.

"...So you did overhear. How embarrassing."

"I didn't hear anything. But I managed to catch the part where she socked you in the guts and bolted. I didn't need to hear anything to know what that was about."

Reivan groaned. "You saw the worst part."

Suan patted his stomach while laughing at the prince's expense. "Oh, believe me, Your Highness. As someone who's been married for more than a hundred years, I can honestly tell you that the arguments never truly disappear. You should get used to them now, while you're still young."

"How do you win them?"

"That's the thing. I don't." The captain slapped his stomach and chuckled. "Victory is achieved when you get through the fight without divorcing. I just shut up and wait for her to cool off. Then I come back with an apology! And maybe a gift too, depending on how mad she was."

'That's no help at all...'

A gift would have worked on the Helen of the past, but she had changed. And this subject was particularly sensitive for them, so it wasn't something Reivan could run away from — even though he'd been doing just that for a long time now.

Reivan sighed, and the captain took it as a chance to laugh once again.

"Now, now." Captain Suan spoke in a warm tone. "If both of you truly want to stay together though, no argument's going to break your bond. It's because you treat each other as important, that you butt heads and want to share your thoughts with them."

"...I see."

"Well, no matter. The bridge is right here, Your Highness. I'm sure my crewmen would love to see you."

 

---

 

Reivan paid his respects to the men and women responsible for getting him to his destination safely then left the bridge — which was a place that he could only describe as a magical version of a spaceship's control room. The interior looked to be made of marble instead of metal though. And instead of buttons or levers, there were crystal balls embedded into stone dias.

'Who should I go to next...'

"Valter, can you tell me where my sister and Minister Greteliana are?... And Helen too, while you're at it."

After a moment, Valter's voice entered his ears. "Her Highness, Lady Jiji hasn't moved from her previous location. Minister Greteliana seems to be resting in the ship's lounge. And Dame Helen is in her private cabin. I do not know what she's doing since I've elected not to peek inside though."

"I see..." Reivan bit his lip and sighed, at least he now knew where to find Helen later. He wasn't in the mood to take a tour of Fenrir — especially when he was alone — so he said, "Please teleport me just outside of where Jiji is."

There was a moment's pause before the guardian knight answered. "Understood."

Before Reivan could ask what Valter's pause meant, a puddle of black sludge appeared under his feet. And a moment later, it swallowed him whole.

 

---

 

Reivan didn't even bother knocking, he unlocked the door with [Formless Will] and opened it in one smooth motion, barging right into one of the ship's royal suites. Unlike the cabins assigned to his retinue — which were meant to be used by up to four people — these suites were quite large and even had a reception room before the actual bedroom where royals could entertain guests or simply relax.

"You little brat! What are you doing here!?"

He wasn't really mad, of course, and his father had tacitly given his approval by handing over one of the Sword Star's bells, but Reivan still felt the need to scold his sister for her antics.

"So noisy..." The sinner, Jiji, grumbled in irritation as she reclined on a sofa with the air of a queen. Unfazed, she even had the audacity to read a book with her legs crossed, a bowl of nuts and dried fruit chips within reach. Her attire was remarkably disheveled, the kimono-like garment barely clinging to her shoulders, affording him a glimpse of her modest cleavage. Lazily, her white tail swayed from side to side, and the white cat ears perched atop her head twitched in surprise at his entrance.

Jiji looked up from her book, gave him one annoyed glance, and then got right back to reading.

It was extremely shameless conduct for a stowaway. And she even had the nerve to scold him for being noisy.

Reivan marched right up to her and forcefully fixed her clothes before clamping her entire face with his palm. "You sure have gotten courageous, huh!"

"Wagh! What's with your grip...!" Jiji dropped her book and gripped his arm with both hands, trying to pry his hand away from her head. When that didn't work, she tried to kick his family jewels, simultaneously toppling over her bowl of snacks and spreading them all over the floor. "Yani, let go...!"

Ignoring her protests, Reivan lifted her up by the head and tossed her onto the floor.

"You...!" Jiji, quite strong in her own right as a pure warbeast, rolled on the carpet and stood up in one smooth motion. She glared at Reivan while patting down her attire, which had loosened once again. "Why are you being so rough to me? I'm a delicate lady!"

Reivan rolled his eyes and sat on another sofa, having vented his annoyance at her. "Speak. Why are you here? And can you fix your clothes properly? I left Valter outside, but what if somebody else saw the state you're in?"

Jiji clicked her tongue and strode over to her previous spot. "Whatever. Why is it such a big deal, anyway? I was alone until you suddenly teleported in front of the door!"

'Well, she's got a point...'

"Fine, fine..." Reivan waved her off as he used [Formless Will] to pick up the snacks that had been thrown to the floor by their little scuffle. "Now, answer my question."

"What's there to say?" Jiji crossed her arms and her snow-white legs, which were in full view because of her short skirt. "I came here to support my Yani, who I love very much but has all sorts of shortcomings. Is that so strange?"

Reivan narrowed his eyes. He knew she was being truthful from the lack of notification from [Essence of Falsehood], but he got the feeling that there were other reasons for her coming. "Is that all?"

"Why must you keep asking? Do you not believe your cute little sister's words?"

"Stop answering with questions."

"I don't want to." She sneered, raising her chin and looking smug. "I don't think you need to know why I'm here. So I'm not telling you~!"

Reivan clicked his tongue and then procured a thick coat which he then threw at his sister, who seemed to be purposely teasing him. "Fine. But cover up already."

Jiji covered her mouth and giggled. "If Yani wants me to, then fine."

Rather than concealing herself, the coat dissipated, and her attire transformed into a black uniform resembling a female version of the one Reivan was wearing — the same attire Helen and every other knight wore, except with a more lavish display of golden trimmings and embellishments. The most formal attire for the kingdom's knights and royals clung tightly but comfortably to her womanly form, even featuring a small hole in her white breeches to accommodate her tail.

Reivan clenched his teeth at that.

'Do that from the start!'

Feeling stupid for playing her games, Reivan stood up and made to leave.

"Going already?" Jiji tilted her head and made to follow him.

"Yes. Also, stop following me."

"Who says I'm following you? I'll go where I want. It's just that where I want to go might coincidentally be where you're going."

Reivan frowned and then clicked his tongue. "Fine. Whatever. Just behave."

"I'm always behaved!" Jiji chirped with a wide smile. "I'll have you know, I've grown to become really important!"

"There is absolutely no connection between your two statements. Also, if you're important, why did you just suddenly abandon all your duties...?"

"Gods, Yani. Are you the bureaucrat or am I? Why so many questions? Let's go explore the ship! It's not every day we get to ride this big old relic of the past!"

"Don't call it a relic of the past... even if it's true." Reivan heaved a sigh as his sister hooked her arm around his and seemed like she wouldn't take no for an answer.

In hindsight, perhaps he should have visited her last.