Late into the night, Alum slowly opened his eyes. Beside him slept Amethely, breathing calmly and soundly. She clung to his arm, her expression a little sombre. She itched closer, coping with his warmth. He recalled the event from earlier, how she’d attacked Hilos, how her life savour turned out to have performed inhumane experiments in the past and how he used his conscious creations for war.

—a little along the lines. Alum could relate to Aetlise.

 (Her name was Aetlise, wasn’t it? When she was close, she nuzzled her cheek against mine. It didn’t feel unpleasant—it confused even me. It felt somewhat familiar. Aetlise… Somehow, she was similar to YB. I wonder? What is he doing now?)

 As he contemplated, he realised he’d unconsciously been stroking Amethely’s head; her wide, innocent, and sparkly gem-like eyes peered into his, curious as to why he wasn’t asleep.

 “Al? What’s wrong?” she asked.

 Alum shook his head. “Nothing in particular,” he responded. He gently placed his lips on her head, gently giving her a peck. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

 “I…was awake, I wasn’t able to sleep, is all,” Amethely replied in a low voice. “Al, I’m sorry, I acted on impulse. I…my head just went blank.”

 “It’s okay, Hilos was in the wrong. But…I find it strange that Alester let him attack.”

 “…he said it, didn’t he?”

 “That we would never understand?”

 Amethely nodded. She turned and lay flat on her back, looking up as she reached her hand out. “I don’t know what to think. What Hilos said seemed to be true. I…feel disillusioned,” she admitted. “He’s strong and watches over the world. How honourable wasn’t it to learn magic from him?”

 “I see…”

 “Al, did you know. Did you know that I used to be unskilled at both the sword and magic?”

 “I heard a little about it.”

 “Huh? From whom? Sis?”

 “No,” Alum shook his head. “From an adventurer called Rika.”

 “Hmm, a girl?” Amethely pouted as she turned to him. Her shoulders slump in a sigh. “That reminds me, didn’t you go on a date with a girl named Sarie…? Al…aren’t there too many girls around you?”

 (She changed the topic…)

 “What do you mean? I didn’t go on a date with Sarie; I met the boy she’d taken in—whom I once saved. I already explained, did I not? Besides about ‘other girls, ’ I often hang out with Luna, sure, but she’s the only other girl I’m close to other than you and Emely,” Alum casually replied.

 “…What about Miu? And that Aetlise girl, why did she do that?”

 Alum went silent, unsure of how to reply. Should he say that Aetlise was similar to a pet snake he once had? Or should he say that Miu was a girl he once saved? He didn’t want to lie to her; he had a feeling both would come to light sooner or later.

 “Aetlise reminded me of a pet I once had…my parents killed it when they found out.”

 “Huh?” Amethely blinked in surprise. “You…had a pet which your parents killed…?”

 Alum looked troubled. He didn’t mention his parents a lot, nor did he talk about himself. He noticed now that—perhaps it was important for Amethely to learn more about him. Considering she felt betrayed by Alester, he felt that she would be disillusioned with him as well. The honeymoon period doesn’t last forever, after all.

 “Hey…Ame, how much do we actually know each other?” he reluctantly asked.

 Surprised, Amethely looked saddened. She knew fully well that either of them spoke about their pasts. In her case, she didn’t want to mention the past because, once she spoke of hers, it would surface his. Amethely took a deep breath.

 “Al, I want to know more about you, muuuch much more!” she declared. “Therefore…let me tell you about myself.”

 Alum smiled and reached his hand out, placing it on her cheek, gently caressing it with his thumb. “I’ll tell you all about mine as well.”

 Amethely happily smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

 “Eehehe~ I luve you.”

 “Luve?”

 “G-Geez…you always tease me for the tiny miss pronunciations…”

 “I find it adorable how you get excited, how your face seems to melt and how you fumble over your words when you’re happy.”

 “Awawa…Al, I love yoi!”

*Chuckles*

 “I love yoi, too,” Alum replied.

 “…Who is Yoi?”

 “I wonder…”

 “…meanie,” Amethely retorted. “…I used to live in a city called Aurlux. It’s a city of my childhood, and it’s where the Ilis’s main house is.” Amethely smiled as she spoke. “There aren’t many residents. You know this already, but the Ilis family is quite wealthy and…it’s a city with only wealthy residents—it’s a small and somewhat lonesome place.”

 “I see…”

 “I have fond memories there; I grew up in a vast garden, and there were many flowers. The servants were all nice, and…sis was never there—even though we spent so much time together previously, she went somewhere far. My parents always worked. They were either in the labs or travelled somewhere.”

 “…..”

 “The other kids were always busy with other things, they leaned magic, swordsmanship or studied a whole lot—I never really had friends there. The city wasn’t large, and the distance between each estate was quite far; not only that, the Ilis estate had a strict policy when it came to visitors…”

 Her words trailed off little by little. She looked into the distance.

 “When I was 10, I went into the forest and was almost killed, but… I was saved by Sir Alester. He taught me magic and swordsmanship, although it was for a short period of time—at least to the outside world. It felt like a long dream. And… I woke up in my bed as if I never left. And now, knowing that Hilos refers to him as a God of sorts, it does make sense…”

 Amethely giggled somewhat deprecatingly. Her expression pained further as tears formed at the corner of her eyes. Alum gently wiped them off with his finger as she sobbed.

 “…at the age of 12. I enrolled in The Advanced Ilifelen Academy—which is run by my grandparents on my father’s side. It’s an elite school,” Amethely giggled nostalgically. “I almost failed the entrance exam,” she playfully commented. “I got scolded pretty severely by my grandparents—even the previous saint—Granny Riria. Then I met Keilyn; she became my only friend…”

 Alum chuckled at her statement. He found it difficult to imagine her getting scolded for almost failing an entrance exam, especially with how talented and smart she was.

 “Hey…don’t laugh…I know I used to be somewhat slow, and my head was flower filled…” Amethely pouted as she headbutted him on the chest.

 Alum didn’t seem to mind as he caught her in his embrace, not letting go. “Caught you,” he playfully commented.

 “You did~!” Amethely giggled. “It’s warm…and comfortable.” She later added.

 “So? What happened after you enrolled? I heard a little from Luna—she looks up to you, you know?”

 “…this is the first time hearing it,” Amethely shyly replied. 

 “It was surprising when she told me you were known for being inferior to your genius sister and family. However, she told me that your perseverance and strength to keep pushing forward—I admire that as well.”

 “Al…”

 “I’m certain you’ve heard stories about me from Noel or Emely, but… you don’t know my childhood before that—I…didn’t want you to come to hate me…”

 Hearing the reluctance in his voice, Amethely squeezed him tightly. “Al, I won’t hate you. Ever.” She reassured. “I already have an idea of what sort of person you were before meeting Noel. Based on what you previously told me, You did many cruel things…”

 Her words slowly faded, and he could feel her hesitation as well as his desire to continue. But. They had to have this conversation sooner or later.

 “That’s right. I used to be rather cruel.” Alum admitted. “I’ll admit, I never once killed before coming here. But…it’s not as though my hands aren’t stained.”

*Gulp*

 Amethely’s body tensed as the conversation headed to a darker place. She couldn’t see his face—he was tightly holding onto her as though she’d escape.

 “Much like you. I came from a wealthy family. But this family is more deeply routed in darkness. Human experimentation, assassination, all that was hidden deep. On the surface, it was a family that ran many commercial companies and a whole lot of real estate.”

 Alum paused and recalled his near-perfect memory of the past. The rigorous education he had to go through and the harsh torture he had to endure to ensure he doesn’t leak information in the future when he takes over.

 “My tutors did not see me as human. I endured many experiments—it was all to strengthen me. They wanted to make the best human possible. But, once they showed signs of sympathy or kindness, my father would fire them—though many quit on their own.

 I had one tutor who did not treat me like an object; he showed a companion, something I never knew existed. He told me many stories—he used to be an assassin—but he refused to teach me; going against my parents. When he was found out…not only was he fired, his whole family ‘died in a fire,’ which I much later discovered after Emely took me in.”

 With each passing moment, Alum’s voice became colder. Chills ran down Amethely’s spine, and she could feel her heart twist. It was difficult for her to interrupt or interject. Without her input, Alum continued.

 “—not even Emely knows of this; only those of the main family do.”

*Chuckles*

 “Even my name is Alum—a shortened version of aluminium but also alum compound, shorten it further to Al, the chemical symbol of aluminium. Why? I’m uncertain why I got the name, but…the amount of medicine tested and used on me, even with my memory, I find it difficult to recount.”

 Horrified, Amethely slowly pushed to leave his embrace. She wanted to look him in the eyes. But as she did, she saw the cruel, cold expression—for a while, his voice had been chilly, cold and inorganic.

 “I don’t mind the name. It’s quite fitting. However…you find it dark, don’t you?” Alum inquired as he gazed into her eyes.

 His were cold; she’d never seen him this emotionless before—it scared her. His warm golden eyes were nowhere to be seen. It was cold and metallic; she sort of knew of the darkness in his family. But she didn’t know it was to this extent.

 (—it was no wonder he cried after his first adventure, his first time killing—it wasn’t the act of murder that scared him. It was him reverting to his inorganic, cruel self…)

 Her body quivered, her heart twisted and turned, and every strain of hair on her body stood and trembled. Her chest, usually wrapped in bandages, now free, felt worse than when they were. It was difficult to breathe, as though something got stuck in her throat. Her vision became hazy; tears slowly overwhelmed her; her nose became runny—she felt disgusting, and it felt unladylike, but she couldn’t care less as she dove into his chest, embracing him tightly.

 “Please, stop…you don’t have to say anything anymore…” she voiced her plea.

 She didn’t even mention his name after what he said. She was unsure how to approach it. It was too much for her to handle. She thought that she could be there and hear him out. But…she could feel how hurt he felt under the cold, indifferent exterior.

—If he continued. He would completely fall back into that state, which is what she feared.

 Seeing her in this state, Alum became flustered. He snapped out of his cold state and began to panic slightly. Unsure of what to do, he patted her head.

 “Ame, I’ve moved on, okay?” he reassured. “I don’t mind the name,” he said, this time warmly. “The cute way you call me Al as you cling to me…it’s adorable. Besides, I quite like the name now. I feel somewhat honoured to have the same name as an essential compound and flexible material, don’t you think it suits me? I’m quite versatile, after all.”

 As much as Alum tried to calm her down, tears flooded even more. His chest became more soaked. Feeling guilty, all he could do was pat her head, talk warmly and reassure her that he was okay.

 (…I shouldn’t have told her.) he thought.

 …..

 …

 That night, Amethely cried in his arms until she fell asleep. The next morning, when he woke up, she was already up, and when he left the tent, she saw her happily chatting with the others. She seemed energetic again, which made him relieved—

 “Darling~!” she called out to him. “I think that we should work together today when teaching the recruits!” Amethely happily exclaimed for everyone to hear.

 “…..”

 She then walked over to the others, who all burst out in laughter, seeing how affectionate she was toward him; the girls teased her, and Noel came up to Alum, nudging him on the shoulder.

 “Damn, Al, you guys already use pet names?” Noel grinned.

 “…..”

 However, Alum just stared at her silently. Noel instantly recolonised something was wrong, but he refrained from commenting, as it wasn’t his place to do so.

 (…This is the first time I’ve felt so repulsed. Her smile, it… it’s so…dark and hollow.)

 He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

 “—What have I done…?”

 Not wasting a single second, he rushed toward her, giving her an embrace, which was inappropriate as they were in front of their peers. But Alum didn’t care. He loathed seeing her like that.

 As if snapping out of it, feeling embarrassed, she still unconsciously refused to call him by name. “I’ll get shy if you hug me all of a sudden…”

 “Ame, I love you.”

 “H-Huh? I-I lube yoi too!?” Amethely stammered.

 “Ame, I love you.”

 “…u-um…I love you too.”

 “Ame, I love you.”

 “…..”

 Amethely could feel her body and face get hotter and redder. She thought she had gotten quite used to him expressing his love, but…that did not seem to be the case; she felt happy and jittery, and she was about to blow up in happiness.

 “Ehehe~ Al, I love you too!” Amethely said, finally calling him by name.

 “Say it once more.”

 Amethely got increasingly more shy.

 “…Al, I love you.”

 “Yeah… I love you too.”

 Alum softly smiled as he released her from his embrace. The others felt too awkward to comment as they averted their eyes. They had no idea what was going on, and…they honestly cringed to the bottom of their soul despite how sweet it seemed.

 Chely came out of her tent. Her hair was messy, and as she rubbed her eyes, she witnessed the awkward mood and turned to Noel.

 “What happened?” she inquired.

 “…they need to get a room.”

 “…what?