"I don't want to."
...
Some time later, inside the prayer room.
Lloyd's eye twitched as he stared at the golden-haired woman before him, her face filled with eager anticipation. Deep down, he felt an ache of regret.
Had he known things would turn out like this, he never would've gone the extra step with that woman.
To summarize what happened—
After Lloyd's first "prayer" session with the Black Knife Maid ended, it being his first time performing such a ritual in the Lands Between, he'd done his best to adapt to the world's conditions. Yet by the end, he realized he had still overestimated her willpower.
In fact, he had greatly overestimated it.
That, however, wasn't too surprising. Before confiding in him, the Black Knives' mental states had already been fraying. Even with their sense of duty propping them up, many had begun fantasizing about suicide missions—hoping to find release through death.
And just before this, in that fragile condition, Lloyd had forcibly unearthed the Darkness within her heart, dragging her through excruciating torment. The result had been positive in the end, but it further eroded her mental strength. Combined with the faint longing she already harbored toward him...
So when Lloyd's power reached deeper, resistance became impossible. Her soul and will didn't just yield—they reached out on their own, seeking his corruption and control.
And because Lloyd had misjudged her spiritual resilience, even though he had deliberately restrained his power to suit the Lands Between, he hadn't anticipated how completely she would submit. In that brief lapse of focus, she pulled him into the depths of her soul—where her very thoughts and will were dyed in his color.
That was... a problem.
Lloyd had said before that he didn't mind making the maid before him his own, nor did he object to her using her affection for him to fill the void in her heart.
But the issue was that the emptiness within her seemed bottomless, and her soul and will were far too fragile.
If he kept filling that void, her own consciousness might be devoured entirely by desire—turning her into a mindless, thoughtless beast with nothing in her mind but him.
Realizing this, Lloyd had begun to restrain himself, even secretly drawing back some of his influence when she wasn't aware of it. During that time, he did everything he could to preserve and nurture her own consciousness.
Even so, by the end of the prayer, her mental state was still compromised.
When it was over, she remained prostrate before him. Despite being much taller than him, her gaze and expression were those of a small, trembling creature—clinging to him with pure devotion, unwilling to leave.
He could have forced her to go, or even expelled her if necessary.
The problem was that, though she wouldn't resist or dare object, the look of fear and panic on her face as he approached the door told him all he needed to know. Lloyd was almost certain that if he dared to open that door in front of her, she'd lose her mind right then and there.
"I told you to prepare yourself mentally for this... sigh."
Exhaling, Lloyd began trying to fix her condition.
But after many attempts, nothing worked. Either there was no effect, the process was too slow, or it risked harming her.
After much thought, Lloyd came up with a temporary solution—if it could be called that.
"As long as I'm by your side, you'll be fine, right?"
She nodded obediently.
"Alright then."
He patted her back.
"Lie down on the floor and lift your shirt. I'll leave something with you..."
After that, a small black sigil appeared on the Black Knife Maid's abdomen.
But it wasn't just a mark.
"You can feel it, can't you? The link it's creating between us..."
"There's no need to be so cautious. It might look etched on your skin, but it's actually branded into your soul. Even if you wanted to remove it, it would be... troublesome."
"Oh, and it doesn't have to stay in this form. Considering you might not like this particular design, I've given it some flexibility—you can change how it looks. With some practice, you can even move its position."
Under Lloyd's gaze, the Black Knife Maid transformed the small, solemn black mark into a bright pink heart. As she adjusted it, she even shifted it a little lower.
Silence.
Lloyd raised his head, meeting her eyes. She blinked up at him, all innocence.
After a long pause, Lloyd sighed.
"Fine, whatever makes you happy."
Afterward, realizing that she wasn't the only one with such psychological issues—that nearly every Black Knife carried similar burdens—Lloyd didn't rest after finishing her treatment.
Once he confirmed she was truly stable, he instructed her to bring another Black Knife for healing. Meanwhile, he remained in the prayer room, reflecting on the difficulties he had encountered earlier, analyzing them in detail. He hoped to refine and improve his methods to prevent the same complications from happening again.
As it turned out, Lloyd's adjustments worked remarkably well.
Starting with the second Black Knife, he quickly gained a clear understanding of their souls. Whether channeling power, performing treatment, or carrying out the prayer, he maintained perfect control. Not only did the previous problems never reoccur, but his efficiency continued to improve with each session.
However, what Lloyd hadn't expected was that after finishing prayers for two more Black Knives and telling them to fetch the next ones, the two exchanged a look. Then, moving together, they stepped up to his sides—one on the left, one on the right—and whispered softly.
"Master, we... we want that too..."
At first, Lloyd didn't grasp what they meant. Only when the first Black Knife demonstrated did he realize what "that" referred to.
His expression became complicated.
"Wait—do you even understand what that means? That mark isn't something harmless. Once it's engraved, even if your souls reincarnate, you'll never be free of it..."
But in truth, Lloyd was only trying to change the subject.
He wasn't particularly conflicted about the morality of marking them. After all, he'd already prayed for these maids—if they wanted it, he didn't mind leaving something behind.
The real issue was that their souls were so fragile he had to proceed with extreme caution. Engraving the mark was like threading a needle—delicate, precise, and draining. Doing it once or twice was fine, but after several times, it became exhausting in a way that words couldn't describe.
Still, despite his reluctance, Lloyd eventually gave in and marked the two of them.
And later... with a pained expression, he ended up marking even more.
...
Time passed.
After an indeterminate period, Melina awoke. She got dressed, pushed open her door, and, after asking a maid where Lloyd was, followed her down the hall—only to stop dead in her tracks.
"What... are you doing?"
In her view, Lloyd was sitting in the lap of a kneeling Black Knife maid, one arm wrapped around a girl who looked like she'd just been crying, while another lay nearby, her abdomen exposed.
When Lloyd saw Melina, he didn't panic. On the contrary, he looked at her like a man seeing salvation, relief flooding his face.
"You're finally awake."
Melina was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply.
"All of you... get up."
She wasn't angry. In fact, she'd half expected this.
After all, she'd mentioned before that, due to the nature of her work, she was already familiar with the Black Knife Assassins. And considering her mother's connection to them, it was almost impossible for her not to know what they were like.
So when she first learned that Lloyd had brought this whole group into her castle as maids, she'd already predicted things wouldn't go smoothly.
Honestly, in the beginning, she'd even suspected that if Lloyd's strength were just a little weaker, they might've crushed him outright.
So the current scene didn't surprise her at all. If anything, she was curious—how had they managed to restrain themselves for this long?
After walking over and hearing the whole story, Melina fell silent again.
After a long pause, she looked up at Lloyd and asked seriously,
"How did they not crush you?"
Lloyd blinked. "...What?"
Still, despite her words, since these were her mother's people—and her own acquaintances—Melina was genuinely grateful to Lloyd for helping them. In truth, he'd done more than help; he'd redeemed them.
But... as she looked at the golden-haired group now gathered around him, that gratitude began to feel strangely misplaced.
After a brief silence, Melina turned to the maids and spoke firmly.
"He is mine."
The maids didn't react.
Melina wasn't surprised.
To say she didn't mind Lloyd being surrounded by other women would be a lie—but to say she cared deeply would also be an exaggeration.
The reason was simple.
The Golden Order Dynasty was, at its core, a fantastical version of a feudal kingdom. Polygamy was common enough. Tanith, for example, had been Rykard's concubine—aside from her questionable tastes, no one saw anything unusual about it.
Moreover, given the original gender imbalance among the Numen, expecting them to uphold monogamy would've doomed their villages long before the Hornsent ever attacked.
So among the Numen, polygamy wasn't just accepted—it was ordinary.
Melina knew this well. Influenced by her background, she might feel uneasy about it, but she could accept it.
And her words weren't meant to stop the maids from approaching Lloyd—just to reaffirm her position and remind them to show some restraint.
The maids understood immediately and gave their silent response—acknowledgment.
With that, Melina saw no reason to press the matter further.
"So, next, you plan to 'treat' all the Black Knives?"
After finishing her talk with the Black Knife Assassins, Melina turned back toward Lloyd.
When he nodded, she spoke again.
"How many are left?"
"About half of the ones in the castle are done, but there are still quite a few in the town. And according to them, some of their sisters are still scattered outside. They asked me to help find them..."
"Then we'll look together later. I know their habits well—should be able to help you with that."
She nodded slightly, then turned her gaze to a nearby Black Knife maid.
"As for treating the rest, don't rush it. They've been like this for a long time. Besides, with these few as examples, the others will at least have hope. Even if they can't be healed right away, their condition won't worsen."
"For now, our priority is stopping Miquella. If I remember correctly, there's something very dangerous in the Land of Shadow."
"Even if he does manage to ascend and become a god through that thing, it probably won't pose much of a threat to you. But his condition... it worries me. If he becomes a god, who knows what kind of consequences that could bring—something worse than death, perhaps."
"And if he loses control, Millicent's situation... won't be easy to explain."
Lloyd agreed completely.
So, after Melina arrived—and after he'd finished engraving more than enough sigils—Lloyd patted the hand wrapped around his waist, prompting the golden-haired giantess behind him to finally let go. Then he got up to wake the others and resume their exploration.
Before leaving, though, Lloyd glanced back at the Black Knives still watching him. Their lingering, reluctant stares made him pause. After a moment's thought, he snapped his fingers.
Snap.
At the sound, the engraved Black Knives froze, their faces quickly turning red.
A moment later, with another snap, their expressions relaxed again. They let out a collective sigh of relief—just as a calm voice echoed in their ears.
"Don't worry. I'm always with you."
With that, Lloyd and Melina left to wake the others.
...
As they walked, Melina was quiet for a while, though her curiosity eventually got the better of her. She turned to him.
"What did you just do?"
"What, that? Oh, you mean the maids."
Reaching Millicent's door, Lloyd knocked as he answered.
"Nothing major. Just tripled their physical sensitivity and added a little stimulation..."
"Want to try it?"
"...No, thank you."
Chatting idly, Lloyd and Melina woke the other two, then returned to the previous Site of Grace. Summoning Trina and Seriel, the group began making their way toward the Haligtree.
Originally, Seriel and Millicent had already pointed him toward the correct route—a ceremonial town called "Otina."
But since there was a church near the town, and beside that church stood a wandering mausoleum armed with magical cannons, Lloyd suspected there might be something valuable there. It wasn't far, so he decided to take a look first.
His hunch was correct. Inside the half-ruined church, guarded by the cannon-bearing mausoleum, something indeed awaited him.
But it wasn't equipment or a talisman as he'd expected. It was an Albinauric.
Or rather—a Platinum Chariot.
She was even larger than the Black Knife Assassins, nearly giant-sized, with porcelain-white skin and delicate, beautiful features—like a massive version of Latenna—lying quietly in the corner of the church, locked in an eternal sleep.
Just as Lloyd was about to approach and examine her, golden runes began to glow on the ground.
It was Latenna.
After being summoned, she greeted him softly, then turned her gaze toward the giant, female Child of Platinum. Slowly, she walked up to her, reaching out to gently caress the sleeping giant's face.
"Ah, Phillia... my sister. We finally meet again..."
Hearing that, Lloyd froze. His gaze shifted between Latenna and Phillia several times, his expression caught between disbelief and restraint.
That size difference... sisters...
What the hell, eight years old?.jpg
Suppressing the urge to comment, Lloyd walked over to Latenna. After examining the massive Platinum figure, he turned to her and asked,
"Want me to revive her?"
Thanks to Renna's technology—and the blueprints from the miniature doll—Lloyd was now capable of reanimating Albinaurics of this special type.
At his words, Latenna withdrew her hand and stepped aside.
"I'll leave it to you, then."
As he worked, Latenna began explaining.
"Her name is Phillia. She's my sister—and once, the hope of our kind.
"My original mission was to reach this place, find her, deliver the Primordial Tear, and let her blossom into new life..."
"But now, neither of us needs to bear that old burden anymore.
"Miss Renna has worked tirelessly to restore us. She's made incredible progress—only one last piece remains before we can live like normal beings again."
"And, coincidentally, Miss Renna has reached a bottleneck. My sister's original purpose happens to be tied to that very issue. Bringing her along might help Miss Renna overcome it."
As she finished speaking, Lloyd completed the process. Phillia slowly opened her eyes—and the first thing she saw was Latenna.
She froze.
"Sister... weren't you...?"
Latenna shook her head.
"We no longer need the Haligtree—or the Primordial Tear. We have a new mission now."
Then she stepped forward and began recounting her experiences.
After a long while, Phillia finally understood. Her gaze lingered on Latenna's bare, upright feet for a brief moment before turning to Lloyd.
"Are you... my sister's master?"
"Our master," Latenna corrected gently.
Then she turned to Lloyd.
"Would you take us to Miss Renna?"
"Of course."
With a nod, Lloyd took both their hands and teleported them to Renna's location.
After settling Latenna and her sister, he sought out Renna, his tone curious.
"I heard the Albinauric Completion Project is missing just one piece?"
"Ah, so Latenna told you..."
Renna leaned casually into Lloyd's chest, hooking a finger under his chin with a teasing smile.
"But that's perfect timing. I can't test the final function myself—you'll have to do it. I was just looking for a chance to tell you."
"You can't test it?" Lloyd asked, intrigued. "Why not?"
Renna spread her hands in mock helplessness.
"Why do you think? Because I'm a woman."
Lloyd blinked, realizing what she meant.
"You mean..."
"Mhm. The reproductive function."
Renna poked Lloyd's cheek with a serious look.
"When the time comes, I'm leaving it to you and Latenna."
"I'll be right there cheering you on."