Vale lay sprawled out on the white ground, mirroring his first awakening in this odd location.
But this time was different; there was a pile of stones on his left, a peculiar door on his right, and a pink portal floating directly in front of him.
But not only were there things in this place, the core… there were people.
Well, Vale didn't know if they could be classified as people.
'But still.'
Toy hovered right next to him. The nine workers scurried around the debris, scaling it and dislodging stones as they observed their master from afar.
Salome was nowhere in sight.
"Y-you're awake!"
Her expression was like marble, fixed in a perpetual state of surprise. A faint smile touched her lips, and her long ears flushed a delicate pink.
Seeing her face, Vale felt… relief?
'What am I feeling?'
His emotions, ever since being summoned, had become… 'complicated.' Vale couldn't help but wonder which desires were his own and which had been implanted in him, or if either was even true.
However, there was one thing Vale became certain of as he sat up and turned his head toward the green girl, staring into her glowing emerald eyes.
'I'm… happy.'
A happiness for her safety.
'I may not love her. I don't even know if I can love anymore… but this happiness is real.'
It wasn't just born from his implanted desires — desires that he'd still be able to have relations with her, no.
'I'm truly happy she's alright.'
Vale smiled, glad that this part of him remained.
Meeting Wrath and Sloth made him doubt his own humanity; however, this diminutive woman helped him recall:
'I'm not a monster.'
He was undoubtedly human.
'Legion…'
Vale summoned the Legion page, taking note of Salome's name and confirming she was alive.
"What happened?"
Toy's face contorted a little before slowly settling as the whirlwind of emotions calmed, and she began speaking.
"You… I don't know what happened when the black wall fell. All I saw was you sauntering back to the core as if possessed, and Master was trying to stop you. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, you were so… strong."
Vale couldn't even begin to wrap his head around Toy's explanation.
"You easily pushed past all of her attempts to stop you and made your way into the core. Then you summoned that weird door, opened it, and just collapsed."
Toy pointed toward the misty black door, which had floating numbers above it reading: '690:16:07'
'Is that when the door will open again?'
"We tried to wake you up, but you were still as if you were dead."
Toy looked down, slightly dejected.
"With nothing we could do, Master ordered us all to wait in here and look over you while she defended the core outside. Of course, we had no idea what happened to you or if you'd awaken at all."
Toy looked into Vale's lustrous eyes with a cheery look.
"I'm happy you're alright! Master will be delighted as well!"
Toy bounded to her feet and ran into the pink portal.
In a fraction of a moment, Salome rushed took her place.
Her eyes glistened for a moment.
Yet, Vale could tell.
'It was a look of hope, not of relief for my safety.'
Vale didn't know what Salome was seeing when she looked at him, but it was anything but reverence.
Still, her true feelings were unimportant. What mattered was that they survived.
'Survived…'
She spoke quietly.
"Master…"
Vale couldn't help but smile in return.
"Salome… sorry for all of that."
The winged demoness softened and closed her eyes.
"It's alright…"
Vale stared at her smooth face and let out a slight sigh, then spoke.
"I don't entirely know what happened, but I do have a lot to talk about."
Salome cast her gaze off to the side with an odd look of indignation on her face.
"I have some things I should share with you as well. I want to explain what those abominations were, who I am, and the world I came from."
Vale looked at the woman whose gaze was no longer meeting his own. The dignified expression she always seemed to hold, except in depraved moments, had vanished.
Staring at the saddened expression of his Champion, Vale let out a hollow smirk.
"Before that talk, I believe an apology is in order."
Salome turned back to Vale and tilted her head to the side in confusion. Her brows narrowed.
"For?"
Vale took a small step toward her.
"I ignored your warning, for one. And two, I just realized you don't know who I am either."
Salome let out a slight chuckle.
"You really don't need to worry about that. In fact, you acted as a leader should. Refusing my plea was a pleasant surprise. As for not knowing you, as my master, what I know about you is entirely your choice…"
He took another step forward, stretched out his hand, and placed it on her chest.
"Well, I want to apologize anyway."
There was really something else he wanted.
Vale had many unanswered questions and decisions, but his mind was foggy. After all that had happened and the stress of half an hour's uncertainty, he desperately needed to relax.
It wasn't just him. He could tell both Toy and Salome needed a moment to mentally recover.
As the master of Lust, there was quite a straightforward way to achieve such relief.
Salome's pained smile morphed into a look of eagerness and anticipation as she gleaned her master's plans.
Salome chuckled.
"Even though you did nothing wrong, I guess I'll accept your apology. You know, Toy might need an apology, too. She seemed even more worried about you than me."
"Is that so?"
Vale grasped Salome's hand and guided her toward the room, a space intentionally concealed from casual observation.
He instructed half the workers to keep mining and enlarging the core room as he passed them while the rest and Toy were to keep watch over the dungeon and alert them of any visitors.
Finally, he and Salome disappeared into the dungeon within a dungeon.