Cassie
Inside the royal palace, Reiza's eyes squeezed shut before slowly opening up. In a daze, she found herself laying on a soft, comfortable bed, the silky sheets cool against her skin.
Xao was beside her, holding her hand gently. While Scarlett was sitting at the edge of the bed, her posture relaxed but her eyes watchful. Behind them stood Li Feng and Seiira side by side, like silent guards. Lunatic was sitting on the floor, her chin resting on her knees, her face was colorless, like she had fallen into some kind of deep depression.
Opposite Lunatic, Irish was literally floating in the air like she had grown butterfly wings, her body radiating soft, shifting rainbow colors, Completely opposite of black death was she was omitting sometime before.
"You woke up?" Xao says, her voice soft and gentle as she squeezes Reiza's hand a little more tightly.
The moment Reiza remembers what had happened, her eyes immediately widened. The embarrassment, the frustration, it all came flooding back. She immediately shot up, ignoring the dizziness.
"No, Sister Xao, she cheated! I won't accept this!" she shouts immediately, her voice filled with indignation.
At the same time, she turns and buries her face in Xao's chest, hugging her tightly. "Such a dirty way of fighting has to be illegal! I won't accept her win. I want a re-trial!" she says, her voice muffled by Xao's clothes, sounding like a child who had her favorite toy taken away.
"There... there," Xao lightly pats her head, not knowing where to even begin explaining the whole complicated situation.
"There's no need for a re-trial. I didn't win," Lunatic says in a depressed, hollow voice from her corner on the floor.
"No, I won't accept—" Reiza was about to whine again, but the realization of what Lunatic just said finally hit her brain.
"What did you say? Who won then? Me?" she says, her head snapping up. At the same time, her eyes turn to look at Irish, whose smile was so wide it seemed to be stretching beyond the seven heavens.
Lunatic sighs, a long, tired sound. "We wasted too much energy on each other that there was nothing much left for me to do. Besides, she turned out to be quite more powerful than I thought she would be."
"So is this for real?" Reiza's eyes widened slightly, a flicker of disbelief in them. She instinctively looks at Scarlett, the one person whose word was final.
And Scarlett gives her a slow, confirming nod.
Reiza was certainly in shock. She never expected Irish to actually win.
At that moment, both Reiza and Lunatic look at each other in the eyes, and a shared, silent understanding passes between them. They both immediately open their mouths to say something, to protest, to make an excuse, but before they could get a single word out, Scarlett immediately shuts them down.
"I won't hear any excuses. You both agreed to the terms before the match. So now, you will follow the results," Scarlett says, her voice firm and final, not leaving any room for argument.
"Well, once some time passes, they'll soon realize that there's no real difference between being first or last in this," Scarlett thinks to herself, sighing lightly.
"Yes! Make sure to watch how I'll carry my honey in my arms like a princess and officially marry her!" Irish finally stops floating around and lands gracefully on the ground, her rainbow aura fading slightly.
"Kyaa~! I can already imagine my honey in her wedding gown!" she shouts again, her voice filled with pure glee, clapping her hands together.
But Reiza and Lunatic could do nothing but twitch their lips in pure, unadulterated jealousy, their faces turning a slight shade of green.
"So, when are you going to meet my parents? They are a bit toxic, though," Irish said, walking towards Scarlett and hugging her from behind, resting her chin on Scarlett's shoulder. "But I know they won't be able to say a word against you."
"Let's not be hasty. The decision is final, so you can rest assured," Scarlett replies calmly, her voice steady and unbothered by the hug.
"As you wish," Irish accepted Scarlett's words, her smile unwavering.
"Ahh, fuck. I guess there's no point in stressing over it," Lunatic exhales, letting out a long, tired breath. She stands up, stretching her limbs, trying to get her mood better and accept her fate.
"Wow, you got over it pretty fast," Scarlett was slightly impressed, a small smile on her face. She turns to look at Reiza, who was still pouting on the bed. "You should get over it as well," she says, her tone gentle but firm.
Reiza lets out a hard, dramatic sigh. "Okay, I'll just lay down here for a bit," she says, flopping back onto the bed and pulling the covers over her head, like a child hiding from the world.
Scarlett also stands up. "I'll be going then, I got other things to do," she says, turning around to leave the room.
As she does, she gestures at Li Feng, who was standing by the door. "Any reports from Kroenen? Anything abnormal?" she asks, her expression turning serious and focused.
"This is what's most abnormal: everything's so normal," Li Feng says, his voice low and concerned. "We literally have one of their core members, we killed two Holy Knight members, we saved the second prince, and we failed their plans to kill all the leaders of the other kingdoms. Yet, there's no reaction at all. Nothing."
Cryptus was also there, standing silently in the corner. His reaction clearly said that Li Feng had just voiced the exact same thoughts he had been having.
"Weird indeed. It's like they are cooking something up," Scarlett rubs her chin, whispering it lightly, her mind working through the possibilities.
"Should we send some spies to extract information?" Li Feng suggests, his eyes fixed on Scarlett.
"Spies? We have spies?" Scarlett repeats, genuinely surprised by the statement. Her goal had always focused on making DreadHaven self-sustainable, never on spying on others or learning their secrets.
"August— I mean, Kroenen was training up a group of spies. Maybe they'll be useful," Li Feng answers casually, as if it were common knowledge.
Scarlett rubs her chin once again, thinking deeply about it. Kroenen used to be an assassin in his previous life, from some other universe where Hitler actually won the world war. His experience and skills regarding spies would definitely be quite advanced, far beyond anything they currently had.
"If it's Kroenen..." Scarlett says but then shakes her head. "Still, there's no need to take unnecessary risks. Let Kroenen come back. I'll personally assess their skills and only then decide," she says. When it came to the people of DreadHaven, she wasn't going to take unnecessary risks and lose them.
With that, she left the room, going back to her work for the day, her mind already shifting to the next problem.
****
Meanwhile, in the territory of the dead demon king, Xulgorath, a certain red slime's body twitches, slowly regaining its consciousness.
"Err... Ughh!... Where am I? What just happened? My body feels so weird," it thinks to itself, its thoughts slow and jumbled.
The slime couldn't see anything; its vision was a blurry, confusing mess of colors. It tries to move its body, but the body felt way too unfamiliar, like it had no bones at all, just a soft, jiggly mass.
At that moment, a calm, robotic voice speaks directly in its mind.
<Alert... Host is going through tough mental pressure. Would you like me to stop the unnecessary mental stress?>
<Yes/No>
"A voice? From where?" it thinks, confused and a little scared. But then, with no other choice, it focuses its thoughts and thinks, 'Yes'.
And the next moment, its body starts to calm down. The panic and confusion fade away, replaced by a sense of peace. The situation feels very calm and normal, like there was nothing to worry about.
"Who are you? Where am I? No wait... who am I?" it thinks again, the questions forming in its now-clearer mind, a deep sense of loss and confusion settling in.
<You can call me Cassie. I am an assistant provided to you. I'm one of the rewards you got for having Raphael's blessings!> The voice in his head was calm and clear.
"Raphael? Is that an angel?" It asks, it's thoughts still fuzzy.
<Yes, an archangel to be precise,> Cassie replied.
"Umm... So like, you can answer my questions?" It thought, a glimmer of hope rising in his confused mind.
<More than that. As an assistant, I can help you make decisions and use your skills and the power of your blessings on your behalf.>
"Cool... I guess?" It thought, not sure how to feel. "So, is there any power which can make me remember who I am? And see clearly?" It asks, desperate for answers.
<As for the first question, there's no need for anything. Just try focusing more on remembering about yourself. If it sounds difficult, would you like my help as well?>
<Yes/No>
"Yes," It says, focusing his thought.
<Processing.... Based on the soul's background, your name is Sam Allen, an engineering student who was doing everything except engineering.>
<You wasted all the pocket money and college fees on idols and gacha games, buying 2D murals, adult toys and even masturba—>
"Ahhh... I remembered... I remembered everything! No need to say anything more," he says quickly, his mind flooding with embarrassing memories.
"That's right, I remember it was Halloween day. I was again intoxicated in my fantasies as the savior and punisher, Pumpkin Slayer, running around the road wearing a pumpkin head with underwear... and ended up getting hit by a truck," he thought, the memory coming back in a cringe-worthy wave.
<You are correct,> Cassie confirmed.
"Don't just listen to my thoughts!" he shouts inside his mind, feeling his privacy was being invaded.
<Apologies... I won't hear inner thoughts which you don't want to share.>
"Okay, so about my second question, could you let me see?" he says to himself, trying to change the subject.
<Easy,> Cassie said.
<Rare Skill: Inner Eye Activated>
The next moment, it's as if everything becomes clear to him. The sunlight filtering through the leaves, the vibrant green grass, the tall, imposing trees. He started to see everything in sharp, crisp detail.
Sam instinctively jumps in his slimy body, which just caused him to wobble. "Whoah... Everything's so... so... Just so tall! Am I in another world? Born as a child? But a child of what?" he thought, looking up at the giant trees.
<Everything is not big, You are the one who's short. Would you like to see in third person view?>
<Yes/No>
"Yes," he thought, curious.
The next moment, Sam could see his own slime body, a small, red, jelly-like blob, and the forest from above, as if he were a camera floating in the air.
"What the... I am a slime? Did I reincarnate as the main character in that anime, Tensura? I knew I was special!" he thought, a mix of shock and excitement bubbling inside him.
<Your judgement is more likely to be one of your fantasies than being reality,> Cassie stated flatly.
"I didn't ask you," Sam sneers in his mind, feeling a bit annoyed.
At that moment, he notices a small black chip embedded in the upper part of his slime body.
"Hmm... what's that?" he thinks, stretching his slime body into a small, stretchy hand to touch that black chip.
But the moment he touches it, a weird sensation bursts through him. It wasn't pain, but a deep level of anxiety and fear, so intense it made his whole being feel cold. His slime hand snaps back into his body, and the whole body trembles, like a person sweating uncontrollably after escaping death.
"What was that? Don't tell me this chip is the reason I have my previous life's memories?" he thinks, his heart pounding in his non-existent chest.
<I don't know,> Cassie replied.
"Never asked you," Sam sighs inside his mind, trying to calm down.
The third-person view cuts back to his first-person perspective.
"Do I, like, have other skills or blessings?" Sam questions, wanting to know more about his new self.
<Definitely. Just will for your system or status to open, and it'll show you your skills and stats.>
<As for blessings, you also have the blessing of Azathoth.>
<Would you like to devour this planet or the entire universe?>
<Yes/No>
"What?! Of course not! Wait can you even do that?"