Chapter 12. Daily life at Planeptune Basilicom

On the first glance, the backyard shed wasn't unusual in anyway. Just a normal storage space you could find in any house, however, it had a small secret.

"What kind of place is this?" I asked as the CPU Candidate named Nepgear had triggered a hidden behind the gardening equipment mechanism, which revealed stairs down. "We keep there all of the artifacts. For safety reasons. It's quite a new thing here." "I see…" I nodded and so, we began to descend.

On the side note, it was my second visit in the Planeptune Basilicom. After the goddesses found me passed out in the study, they insisted I should take it easy and see the doctor although I doubted any medical examination would help in my case. In the end, I nearly died in a bizarre vision, which most likely had caused again by the same culprit. Nonetheless, to appease worries of those two over altruistic CPUs I decided to make an appointment for later this week. That was if I were truly going to stay here for so long.

Eventually, we reached a blockade. A heavy metal shutter and a touchpad next to it, both in light shades of purple. From my own experience I'd describe underground bunkers as usually dark and gloomy, so this one was standing out rather spectacularly.

"Now, what was the password…?" Nepgear murmured nervously and began to search her database in the electronic device called N-Gear. Talk about creativity in naming things… But I could be sure she didn't do that on purpose. Unlike her older sister – Neptune, she didn't seem to display any signals of having a narcissistic strike, so I just thought of it as a coincidence. By the way, things like N-tunes, NepTube or Neppit really existed, not to mention, the name of this nation could probably be interpreted as blending of 'Planet Neptune'.

"Let me see." I came a step closer and gazed on the lock. Numbers from 0 to 9, so the security was on an unexpectedly low level. Well, if someone were to break in here, they would have to find to hidden passage first, so I guessed it was more to slightly slow down the potential thief rather than to stop them. However, if it was me, I would have simply demolished this door or fried the device.

Anyway, keys 1, 2, 3 and 7 seemed to be used the most. No matter how gently one pushed such buttons, they would always leave marks, which I could pick up and those weren't an exemption. "I got it. It's…" "2 – 1 – 3 – 7." "How did you know?!" Nepgear panicked, meaning that my first guess was correct. "Sheer luck." I shrugged my shoulders and entered the combination.

"It's quite cold in here, isn't it?" The Candidate shivered a little. We were only a couple of meters underground but still, she could have dressed something more than just her usual sailor school uniform. Even though she didn't attend any schools, for some strange reason that was her favorite outfit.

"So, with what exactly you needed help, again?" As a matter of fact, we didn't walk into this prison-looking maze only for the sake of recreation. Personally, I would have never brought a girl to such place. "It's in the section UT1. Big sister said you may figure out this sword." "Tch. I'm not a blacksmith." I spat out in annoyance to purposefully scare her. "I know. I know. But please, Mr. V. Can you at least see it? I'll explain more on the way. And stay close to me if you can. It's easy to get lost and I have a map…"

On the way to the mentioned section Nepgear told me more about this request. To summarize, there was a certain magical weapon which supposedly adapted to its user and changed shape according to their personality and skills, however, it didn't react to anyone who tried to use it so far. Neither to the goddesses, nor to any of their friends who also attempted. For that reason, I was their last hope for success. By applied by the Oracle – Histoire logic, if someone who wasn't a goddess but still possessed as significant power as I did couldn't do this, then no one else would. Although, I prayed I wasn't going to be the chosen one. I didn't want to be put through some kind of prophecy mess. Usually those were boring and too tiresome as for my taste.

"Are you going to look for Mr. Secretary?" Suddenly, Nepgear asked me with a depressed voice and I knew about whom she was talking about. "Seems so. Finding Runcorn also benefits me. Besides, that's why we met in the first place, didn't we?" Well, perhaps I didn't have much choice… At this rate, I would end up dead soon enough if those weird attacks were to keep happening. Truth to be told, I didn't have any means of defense on this field…

"Thanks…" She lowered her head. "You cared a lot about him, am I correct?" "Oh. It's just… I can't put it in words properly…" The CPU Candidate's cheeks flushed. If she reacted in such embarrassment then there could be several explanations, however, I didn't care enough to analyze them. "But I'm sure wherever he is now, he's doing fine. And I feel he's Joker." Nepgear added enthusiastically although she quickly realized it and blushed even further. "Runcorn is Joker? Hmm… Interesting. What makes you say that?" Maybe I shouldn't burst this small bubble of hope for this kid. Therefore, I decided to stay silent, praying she would naively buy my irony without thinking. "I don't know. It's just I feel this way." Alright. Good for you then. "Let's get going. I already grasped the layout of the complex." I increased the tempo, leaving her slightly behind. To catch up with me, Nepgear trotted along, forgetting about the whole conversation.

I wondered what Sylvette was scheming. By this time there was no way she didn't know about my departure, so the fact she hadn't taken any direct steps yet was indeed a mystery. Though deflecting from the Order could be even punished by execution, I doubted any assassins would come after me in the near future. Sylvette wasn't an idiot and would unnecessary throw away any human resources, maybe only when she wanted to get rid of some troublesome individuals, although she fully knew I wouldn't do her such favors. For that reason, if any moves were to be made against me, Sylvette would definitely take them personally.

"Look. We're already here!" Nepgear pointed out on the chamber with UT1-765 engraved on the door and rushed over to enter yet another passcode. From behind her shoulder I spotted it was 6006 this time around. After that, we could already enter the room. By the way, each of the chambers we passed had a similar password lock and I guessed each required different combination. Talk about being practical…

Interior of this space highly contrasted to the design I witnessed before. Though the floor was more of less identical, the walls here were darker and looked rather reinforced. Frankly, I didn't care much about from what material they were made, but from the first impression I assumed it was some kind of obsidian but I couldn't determine more. Maybe it was something the Basilicom had secretly developed, so I shouldn't be surprised.

In the center of this space there was a locked case. Despite the fact I couldn't see through its cover, I was sure that the sword inside of it was indeed a magical item. I just had an eye for those… "Please, wait a moment. I'm already unlocking it." Nepgear announced and what a shocker, used another keypad, although this time I didn't bother to check the numbers as I focused my entire attention on the slowly opening lid.

"Hmm… It's… unexpectedly plain." I couldn't bring myself to come up with any wittier comment. The normalness of this sword caught me so much off guard that if it was a battle, I would have already been killed long time ago. Literally nothing about this weapon indicated any special properties. Staring from the simplest and the least attractive hilt, which only notable feature was the engravement of letters U and T, to the dull point of the blade... Did this thing had any actual battle functionality? Nah, I didn't think so. Even poking someone's eye out with it could turn out to be challenging.

"I take it that UT are initials of the creator, right?" To hide my disappointment, I pretended to be interested in that. "Yes, that's true. According to the information we have, it was made by one of the first CPUs of this nation. However, it is all we know…" "Fascinating…?" I dismissingly bobbed my head, moving to the other side of the display. Thinking about it wouldn't benefit us anyhow. "Let's give it a try. May I?"

Nepgear loudly swallowed and gave her okay. So, the moment of truth had finally arrived. Honestly, my expectations for this seemingly cheap piece of steel were practically nonexistent, but… Who knew? Maybe something epic would really occur? I firmly closed my fingers on the surface of the grip and here goes…

Nothing. How anticlimactic… "Hey, are you sure something cool was supposed to happen?" I sent a questioning look to Nepgear. "I've got no clue! Maybe it's broken…" She replied, though I could feel her dissatisfaction too. "Can't entirely rule it out. Although we might have missed something… Have you tried taking it off to pieces before?" "Taking off to pieces? How?" She covered her mouth. "Normally. You didn't notice this rift?"

Upon the closer inspection I found a spot where two pieces of the grip connected. Quite an unusual design, I dared to say. Nearly like if the weapon had been produced in a toyish style. "Rift?" Nepgear didn't know about what I mentioned. "Here." I showed it to her. "Are you sure? I can't see anything." The CPU Candidate curiously leaned forward. Perhaps revealing the secret of my empowered senses wasn't a good call, so I decided to distract her with a cover up.

"It's easy to overlook, however, if you carefully run your fingers on the surface… Exactly like that… You should feel it as well." I gently seized her hand and presented the solution while maintain the sensual touch. As I predicted, she reacted nervously, immediately reddening on her cheeks. Weren't such young girls the easiest targets to manipulate? Especially those naïve ones with idealistic views on the subject of male female relationships.

"My goodness. You're right! It's so tiny. There was nothing about it in the database!" Nepgear's eyes sparked with excitement as she began to browse her N-Gear. It seemed she wouldn't ask any more questions, so I could safely continue with my inspection.

Hmmm? A button? Suddenly my nail met with something movable but I didn't risk pressing it yet. "Hey, Gearlie. There's nothing about any switches there, is there?" The nickname I gave her kind of confused her, however, she still checked it and then replied. "I'm sorry. I've already told you all we know." Which was practically naught.

"Leave this room at once." I ordered. "Huh? Why?" "I'm going to check it out." "It might be dangerous!" Nepgear protested. "And that's exactly the reason. I'll be fine even if it explodes but I cannot guarantee your safety." As long as I didn't know the effect, my reaction could turn out not fast enough to protect her. "But I wanna see what happens!" "You will through the closed door. Unless you have a death wish. Because if you do, there are more humane ways to end your life than leaving it to such lottery." I cut through Candidate's childish complaint. Maybe I didn't sense any serious threat, but any harm on her would be my responsibility and I wasn't planning on taking it. For that reason, I waited until she reluctantly reached the safe area and then, confidently pressed the tiny button. Alright, time for the round two…

Immediately, the object I held became engulfed by shadows. A cloud of dark energy began to spread around my hand, eventually sinking into my skin. Though it certainly looked very ominous, I didn't feel any danger in this process. It was like if the sword was binding with my body, nothing more. After it was done, all light from the room vanished.

A while passed and everything returned to normal. That awkward piece of weaponry had truly changed and transformed into a fully-fledged one-handed sword. 'Erebus' reminding a dignified handwriting letters appeared on the surface of the dark blade. Despite the fact it had a physical form, it felt so light, I had to confirm it. The grip also matched this style. If it wasn't for the shiny red gem decorating the pommel, I would have thought this sword was a condensed form of darkness. If this weapon really adapted to me then what did it mean? Was my soul so rotten and dark? I laughed inside.

Holding Erebus was such an incredible experience… I slowly swung it a few times. The sword moved as if it was a natural extension of my arm. Not even my old weapon could compare to that. Simply amazing… And it cut the air with some kind of aftershock. Fascinating. But what if I actually put some more strength into it? I thought and tested out at once.

"Oh no, we are in a big trouble…" On the way back to the Basilicom Nepgear had been close to tears. "Don't worry. Besides it was all my fault. I destroyed half of that room…" Because of my lack of thoughtfulness, a small 'earthquake' occurred. Putting it in simple words, Erebus turned out to be an extremely powerful weapon. If a single half-speed swing was enough to fire such wave, I wondered what would have happened if I decided to go all-out with this weapon.

"I was with you for the whole time. It makes me guilty too. Histoire is going to be so mad!" "Like I said, you have done nothing wrong, Nepgear. As long as we don't tell them, no one will know the truth. I memorized all passwords and I can sneak in later to finish fixing it. Just trust me and don't say anything unnecessary, okay?" Thinking about it this way, if only people who had access to that place were the three inhabitants of the Basilicom and me, it was possible to keep the damage done as a secret relatively long. According to what I was told, neither the goddess and the Oracle never visited that place, though their reasons were different. However, there was still a bigger problem…

"What should we do about the sword? It disappeared." Shortly after the incident, Erebus dematerialized in front of my eyes. Even I didn't understand this phenomenon although the fact was undeniable. The sword stopped to exist and turning into small chunks of particles, evaporated out of my grasp. "Leave it to me. I'll think of the solution." I said to reassure her though I was puzzled by this situation as well.

When we reached the backdoor, we heard raised voices. "They already know?!" As to be expected from the pushover Candidate, she was already seeing the worst possible scenario. "There is no way. To me it looks like an argument between those two. But I don't know about what yet." "Maybe we should stay away until they finish...?" "No, let's go in." Ignoring utterly terrified by this idea Nepgear, I confidently pressed the handle and walked inside.

It wasn't as bad as she thought. Apparently, we made it on the very end of their quarrel and now, both of the parties were sulking, Histoire in the living room and the goddess – on the shoe shelf in the corridor. To make the situation seem even more tragic, she had transformed into her Purple Heart form. According to my intel she would never do that on a whim, meaning something important was going on.

An emergency? Probably not of the kind I had in mind, because if that was the case, she wouldn't stay here with arms crossed, but rather, she would have already flown away in the direction of the trouble. "Am I interrupting something?" My question wasn't directed to anyone in particular and it was the Oracle who answered it. "Nothing really. Neptune had been throwing a tantrum after I prohibited her from using the CPU status to acquire a copy of a new video game. More importantly, how did it go downstairs? (a face of mixed disappointment and curiosity)" "I managed to get it to work, however…" And so, I described the situation, changing some unfavorable facts.

"That is worrying… Anyway, I am glad both of you are fine. Thank you for your assistance. I will research that in the due time. Unlike a certain someone, you are very reliable person, V. (angry face towards Neptune)" "And what was that supposed to mean?!" An offended voice of Purple Heart rang out from behind of my back. "Precisely what you heard, Neptune. Do I have to spell it out for you again? As the leader you cannot do such things just to buy a game! (furious face)" "I waited so long for it! And there's only a limited number of copies, sold only in one shop. If I don't do that this way, I won't be able to play it at all!" "You have already so much of those! There is no need for more! (even angrier face)" "You don't understand, do you? It's a remake of a famous old RPG I loved. As a fan it's something I must get!"

Both of them seemed to be going at each other's throats with such intensity they forgot about the surrounding. If things were to keep this way, I could see them retorting to violence any second now, so for the sake of the entire nation's peace and Nepgear, who looked like if she wanted to calm them down but didn't how, I had to interfere. I owed that much to this poor kid.

"Quit it." Using the most threa… I meant, convincing tone I could muster, I successfully silenced the arguing duet and the room went silent. I had to admit, I might have kind of overdid it although a bit of a shock wouldn't kill them, or at least I hoped so. As everyone began to stare at me with fear, I began to feel slightly awkward. Yeah, perhaps I shouldn't have butted in. In the end, I might have appeared as a quite dangerous person, so it could be interpreted as a sign of hostility from my side. If it was Yuki and Kurusu, they would have immediately apologized and for a time being, they would have been desperately trying to appeal to my good side, however, here, in the Basilicom things were different. Those three were in fact leaders of a country and they weren't used to such aggressive treatment like the one I had just presented. "I'm going back to the hotel room. If you need me again, you know where to find me." I announced and calmly made my way out.

As a matter of fact, I lied to them. I never intended to return to the hotel, I temporarily settled in. I went straight to the shopping district to begin a new operation.

Usually I wouldn't do anything which didn't benefit me just for the sake of someone else, however, on this occasion I felt like I should do an exemption. I had a weird hunch acquiring a copy of that game for the goddess would lead to some unforeseen conclusion, therefore, I decided to give it a try.

Though I didn't have the whole story, I quickly acquired sufficient intel to determine the shop mentioned by Purple Heart was called NepPlayGames. It was a minimarket for gamers and it was situated on the Victory street number 2. Posters and other advertisements on its building matched with the description I heard, so it was safe to assume I hit the jackpot. So, how should I do that?

Going in like a regular customer was out of option. Even though it was barely 10 pm, the line was considerably large. I was too lazy to count all of the people present, however, I could still say the group was more or less comparable to the number of available copies, so waiting for my turn could end up in failure, meaning I had to look for a less conventional solution.

Of course, sneaking into the store and snatching the object was the smartest move but doing so would leave a bad aftertaste as I didn't hit the bottom yet. I was capable of stealing the most valuable and protected goods, so going for such item as a game would hurt my pride.

Because of that, I left my hideout on the top of the neighboring building and using the lighting rod, I slid down to the ground. The distance from the roof wasn't the greatest, however, I didn't want to make any noise by falling down, such a habit of mine. Reminding myself that it was no longer necessary, I hugged the wall at the corner of the alley.

Not too far from my location stood a purple van. It had a logo of Nepstation on it. A TV crew? Honestly, I didn't think such event would attract the biggest television station of this nation. Though I couldn't see any cameras close by, I had to remain vigilant as I wished to avoid appearing on their footage. You could never know who was watching it… Nonetheless, once I made sure the path was clear, I swiftly crossed the street.

I managed to safely reach my destination unnoticed. With this provisional village it wasn't particularly challenging to hide my presence, so I could easily access shop's back alley by climbing over the wall.

One target in sight. A young male employee, around 20, with unkept facial hair. Did he somehow hear me? He stopped for a moment and gazed over in the direction of my position behind the garbage bin. No, that had to be just an accidental coincidence as he put down his cigarette and headed back. However, before he could reach the door, I grabbed him by his throat and pinned against the brick wall. "Take me to your leader… I mean boss."

Few moments later, I was already in the office of NepPlayGames' owner. After exchanging greetings, we sat down to talk. "Basilicom having a business with us on such time? How can I help you, mister Runcorn?" A slightly overweighed old man with a moustache befitting a plumber didn't expect such a guest like myself and now he was probably worried that they had broken a law, or something along those lines. I could sense how stressed he was while looking into my eyes. On the side note, when I was planning on taking advantage of Michael Runcorn's badge I didn't think it would be that effective. Everyone believed me at the spot once I showed it to them.

"This event seems rather popular from what I have noticed." I casually stroke up a conversation. "Oh, yes. We didn't anticipate such crowds to be honest." He replied with a tense expression on his face. Thanks to that I could see this man was very passionate about his job and wished to deliver the best possible experience for his customers. "But will you be able to pull it off?" A second of silence and then…

"About that, I'm slowly beginning to worry." "Why is that?" "Not so long ago I received phone calls from the three of my employees. They won't be able to come to work tomorrow from personal reasons. Just how much of bad luck can we have?" The owner lamented. "So, you are minus three…" Though I wouldn't be honest if I said I was surprised, I pretended to calmly analyze the situation.

"How many people do you need to pull this off?" I proceeded to the next point. "I started strategizing with a thought of the total 12. Excluding those excused and the part timer you met, we are missing at least two pairs of hands." "I see. By the way, how's that boy doing?" Despite the fact I had no ill-intentions, it seemed lacks of politeness on my behalf had accidently traumatized him. "Still covering in fear. I have my wife taking care of him right now." "Sorry about that. Anyway, the reason why I am here is because Lady Purple Heart delegated me to check on you and help if it's necessary. And I see it might be the case. That's why, please allow me to join your team for this one day, Sir!" Finishing this beautifully sounding lie I saluted to the shop owner whose eyes sparked. "She always watches, doesn't she?" He whispered and then turned to me. "I appreciate it, Mr. Runcorn. Please thank our Lady in our stead. However, even with you present here we still need…" "About that, I think I may have a plan. Please listen…"

First of all, the entire shop had to be cleaned up. Considering how much time there was, we weren't in a hurry, so I decided to join the regular mopping team without any magic. Even people from different nations came here tonight, so NepPlayGames had to be absolutely shining as thinking for the future, it was also a perfect marketing occasion. For that reason, I could see why the crew was so fired up. Those people seemed to share the views of the owner. What a bunch of weirdos… Unless they were offered a raise for today, I could hardly understand their motivation.

Next, setting up the display. While running a business in trade, it was a skill one must have mastered in order to prosper. All products had to be placed in perfect spots, not only for customers' convenience, but also to maximize a potential profit. Many markets would place bread and other similar products at the opposite corner of the building from the entrance, so those who got in just to buy one thing would be exposed to variety of other crap which they didn't even think about a minute ago. If something looked attractive enough to trigger an impulse, instead of purchasing just a loaf of bread, such client could end up with a packet of snacks, a lemon and maybe even a new TV.

Such tactics weren't uncommon for shops with games too. On the specifically designated area there were rows of shelves ready to be used and on the way there, caskets of series-oriented merchandise were placed. Mainly keychains, mousepads and other small accessories. I was thinking about snatching one for the CPU, however, since she said she was a fan, she must have already owned a bunch, even though I wasn't aware of it.

"Alright, that's the end." I handed over the last remaining box with games to the person next to me. Though we only had 300 hard copies, each container held only 5 of them as products such as disks required special treatment during delivery. In the end, it would be bad if something bad happened to it, wouldn't it?

"Thank you for your help. The next shift should arrive shortly. Would you like a cup of coffee before that?" The female shop assistant, whose name I had already forgotten asked me. By the looks she seemed a bit older than me, but because I was a battle-hardened alleged secretary of the goddess, she talked to me very politely, not like if to a normal colleague. "Sure, thanks. I'll join you in a sec, once I talk to the old man." The girl nodded and departed.

"It went better than I thought. We wouldn't have made it without you, Mr. Runcorn." The one I was looking for ambushed me on the shop's main floor. Though there were still slightly more than three hours before the deadline, everything was already set up. "You're exaggerating." "No, I'm not. Quality over quantity is what we wish to be known for." "That's very noble of you. Is what we discussed ready?" "Yes. Please, follow me."

The owner led me downstairs to a certain unlabeled room. Although his prediction about workforce wasn't correct, there was still a need for one more person on board, especially for the last remaining hours as the moods of the crowd would definitely be on the edge. After such long wait, everyone there must have gotten impatient to a certain degree, so even appearance of a single spark could effortlessly ignite a large fire. If for an example, a group of people decided to siege the shop, chaos would start. I didn't expect any terrorists to begin it on purpose, nonetheless, it was still better to be safe than sorry, especially since I'd prefer not having to deal with any of this shit.

"Looks like the original one." On the rack similar to those in clothing stores there was a white vest. "Our son belongs to Joker's fan club, so whether we like it or not, we had seen it many times." Boss' wife explained. She was the one who managed to adapt it from one of the old uniforms and I had to admit, she had done a splendid job. The real thing had been already disposed of but this copy wouldn't be seen through even by the keenest eye. I thanked her for assistance and picked it up. To think I was going to do this anyway… Anyhow, Joker's requiem had just begun.

Uff… Finally, it was over… It had been a lengthy and a busy night, so even I couldn't help but to experience a little of exhaustion. Sluggishly sipping coffee from the green, pipe-reminding mug I reminisced the events of last night, or more precisely, this morning.

Joker's appearance on the top of NepPlayGames certainly stirred a lot of media attention, however, such advertisement for the shop wasn't my primary goal. Though I wasn't aware of it at the time, before that there had been several incidents, like a brawl or an attempt to break in, so having an additional authority besides the police raised the safety of the whole gathering. After pacifying a couple of arguing teenagers, helping a woman who had a seizure and scaring off another wanna-be robber, Joker managed to settle things down and everything went smoothly to the end.

It was definitely a clever idea to keep the yesterday's shift longer in work, so the new one, which arrived around 5 am was still fresh and ready even though the shop was now pretty much empty. Thanks to that, there had been no errors from the store's side.

The only people who remained on their feet for the whole night were me, boss' wife and the owner himself. Speaking of the devil, the latter had just entered the communal room in which I had been resting alone so far. "Did something happen?" I immediately shot him a question without turning back, so it wasn't a shocker to see him startle a little. "N-no, not really, Mr. Runcorn. I only wanted to tell you that everything's settled." "That's good to hear." I replied in a polite tone. I probably should be going back soon. As it was already around quarter to 8, it would be wise to get some sleep on my own as well. By the way, it was kind of impressive the whole ordeal wrapped up in mere half an hour. It seemed gamers were not a force to underestimate…

"But there's one more thing…" The owner said, preventing me from leaving the room. "In the name of the whole NepPlayGames crew, I'd like to thank you for your help. You have aided us in need and we all wish to express our gratitude. That's why, we would like you have this…" He took out a copy of the game from behind his back and moved it towards me.

"I thought everything was sold. I can't accept it. Not after I've seen all of those people who came here to get it." "Look here. With that I can no longer sell it. Remember our shop's motto?" Quality over quantity, huh? I was certain that none of the fans would care about such a crack, more to that, in my opinion its peculiar shape would even boost the market value. Besides, giving a faulty one to me was fine? What a sweet logic…

"Because of the regulations, I can't pay you any money, but that doesn't mean I will let you leave emptyhanded, even though someone else will surely reward you for it later." "But…" I didn't retort. I could see that boss wouldn't change his mind. "Even if you won't play it, I'd like you keep it as a memento of this day. None of the employees had any objections." He insisted and shoved the box into my grasp. "It was an honor and pleasure to work with you, Mr. Runcorn. Haha, if you ever need a side job, we'll gladly welcome you again." There was no other option now, I had to accept the gift and shake the owner's hand.

Moments before 8 am, I reached the backyard of the Basilicom. As I wasn't in possession of a key, I had to enter through the window or simply pick the lock of the door. At this hour most of the households would usually begin their days, so there was a chance of encountering either the Oracle or the Candidate. Purple Heart, on the other hand, appeared to me as a person who preferred to stay in bed for a couple of hours longer. Alright, I heard the characteristic clicking sound, so trying to make as little noise as it was only possible, I pressed the handle and stepped inside.

Immediately, I noticed the goddess. She must have fallen asleep here yesterday and no one actually bothered to remind her to return to the bedroom. What a nice family… "Hey, are you still alive?" I cautiously poked her shoulder. Since she was still in her goddess form, such position must have been extremely uncomfortable. Purple Heart's body was bigger than her usual self's in all sizes, not only in terms of bust, therefore, her legs were unlucky enough to be pressured against the corner of this temporary bed of a shoe shelf.

Afraid she could have passed out, I checked her pulse and breathing. They were on the normal level and stable, which reassured me. She was just deeply asleep. I loudly exhaled in relief as I didn't wish to have her die on me. She was definitely more useful to me than her younger incapable sister.

Anyway, according to my knowledge, CPUs weren't able to maintain their transformations forever, but since we were in the Basilicom, the fact she could remain like this for nearly 24 hours could be somehow explained. There were many things about goddesses that even they didn't know about themselves, so it was no wonder to come across yet another secret.

Nonetheless, I couldn't just leave her here. Not after seeing such an adorable sleeping face. It was only a natural reaction for a healthy straight male like myself to feel a sudden urge to protect upon witnessing cuteness of this level, so I decided to save her from being woken up by any of the other residents and take her to her bedroom, so she would at least stretch her limbs before awaking.

"Hngh…" After I carefully picked her up, Purple Heart made an inarticulate sound although, she didn't open her eyes. As for someone who normally used to be a leader of the nation and the symbol of strength to many, she surely looked vulnerable in my arms, nearly like some kind of a tiny animal. "And what should I do with you…?" I sighed when she suddenly confused my chest with a pillow, drooling all over my clothes. I probably shouldn't gawk at her so dumbly. Others might eventually come and after seeing us this way, greatly misunderstand, or worse, I might even fall for her. Well, as long as I was myself the latter would never happen.

Though I had never personally been there, I knew perfectly where Neptune's bedroom was. In case of an emergency, I had already memorized the layout of the entire building and designed at least five potential escape routes. Some things would never change, I guessed and navigating through the piles of variety of things on the ground, I placed Neptune on top of her bed. Considering she was barely fitting in there, I concluded that it had been made with her human form in mind, however, I wasn't able to reduce her into it. And even if I could, I wouldn't. Like a one beer was believed to be a prelude to ten of them, taking off woman's clothes without consent could lead to something completely else, that was if transformation could be seen as a change of outfit. Because of that, I decided to silently back away and preferably without being spotted, depart. However, one more thing left before that.

"You wanted this, didn't you?" I fixed the previously created by me crack on the box and slid it under her right hand. I hoped that once she woke up, she would have a pleasant surprise. I still had no clue why I was doing it, but she didn't need to know that I was the one to place it here. In the end, I was used to being in shadows. I didn't need any gratitude for my actions. Like when I hunt monsters, my goal was to entertain myself and protecting people was only a side effect I couldn't prevent.

Suddenly, Purple Heart's hand gripped mine. "I was worried about you." She spoke in a distant voice without opening her eyes. Her breathing pattern didn't show any change, so was she sleep talking? Or was she actually on the verge of waking up? I couldn't determine the cause of this occurrence, so I didn't reply. "Please don't do that again… Please don't leave…" What the hell was she talking about? Did she confuse me with someone else or what? We knew each other for barely two days.

"That sword… Have you tried calling its name?" The goddess changed the subject. "It was CPU's weapon and we can make ours do so." I on the other hand, wasn't a god, so what shall I do about that? Or wait, I was an abnormality among the abnormalities, so maybe it was worth a shot? It wasn't like I would lose anything from trying. "Erebus." I inaudibly whispered, focusing on the image of the blade.

And somehow, it worked. The shadowy sword materialized in my free hand together with its unusual aura. Neptune must have sensed the success as corners of her lips rose, forming a gentle smile. "Now then, Nep Jr. pass me some pudding…" Finally letting go of me, she drifted away.

Good night, Neptune, I told her in my thoughts. Perhaps without even being aware of it, you had just gifted me with this incredible weapon. If only you knew what consequences would that bring... I envied you this lack of foresight but I was also thankful for making me realize something. Because of those two days, I finally understood the genesis of my name. V stood for victory. No matter how hard I attempted to change, the truth would always resurface. I would scheme, manipulate and even sacrifice those who trusted me in order to reach my goal. As long as I stayed at the top, nothing else mattered.