A battle of unprecedented proportions. Human versus demi-human, wizards and warriors of incredible skill on both sides, each fighting with unbreakable determination, each heart on the battlefield yearning for victory. But only one side can prevail. The humans had an advantage when it came to spellcasting, since they secured the aid of a powerful necromancer. Not as powerful as dad, of course, but he could still summon several Death Knights! The demi-humans, on the other hand, managed to capture and train several beasts as powerful as they were rare, including a great frost dragon! The outcome of the upcoming massacre could not be easily predicted, the strength of both armies seemingly matched... And finally, with the sound of a war-horn, the demi-humans charged!

Wait, maybe not yet. Ayame was getting quite hungry.

Getting up from the large table where dozens of magnificently crafted tiny warriors were meticulously laid out in preparation for their battle, the princess headed for a specific cabinet, where she was allowed to keep some snacks. After pulling out a chocolate-filled croissant wrapped in paper, an idea came to her. It was quite nice out, so maybe it would be nicer to snack in the yard…

... Once outside her room, in one of the pristine halls of the mansion, Ayame smirked before beginning to sprint in the direction of the exit, food gripped firmly.

But then, just as Ayame was turning a corner, she was reminded that the rugs were not exactly nailed to the floor. In fact, they gave way rather easily, their underside turning slippery at such high speeds. And as the rug gave way, Ayame landed face first on a nearby window, the impact producing a loud crack and quickly inflicting a minor sting of pain.

Before she processed what happened, the princess was already sitting on her butt, clutching her cheek.

"Your Highness!"

With heavy, hurried footsteps, a paladin rushed over.

"A-are you hurt?! [Heavy Recover]!"

The little pain she felt subsided completely, and her mind finally caught up to the present.

"O-oh, yeah! I'm fine!"

Looking back up at the window, it was quite obviously cracked. At least the rug was fine...

Just then, a nearby door opened, and a certain someone had emerged from it. A certain someone the sight of whom sent Ayame into the depths of despair.

"H-hello, Emma..."

The head maid only took one look at the scene before also hurrying over.

"Your Highness?!"

Once close, Emma knelt and continued.

"Are you hurt?!"

"N-no, I'm fine..."

After a moment's delay, the maid merely sighed in response, tone and expression turning from concerned to irritated.

"What happened? Were you running in the halls again?"

"Y-yes..."

"After I told you not to?"

"... I'm really sorry, Emma..."

The maid simply stood up, continuing coldly.

"You need to receive the aid of healing spells. Then go back to your room and stay there until allowed out."

"Yes, Emma."

Ayame timidly got up, not forgetting her croissant. The pain of the fall and the punishment of having to stay in her room were nothing compared to the shame of disappointing and angering her second mother. As the paladin escorted the princess to someone with more mana, Ayame struggled to resist tearing up.

... ...

"Uhm, darling?"

Suzuki Satoru looked up from Demiurge's report and saw that something seemed to be troubling his wife, who was no longer working on her letter.

"Yes, love? Is something wrong?"

"It's just... Well, I know it's probably still going to be a long time until we have to actually deal with any of that, but I was wondering how we're going to handle Ayame's suitors and her being courted, and when we're going to teach her about intimacy in detail... Uhm, I mean, I received no attention from boys, so father only explained such things at an embarrassingly late age, and my understanding of it all was very childlike even for a while after that..."

The king felt a strange sensation in his chest, though he still managed to respond almost instantly.

"I'm not letting any boy near Ayame until she's well into adulthood! And even then, I'll make damn sure they act like saints towards and around her!"

"O-of course… I just hope there won't be any festering resentment if we're too strict…"

"It'll be for her own good. I think a smart girl like her will understand... Though they do say that all children will have a rebellious phase, hmm..."

"Do they? Hopefully it won't come to that!"

A pause followed as the parents gave some more thought to the topic, though it didn't last very long, as Neia spoke up again some moments later.

"Uhm, did you have a rebellious phase as a child, darling?"

Her tone seemed cautiously lighthearted, perhaps even amused, likely by the idea of young and inexperienced Satoru acting childish and devoid of decorum.

"Hm? I'm not sure. I suppose I could have had one very early in life. My mother died way too early for me to have one in my adolescence."

"Oh, right, I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's fine. It's been a very long time. That chapter of my life doesn't sadden me at all anymore."

Satoru's life on earth felt more distant and unimportant by the day. Sometimes he forgot what any of it was like. Sometimes he forgot that there was ever anything besides Yggdrasil and the New World.

... ...

The intense, flame-hued rays of the dusk's sun accompanied the family of three as each enjoyed a perfectly prepared dish of their own choosing. For the father, Nazarick's head chef prepared a most complex risotto with a dozen varieties of exotic vegetables and four different kinds of meat, all chopped into fine pieces not dissimilar in size to the grains of the white rice itself.

The princess chose something of a classic back in Satoru's own world, a pizza, something that was arguably more of an umbrella term for many different foods, as any changes in toppings may transform the experience entirely. Ayame's preferred style of pizza was a simple one, with a cream base topped with paper-thin basilisk bacon and lumps of high-fat cocogoat cheese.

The High Priestess's meal consisted of a burger with a unicorn patty, two slices of swiss cheese, and cheddar sauce; another burger with two thinner gryphon patties, ketchup, caramelised onion and many thin slices of pickles; all with a side of liberally salted fries. As was often the case, Neia had already finished her meal far ahead of the other two, now eyeing their food hungrily even though she was already full herself. Satoru had an easy time noticing, but never judged her or pointed this out.

Today, the family mostly ate in silence. Not for any unpleasant reason, it was simply that none of the three currently felt like talking. At least that was the case until Ayame spoke up, being the first to do so since the eating started.

"Dad?"

The king took a moment to chew his food so that he could respond in a dignified, polite manner. It was important to be a good role model for his young daughter.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"You're... You're the strongest, right?"

"Well, I can't be sure I'd beat anyone in the world, or even just Nazarick."

"Right... But your real strength is that you're a ruler, and you have Nazarick and so many undead and people listening to you, right? And with all of you fighting together, you're definitely super unbeatable, right?"

"... Most likely, but I would never assume the world has no one else left that could be of danger to us. Arrogance breeds mistakes."

"Uh, of course. But even then, couldn't you conquer pretty much everything if you really tried? In the area, at least? Like the dwarves and the elves and the Medovin Kingdom?"

Satoru's mouth opened for just a moment, gaze falling to the half-eaten bowl of risotto before him as he took a moment to gather himself.

"Yes. I could do that, but I… I don't want to be a warmonger. Not anymore. I have enough regrets."

He looked back up at Ayame before continuing.

"I really hope you never have to live with guilt, sweetheart."

"D-darling?"

"Nevermind. Let's just continue eating. Sorry for spoiling the mood."

Ayame could sense her mother's worry, though the princess' own concern was mixed with a sort of confusion. She understood that her father must have made a thousand thousands of difficult decisions, but her young mind could not fully comprehend what that must be like. Earlier today, her own poor behaviour and the fact that she displeased Emma was enough to bring Ayame to tears, and the princess still felt ashamed of it now. Just how taxing was it to be responsible for as much as her father was? Just how stressful was it to make mistakes in such a position? Just how much did one have to strain to make good choices under such pressure? Just how much regret did her father have to live with?

\\\

Suzuki Satoru felt his appetite disappearing as guilt gripped his chest, turning his breathing laboured and irregular. Whenever his mind was forced to acknowledge that his family would hate him should they find out the truth about "Jaldabaoth's" actions, the liar found it difficult to face them.

But now was not the time for such weakness. It was improper to worry them and spoil their dinner.

With his best fake smile, Satoru pretended everything was alright.

"It's nothing. Sorry again for saying something strange..."

...

"Hey, Nabe? Don't you think the sunset is just gorgeous this time of year?"

Although Pandora's Actor remained in Momon's character, the sentiment he expressed just then was genuine. The sight of the sun setting behind E-Rantel's countless roofs was a joy to behold. Another productive, peaceful day in his father's kingdom was just concluding.

"... I suppose so."

In his excellent mood, the doppelganger let himself chuckle at just how predictably cold the maid's response was.

The streets were not busy, but still had plenty of people who waved and gazed in admiration at the adventurers of Darkness. As more and more-

Pandora's Actor suddenly took damage as a golden light briefly enveloped him with a flash.

Freezing in place, the Area Guardian began to frantically scan the environment, scrutinising every face, every nearby window, every single roof and bush. Narbeal only registered that anything had even happened a moment later. It was a divine spell of at least the seventh tier, since it damaged him through low-tier magic immunity. Who would cast a divine spell on a human adventurer? Who was even capable of doing so, considering its tier? Why? What was the purpose? It must have been deliberate and calculated, or was it?

The doppelganger continued scanning the area, but could only see unassuming people who were either happy to see him, or confused by his behaviour.

And then, he realised what was almost certainly happening.

It must have been a divine spell that only damaged the undead.

Someone hiding in plain sight just got their confirmation regarding Momon's true nature.

"Hm? What was that?"

Pandora's Actor responded to Narbeal's question with a strong commitment to his role

"I just saw some sort of strange glow, and feared an attack... But it also appeared harmless, so maybe it was nothing… Let's continue, I suppose?"

"Huh? That's very strange."

"It certainly is..."

Just as he finished speaking out loud, the Guardian cast a spell.

"[Message]. Albedo, this is Pandora's Actor. We have a problem."

…

Hello. I'm sorry about the long wait resulting in a short chapter again.

I ended up cutting a bunch of stuff out of this one. The story should be over in just a few chapters. After that, I'll get to finishing up an appendix that will have a lot of stuff about how this fanfic was written and why certain decisions were made in the process. And then after that, I'll write some extra chapters with plotlines that I wasn't really sure would fit into the main story, so I'll be uploading them separately when the time comes. These extra chapters will also likely include an alternate ending to the story.

Either way, I hope you liked this short one! As always, I'd love to hear you guys' thoughts on it!