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“Ah! Dear Angel!”

Upon her awakening Seletina’s eardrums were shaken by the sound of a young girl’s voice.

As her blurry vision cleared, she observed three children in front of her— a boy revealing his gap-toothed smile, a girl with a runny nose, and a clever-looking boy wearing glasses.

There was also a well-tanned girl emanating vivaciousness. Various types of children stared into Seletina’s face as she lay there, their eyes burning with intensity.

“She’s awake! She’s awake!”
“She’s alive!”
“You idiot! Of course she’s alive!”
“Come to think of it, can angels die?”
“That’s beside the point!”
“You have pretty eyes!”
“Tita! Go get the adults!”
“Why me?!”
“Just go!”
“Okay, okay!”

Amidst the commotion, Seletina smiled slightly at the sight of the vibrant and energetic children.

She slowly lifted herself up, observing the warm bed she was in. She then looked at the cheerful children who had most likely escaped by hiding inside a wagon which had been abandoned amidst the battlefield.

Glancing at her own veined palm and her sword, she contemplated the precious lives of the soldiers who had protected them and let out a sigh.

I escaped death once more.

Reality slowly clarified Seletina’s thoughts as she caressed the head of the young girl beside her, squinting her eyes with affection.

“Good morning.” she greeted with her clear soprano voice, which sounded delicate. The children’s eyes brightened upon hearing her angelic voice.
“Wow! Even your voice is beautiful!”
“How are you feeling?! Are you hungry?!”
“Hey, hey. Are you really an angel, Dear Angel?!”
“How are you so strong?!”
“I want to try wielding that beautiful sword you used, Dear Angel!”
“Did you really come from the sky?!”

The children’s eyes brimmed with anticipation as a torrent of questions filled the space. Their sheer enthusiasm caused even the composed Seletina to flinch momentarily.

Just what is up with all of this angel talk. The soldiers called me that as well…

“Everyone, please calm down…”
“HEEEY! Rascal squad, quiet down! The angel is tired. Give her some space. What will we do if you infect her with your snot?”

A sluggish voice invaded the space. Accompanied by a snotty-nosed little boy, Lichter let out a small sigh and gestured for the children to leave with a shooing motion.

“S̲h̲i̲t̲! It’s Lichter!”
“Quick, run, or you’ll get eaten!”
“He’s bad news!”
“Run away!”
“Bye, bye Dear Angel! We’ll come again!”
“Get well!”
“Lichter! Don’t you do anything funny to the Dear Angel!”
“Like I would!”
　
Lichter raised his hands playfully, and the children scattered like a bunch of tiny spiders. It appeared that the children had gotten quite close with Lichter.

Finally, the lively stone private room grew quiet. The echoes of children’s laughter still lingered in the distance. Lichter smiled in the direction the children had fled, let out a sigh, and turned to Seletina.

“How are you feeling, Duchess?”
“I’m still a bit dizzy since I just woke up, but overall I feel great.”
“That’s super. Ahem, I mean, I am glad to hear that you are feeling well.”
“You don’t seem to be that comfortable with honorifics.”
“I was raised by commoners after all.”

Seletina’s lips curved into a slight smile as she observed Lichter’s nonchalant demeanor.

“You don’t need to worry. It’s not like this is the palace or anything. You don’t need to be formal.”
“What, you sure? Wouldn’t it be rude to a noble such as yourself, Duchess?”
“Fufu. Then let’s do this, Lichter. I won’t use any honorifics with you. So let’s both just drop the play.”
“Heh…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I was just shocked at how assertive you are.”
“I guess I am. That’s why I usually stick to honorifics.”

Seletina explained. She stretched her folded arms, enjoying the sensation of releasing the tension in her body.

“And just to clarify, although I am the daughter of a Duke, I do not possess that title. So please stop calling me duchess.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is… Then I guess I’ll go with Dear Angel.”
“Please no… To begin, what’s the deal with that nickname?”
“Beats me. All of the people here call you that. They see you as their savior. There are a lot of them that are worried about their Dear Angel.”
“Now that’s a problem.”
“I see it as a good thing.”
“You do?”

When Seletina glared at him, Lichter fluttered and ducked her gaze.

What a sneaky b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲.

Seletina thought to herself.

“That aside, Lichter, how long was I asleep for? Also, where am I? I need you to tell me everything you know.”
“Is that all you want to ask?”

Seletina tilted her head at Lichter’s question. She had no idea what he was talking about. Lichter shrugged his shoulders at Seletina’s confused expression.

“During our trip in the carriage I made my intention to kill you quite obvious. I thought you hadn’t noticed, but considering how strong you are there’s no way you didn’t.”
“……”
“Why do nothing? Or are you going to say that you really did not notice it?”

Lichter’s slightly angered gaze bore into Seletina. She caught sight of it, yet merely responded with a serene smile.

“So what if you showed your killing intent? It’s not like you were really planning to kill me.”
“……”
“Was that all you wanted to hear Lichter Willgame?”
“It is.”
“Perfect. In that case, let’s go back to my original questions. Where are we and what are we doing from now on?”

Had no intention of killing her, huh. She’s right. But eventually…

Deep, deep within Lichter’s heart, the gleaming dagger was resting in the sheath of a kind-hearted persona. Awaiting the moment of its unsheathing, destined to erupt into a frenzy of bloodshed.