☀️ Arselia and Akonia

"Yes, yes, a good idea" — the priestess waves off the ideas persistently suggested by the invisible demiurge. — "The coat explodes, I'm forever buried in this cave, and perhaps I won't even die thanks to my fancy gadgets. Thanks for the advice."

"I hope this wasn't a mistake..." — the miko thinks in response to the wounded man's parting words, which she will surely regret more than once: in moments when demonic rifts begin to open beneath Margel, or Naria is forever lost in the Abyss, or people on the city streets start dying one by one from an excess of iron in their bodies — all because the instigator didn't die beforehand, back when it could have done this world some good.
All of this she grimly pondered while setting up the ofuda near the entrance to the grotto — so that its barrier would completely seal off the room.

Having placed her duffel bag under her head and wrapped herself in her cloak, she spent a long time mulling over various scenarios of global cataclysms until she herself drifted off to sleep.

Morning of the next day arrives. This time the Lord wakes up a little earlier. Casting a gaze full of pure love upon the face of Aiano sleeping nearby, he smirks at the thought that the night in this grotto proved cozier for him than sleep even in the most luxurious chambers, and this despite the wounds he had sustained. Deciding that the object of his adoring and very strong love would hardly appreciate it, he resolves not to stare at her sleeping visage for too long and steps outside, awaiting the rising sun. 

But before the sun, a familiar face greets him. 


- ...
- ...
- Good morning. — She says quietly, so as not to wake the grotto's second inhabitant. 
- ...
- Oh? You're not even reaching for your beloved dagger or at least a pistol. I thought that after yesterday, we couldn't avoid a duel. 
The Lord didn't bother answering Heidi; instead, he stepped back some distance and beckoned the girl of indeterminate age over, so their conversation wouldn't disturb Aiano's sleep. 
- A-ha-ha... Ha-ha-ha! — Understanding his intentions, the ace of aerial combat couldn't hold back her laughter. — You already seemed strange to me yesterday, but now... Now everything is clear to me. 
- I won't seek retribution for yesterday, Heidi. 
- Ha-ha... Now I feel like such a fool for pacing in circles all night... I did give her my word, but I see my worries were in vain. A-ha-ha!
- Has anyone ever told you that you have a nasty laugh? 
- No, but the sleeping beauty compared me to a harpy yesterday. Does that count? 
- Harpies again?.. 
- Mm? 
- No, never mind. 
- Alrighty then, little Lord, I see she's in no danger, so I'll consider my mission successfully accomplished and go get some sleep.
- Uh-huh, just get lost already.
- Ha-ha... Little Lord, little Lord... I sincerely hope your love story doesn't end in tragedy. A man head over heels in love with a broken heart is one of the worst phenomena of this world, and when he's vested with power or another form of strength, a dangerous one too. — Heidi, like a harpy, flies off toward the city, her silhouette growing smaller and smaller. — Bye-bye!