Chương 77: Chapter Seventy-Six: Friendship and Punishment

Amelia stepped into the room.

"We'll be outside," Greatlord Oshiro said, before closing the door behind her. How could he spring this on her so suddenly! After her expert negotiations earned her a truce, the crafty greatlord went and did this! She would have to plan her next act of vengeance very carefully…

"Are you… alright?" Polina asked.

"You're clenching your fists…"

"No, no!" Amelia hurriedly shook her head.

"I didn't expect to see you like this! I thought…" Amelia didn't know what she thought, but decided to keep talking to prevent any awkwardness from developing.

"It's great to see you! Look at you!" Polina looked healthy, well-fed, and wore a comfortable floral-patterned kimono. She'd cut her hair to shoulder-length and more or less looked the same. However, she didn't sound the same. Her voice had a much stronger accent than when Amelia last spoke to her.

"It's my real accent," Polina explained after Amelia asked about it.

"This is what High Imperial sounds like in the Federation. I figured there was no point in hiding it anymore. I didn't…" Polina looked to the side awkwardly.

"... Want to hide anything else from you."

"Mmm!" Amelia hummed, happy at Polina's honesty. She grabbed the spy's hands, holding them lightly.

"You look well! I was so worried they were going to, you know…" Amelia nodded towards the closed door.

"Do horrible things to you because you were a spy!"

"Ah, no… that didn't happen," Polina sheepishly answered.

"Everyone was rather polite."

"Well, tell me then! What happened after we left!? I hope you weren't confused!" The original plan had been for Amelia, in her form under Asclepius, to carry Polina to Shimashina. Those plans were interrupted by the Overlord, who had descended and demanded to take Polina with him. It must have been confusing for her to wake up wherever she did, with Amelia nowhere to be seen.

"Things were explained quickly…" Polina said.

"After the initial shock, I was made to explain everything about my blessings and then I was taken to some estate in the mountains. Honestly…" Polina rubbed her nose.

"It was quite boring. I had nothing to do until the servants let me help them with the gardening. It seems silly, but that helped me organise my thoughts. Umm…" Polina looked at the floor.

"I wanted to apologise for what I did… what I said… I mean, I want to apologise for deceiving you, pretending to be someone I wasn't. But!" Polina's voice rose, a touch of desperation layered upon it.

"That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy our time together! Gods, look at me." Polina sniffed, wiping her eyes with an expression of frustration.

"I've had two months to think about what to say to you and now I'm rambling like an idiot." She sighed.

"I don't think I'm cut out for fieldwork."

"Definitely not!" Amelia affirmed cheerfully.

"You should always be honest! Honesty always succeeds in the end!" Amelia understood that telling some truths should be delayed until the right time, but you shouldn't live your life deceiving others. Every lie you tell someone is a lie you tell yourself and, if you live a lie too long, you won't even know who you truly are. That was something Amelia strongly believed in – a belief from her old world.

"I also wanted to apologise for…" Polina rubbed her forehead.

"Look, I've been thinking about the events that happened with the Sakamoto. The only reason I was on that ship was because of how much my anger and desire for revenge consumed me. If it weren't for you… I would have accidentally killed hundreds of people. So, for that, I wanted to say…" Polina took a step back and bowed in the traditional Samino way.

"Thank you, Amelia. Thank you for saving those people."

"It's okay!" Amelia flapped her hands.

"It wasn't a big deal!" She heard Greatlord Oshiro grumble something from outside but decided to ignore it. Let him grumble!

"The irony hasn't been lost on me," Polina continued.

"That in my pursuit of vengeance against… that woman…" It seemed Polina still wasn't comfortable using her name.

"That I essentially caused the same type of incident that she did. If you weren't there, perhaps there would be demon children right now… swearing the same promises to themselves every night that I did…" Polina kicked the floor with the toes of one foot.

"I feel different, after having so much time to myself and my thoughts. But… it's still… difficult. She's outside, isn't she? When I saw her just now… I didn't feel the anger. Just… sadness."

"I understand!" Amelia nodded.

"I think you and Serena, you and me, demons and humans… we're all more similar than we are different. We feel the same emotions, make the same mistakes."

"And what are you?" Polina asked with a small smile.

"Huh?"

"Human, or demon?" Polina lifted her forefinger, pointing towards her own eyes.

"Your eyes," she said.

"They're bright red. Not exactly a human colour, is it? Is it a glamour, or the result of…?" Polina let the question linger.

"It's–""Careful!" interrupted Greatlord Oshiro from outside the room.

"Ah," Amelia said, wringing her hands.

"I guess I can't say, sorry."

"I understand," Polina said.

"You're a Lord-Prospect now, aren't you? You've aligned yourself with Cascadia…" Amelia shook her head.

"I don't see it that way!" she exclaimed, indicating to herself with her thumb.

"I'm actually quite selfish!"

"S-selfish?" Polina stuttered.

"Yeah! I'm a Lord-Prospect because it makes it easier for me to do the things I want and to be with the people I want to be with!" Honestly, there wasn't much Amelia wouldn't do if it meant she could stay by Serena's side and go on adventures. Going with the flow of the Empire seemed to have worked out so far.

"... Be with? Oh." Polina's eyes widened.

"It must be nice for things to be so simple. I wish I had someone like that…" She shook her head.

"I have to admit, I'm a little jealous."

"Don't be!" Amelia exclaimed.

"There's plenty of fish in the sea!"

"Sea?" Polina's head tilted, a frown forming.

"Uh." Amelia mentally slapped herself.

"I mean, there's plenty of fish in the sky!"

"I don't…"

"Nevermind!" Amelia waved her hand, hurriedly changing the subject.

"So tell me about what happened to you! You were bored and did some gardening… then what happened?"

"Well…" Polina's expression became thoughtful.

"Shortly after the ward you put on me ended, a demon came to see me. He never told me his name but I reckoned he was someone important as he seemed to be the one coordinating my transfer back to the Federation." Could it be…?

"He… didn't happen to drink a lot of mint tea, did he?" Amelia asked.

"That's right, how did you…?" Heh. Chesterfield, you old dog!

"We've met." Amelia nodded.

"So you're going home? Greatlord Oshiro told me you were leaving tonight. Is that right?"

"Right." Polina nodded.

"From what I understand, the Cascadian delegation to the Federation was able to create…" Polina crossed her arms, reassuringly rubbing her upper arms.

"... Rather favourable conditions for an exchange. I think I'm being swapped for more than ten others."

"Oh! Is it because of how valuable you are due to…?"

"My blessing, yes. Us truth-tellers are worth so much because we can use our blessing multiple times a day. Most people only have access to the manufactured crystals, but given how time-consuming those are to make…" Polina sighed.

"It feels weird to be valued so highly when I've caused so much trouble."

"Will you…" Amelia felt herself swallow.

"Be punished when you go home?"

"Maybe." Polina shrugged.

"Probably. I'll probably be under house arrest for a while…"

"House arrest? Why?"

"So Federation Intelligence can verify that I haven't, you know…" Polina's mouth grimaced as she shrugged.

"... Turned." Right, of course. It was like that.

"Well, if they try to punish you, let them know if they hurt you, I'll come over there, and–" Amelia thrust her fist into her open palm, throwing a wild grin at Polina.

"Teach them to play nice!"" Ahem!" Greatlord Oshiro cleared his throat, loud enough to prompt Polina to glance at the door. The woman looked back, a nervous smile on her face.

"I think that might cause even more problems," Polina said with amusement.

"After all, you're a noble of Cascadia now. You can't go around declaring war left, right, and centre!" Right, she shouldn't be doing that.

"But…" Polina shuffled on her feet awkwardly.

"There you go again, going to such lengths to protect me. I don't understand why? We barely know each other…" Polina glanced at Amelia before briefly looking away. My, was there a tinge of redness on her cheeks? Amelia suppressed a giggle, forcing herself to be serious.

"I know it must seem weird. Believe me, it was difficult to explain it to those around me as well," Amelia began. It was hard to explain how reliable she felt her game-enhanced intuition was. She'd had more than a few discussions about it with Serena and even then her girlfriend struggled to get it.

"Look, I admit I was a little… manic at the time. I had, you know… Spoken a Word, and the power it gave me made me feel a tiny bit drunk. I wasn't in my right mind! Even so, I behaved how I did because I truly believe you're a good person, Polina!" Amelia flashed her best you're-a-good-person smile.

"Even though you did a terrible thing, you did it because you'd become trapped in this cycle of negative emotions and revenge. You understand that, right?"

"... Again, you make it seem so simple," Polina said with a gentle smile.

"Years of anguish on my end, summed up so easily by you. Oh!" She put her hand up.

"I'm not saying I'm insulted, only that it's strange to see your point of view on something I thought I understood fully. Even so, I doubt… that woman feels the same, correct?"

"Mmm…" Amelia mumbled her answer. Despite her best efforts, Serena was adamant that she would never forgive Polina for her actions. Amelia understood, she really did! She didn't need Serena to see eye to eye with her on everything. Only… Amelia sometimes wondered if Serena's attitude might change if she could see into the Shimmer and with that witness the goodness in Polina's soul.

While Amelia hadn't cracked the hint the Lord Guardian had given her regarding finding her shadow, she had become extremely adept at seeing into the Shimmer with greater clarity. Even now, she could see Polina's soul glistening brightly, and, while she wasn't anywhere near the level of perception she had under Asclepius, she could see the two smudges on Polina's soul that denoted her two blessings.

"Regardless… I heard the war is ending soon," Polina said softly.

"At least, with it over, mistakes like this will stop happening. Who knows, one day you might visit me in the motherland. Ha!" Polina chuckled.

"Sorry, I'm rambling again…"

"No, no!" Amelia exclaimed.

"I'd love to! I was going to write you letters, but so much has happened and my mind was always elsewhere! When I finally sat down, I couldn't put my thoughts into words... But I tried! I really did!" She had. Amelia had scrunched up over a dozen letters over the last two weeks. Every time she had reread what she had written, she had squirmed at how awkward it sounded!

"Amelia…" Polina hesitantly began.

"Are we… friends?" Were they friends? Amelia thought they were initially, when Polina had 'accidentally' met her in Kenhoro under the persona of Tatiana. No matter how many times Serena told her Polina had deceived her, Amelia couldn't deny the genuine happiness she sensed in Polina's expression when they explored the markets together. In that sense, they were friends. But then, as the weeks ticked by after Amelia had calmed down from her embodiment of Asclepius, she had started to feel differently.

After all, Polina had tried to kill her girlfriend. The only thing was… in contrast to the two Speakers who attacked them in the Kenhoro café, Amelia couldn't sense the same level of conviction in Polina's attitude. Those Speakers had wanted to kill for sadistic and selfish reasons, but Polina's desire to harm Serena was superficial, built only on the shaky obligations she felt from a misunderstood event that had tied the two women together by fate.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. If a friend lashed out in a way you knew was uncharacteristic of them, doing no actual harm at the end of the day and then admitting their mistake later… could you still be friends?

"I don't know," Amelia said honestly.

"But I believe we can be! We might be standing on two different sides, but even if there's bad blood between two parties, and even if we end up fighting in the future…" Amelia swallowed, feeling a strange sense of sincerity build within her.

"I truly believe we can all live together as long as at least one person from each side is willing to cross the line and be friends! So! With that in mind!" Amelia thrust her hand forward.

"We can be friends!" She flashed her best let's-be-friends grin and said, "Hi! I'm Amelia, do you want to be my friend?" Polina's eyes widened, and her eyes flickered between Amelia's eyes and her hand. H-hurry up! Amelia thought desperately. Or it's going to get awkward!

"... Fine," Polina muttered, slowly reaching out and grasping Amelia's hand.

"Hi Amelia, I'm Polina." She raised her eyes, meeting Amelia's gaze.

"Let's be friends." Polina shook her hand before adding, "This is very awkward, isn't it?"

"Tremendously!" Amelia chirped. This was why she preferred hugs! At least then you don't have to make eye contact in situations like this! Amelia giggled, followed by Polina's soft laugh.

"I was always told you'd return to the Federation," Amelia said.

"But I think a small part of me hoped you would somehow… stay. It seems silly, I know, but I thought that if someone like you, who held such biases against demonkind, could learn to live with them, then it would somehow fix everything."

"A little naive," Polina said.

"No." Amelia shook her head.

"It's not naivety, but idealism! They are similar, but not the same! If we don't have ideals to work towards, we'll never be brave enough to achieve our greatest goals!"

"And…" Polina's eyes narrowed.

"Your great goal is… what? Demons and humans living in peace?"

"Mmm!" Amelia hummed, nodding enthusiastically.

"It seems like a worthy ideal, doesn't it? Even if it never comes to pass in our lifetime, I can at least help inspire more friendships like ours! And if my…" Amelia gave a twirl, using every bit of her dexterity to make it as elegant as possible.

"If my adorable charm and healing isn't enough, then I'll just beat up everyone who refuses! Ha!" Amelia laughed.

"I'm joking, but you get my point!"

"Thank the moons for that," Polina replied.

"I heard they call you the Golden Healer now, but I'm worried that'll become the Golden Terror if you ever get too angry." Polina laughed lightly, putting a hand up to interrupt Amelia's rapidly expanding cheeks.

"No, but seriously. We have a saying in the Federation. I'm not sure what the Imperial translation is, but it's something like: Those that try to hold the sky will find their legs crumble." Polina shrugged.

"The point is, you'll never make everyone think like you, even if you use force. Even so… I hope you find some success… I also don't want any more conflict…"

"I'll do my best!" Amelia happily replied. It was a strange but pleasant feeling to know she and Polina, who had grown up in quite literally different worlds and had differing principles and attitudes, could find some common ground. They talked about light topics for the remainder of the time. Amelia shared her discovery of firemint tea, while Polina told her of the cuisine of the Federation, including a sour-salty soup called solyanka, of which Amelia promised she would find a chef to make it for her.

After nagging her for a full minute, Amelia got Polina to say a few sentences in Pulpian, her native tongue.

"It's a pretty language!" Amelia chirped, complimenting Polina's vocalisation. When speaking Pulpian with her native accent, the two combined to make an almost lyrical quality.

"Strange, I always thought Karli sounded nicer," Polina said.

"Could–" She stopped suddenly, frowning at herself.

"Nevermind, we are friends now, aren't we?"

"Mmm!" Amelia smiled. She was sure Polina was about to ask her to speak in the native language of Karligard, where Amelia claimed to be from. Polina had asked her about her origins in Kenhoro and, if she used her blessing at that time, she would have detected Amelia's lie. Still, Amelia's budding friendship with the Federation spy had overridden her desire to verify it. Progress! They talked for a few more minutes and then a polite knock on the door let Amelia know it was time to wrap things up.

"Thank you for everything, Amelia," Polina said.

"For your forgiveness and your kindness. It's changed me… in ways I don't fully understand, but I don't think I'll come to regret. Although…" Polina glanced at the door.

"I don't know if I'm ready to forgive her … Not yet, anyway."

"It's okay!" Amelia said happily. Even having Polina bring up the subject of forgiveness was a huge step forward.

"There's no rush, and besides, we'll meet again in the future! I'm sure of it!"

"Ha…" Polina shook her head.

"You know, it's weird… I think we will, won't we?" The Federation spy smiled at her.

"I'll keep an eye on the papers, so I'll be reading about it every time you do something ridiculous. If you're ever in the Federation… come say hi." Polina smiled, but quickly waved her hands.

"On official business I mean, like if you're part of a diplomatic mission! Don't just pop up out of nowhere! I'll get in trouble!" Amelia laughed before promising that she would do things properly should she ever visit Polina's homeland. Shame, it would have been fun to surprise her. With a final farewell and feeling satisfied, Amelia bowed to Polina and left the room.

"Could've gone worse," Greatlord Oshiro mumbled.

"I'll take it from here. Lord-Prospect Thornheart, Lady Halen… best of luck." He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Amelia heard the greatlord instruct Polina to follow him through the building, and Amelia listened until their footsteps became faint.

"Let's go," Serena said.

"You handled that well. Not that Miss Volkova was going to try anything. Still, you didn't let anything serious slip. Well done."

"Thanks! Also… what's that?" Amelia asked, nodding towards the papers in Serena's hands.

"Your deed."

"Deed?"

"To your new estate, formerly owned by Lord Kanamori."

"Oh!" That's right! She owned a house now!

"Is it really mine!?" Amelia chirped.

"Yes," Serena said, her mouth curling with a smile.

"Here." She passed the documents and Amelia skimmed through them. She owned a house!

"Can we…" She swallowed.

"Can we check it out?"

"Now?" Serena glanced at the dark sky.

"I guess we can." They left the ceremonial grounds and headed to the address. Amelia's new estate was in a neighbourhood elevated above much of the city. From the neatly maintained buildings, this was clearly one of the more affluent parts of Asamaywa. High-quality aetherlights kept the streets well-lit, and even the paving stones had decorative etchings on them. A tram was moving down the street, following the metal tracks embedded into the stone.

As a steam-powered vehicle passed, Amelia saw it was labelled as private.

"I suppose it's only for residents to use," Serena mused. They walked for a few minutes, passing estate after estate, eventually arriving at a large entrance. It was the gated entrance to Amelia's house, and what a gate it was! Thick red-coloured wood had been used and the beams were embossed with silver and shining brass, forming shapes of ornate flowers. It was as if Lord Kanamori had been trying to communicate his wealth to his visitors and guests from the moment they arrived.

"This is it," Serena said, pushing the gates open and revealing an unlit garden and a silent house. Amelia flared her aether, but could sense no one else on the premises. They passed through a small but immaculately kept garden, the gravel paths winding through arched structures that were adorned with vines and flowers. They passed over a small bridge, where for the first time since coming to this world, Amelia saw brightly coloured fish! Real, swimming fish!

"Fish!" she exclaimed, excitedly pointing.

"It's the first time I've seen them!"" Water fish," Serena corrected.

"Fish fly, but somehow these ones don't have that ability. So we call them waterfish. Can you imagine living your whole life in water?" Serena shook her head.

"I think they look weird… and they feel strange. They're slippery to touch. You said they were common where you came from?"

"Mmm!" Amelia nodded.

"Remember the enormous oceans I told you about?" In Amelia's old world, the rise of the second industrial revolution in the late third millennium had, along with the total melting of the planet's ice, caused a devastating collapse of sealife. However, many centuries later, her planet's ecosystem had recovered and there were all kinds of incredible species swimming in the seas! They'd even managed to resurrect the mighty blue whale a century after the tiger returned!

She'd explained it before to Serena, but her demon girlfriend struggled to imagine an endless stretch of water that was larger and heavier than the floating continent of Cascadia. Although Amelia had fun acting out the motion of waves to try and help explain how the Moon affected the tide. It was another little moment where Amelia realised that things that were normal in her world were abnormal here, and vice versa. Serena nodded, and together they continued towards the house.

Amelia fell in love with it immediately. It had one floor and was constructed in a square shape. The centre contained another small garden and a small structure that served as a teahouse. The main building had empty walls and bare floorboards, making their footsteps and voices echo. It would feel completely abandoned if it weren't for how clean everything was. Serena led Amelia through the rooms. She not only had her own reception room to receive guests but also a bedroom, toilet, and kitchen!

There was a room that would make a good office, and another which, as Amelia envisioned it, would make a good lounge. There were a few more buildings on the grounds. A small bathhouse was attached to the main building, accessible only through her bedroom. There was also a guesthouse, which had its own toilet, reception room, and bedroom. Finally, a small building served as both storage and the servants' quarters.

"I'm going to have to hire people to look after the place while I'm away, right?" Amelia buzzed around, almost not believing that this was all hers! Would she get rewarded like this every time she helped reeducate a corrupt noble? It was good business!

"We'll recommend people," Serena intoned, looking through cabinets and inlaid wardrobes lining the walls of Amelia's new bedroom.

"It's a good house. Not too big, and not too small. We can always send over people from our estate on a temporary contract. Oh–" Serena reached up and pulled out a large futon.

"They left some stuff behind. This is a nice futon! I miss sleeping on these. I'm either in a hammock or a bed these days…" For a moment, Serena stood there, holding the futon and looking at Amelia. And Amelia stood there, looking at Serena. The same thought went through their minds.

"Ahem!" Amelia cleared her throat.

"Well, it is getting late…" She walked up to Serena, placing a hand on her new futon." Lord Halen, you must be awfully tired from looking at a certain individual all day! I couldn't possibly allow a lady such as yourself to walk home on such a dark and dangerous night! I must insist you stay until tomorrow!"

"Oh?" Serena rolled her eyes.

"But there's only one futon, Lord-Prospect Thornheart. What in the Seven Hells are we to do?" Amelia giggled.

"Well, it's the host's duty to make sure her guests have a satisfactory night, isn't it?" She took the futon and laid it down.

"Don't you worry, Lord Halen, this humble host will make sure that- mmph-!" Amelia was cut off as Serena kissed her.

"Mmm…"

"Ah…"

"Mmm…"

"Oh my," Amelia whispered, feeling her face heat up.

"My first-ever guest seems to have some unconventional thoughts regarding tonight."

"Shut up," Serena said, pecking Amelia on the lips again.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Amelia took a step forward, slipping her hands into Serena's sash, snaking her fingers around to hold her lower back.

"And what…" she whispered, "would you like us to do?" She ended her question with a gentle kiss on Serena's neck. Amelia intended for it to be a single seductive kiss, but she couldn't stop herself from going in again, and again. Soon, she was gently sucking Serena's neck, running her tongue over her skin. It didn't take long before Serena's breathing became heavy.

"I need…" Serena mumbled, placing a hand behind Amelia's neck, holding her against her neck. Amelia responded by letting one hand dip down, to wrap around the curve of Serena's buttcheek. Another hand went up, out of the sash and snaking its way through the kimono's folds until it found itself cupping one of Serena's breasts.

"I need to punish you…" Serena sighed with satisfaction as she began to undress Amelia.

"And… massage you…"

"Mmm? A nice punishment followed by a nice massage…" Amelia moved her lips back to Serena's, happy to see her girlfriend's cheeks were crimson. Serena no longer got embarrassed over her cheeks flushing, but that didn't stop them from flushing in the first place. And Amelia loved making Serena blush!

"We won't have much opportunity for this on the ship," Serena mumbled, fumbling with Amelia's clothes.

"With Anathor and all… so I need to make tonight's punishment count."

"Mmm…" Amelia began to undress Serena, alternating between loosening clothing and running her hand over her girlfriend's toned body. How could she smell so good? Did demons release pheromones that made humans react like this?

"Doesn't just have to be tonight, does it?" she whispered.

"We can stop staying over in the Academy till we have to leave, right?"

"But… it'll look suspicious," her girlfriend replied weakly.

"Ren," Amelia intoned sarcastically.

"I think those who can pay attention have started to notice. Didn't you say Oshiro implied he knew?" Amelia finally unravelled Serena's kimono, leaving only her undergarments. Such thin pieces of cloth only served to aid Amelia in her teasing. She placed a hand between Serena's legs, ever so slightly brushing the fabric, letting the smallest amount of sensation reach her girlfriend's most sensitive area.

Amelia knew that with a delicate touch, and Serena's enhanced perception from her aura, she could drive her girlfriend mad with this method. That was, she would have been able to, if Serena didn't pick her up and throw her down on the futon and climb on top of her!

"Hey!" Amelia protested before having her lips stolen.

"Oh no." Serena shook her head, her black hair waving mesmerisingly from the movement.

"You've been extremely annoying recently so you're the one who's going to have to lie there and suffer this time! Do you…" Serena swallowed, looking around.

"Do you have wards up?"

"Already done," Amelia mumbled, feeling her heart race.

"But… it's useless! I'll never break!"

"You just stay there," Serena said with a grin, unravelling Amelia's clothes and ripping her undergarments off.

"You'll have to ask for it," her girlfriend instructed, kissing her on the lips, then the neck, then her chest.

"Until you ask for it, I won't give it to you." Serena adjusted her position, moving her kisses lower and lower… But never reaching where Amelia wanted them. Despite her earlier statements of not breaking… She lasted about ten minutes before shouting out in maddened sexual frustration, "You bloody demon! Okay! I want it! Just move your tongue there and stay there, damn it!"

And when Serena finally relented, and Amelia could relax and enjoy the sudden rampant increasing pleasure, she realised that it wasn't just teasing she was going to have to suffer tonight. Serena seemed determined to make sure Amelia knew exactly how intense an aura-enhanced tongue could be, in both speed and endurance. I'm the… Amelia thought in between moans, luckiest human alive…