A night without dreams.
Allen was no longer dragged into that false starry sea woven by the “Observer.”
It seemed that it had truly left, leaving only the gradually brightening sky outside the window.
Allen suddenly opened his eyes, greeting the new day.
He habitually stretched his still slightly sore body, but sensed something unusual beside him.
He turned his head slightly, his pupils instantly dilating.
Marianne was curled up beside him, resting her head on his pillow, breathing evenly and deeply, sleeping soundly.
She was almost completely wrapped in the quilt, only half her small face exposed.
Her black hair spread over the pillow, and her sleeping expression was as peaceful as an angel’s, completely different from her usual somewhat sickly and obsessive appearance.
A steady and happy aura radiated from her without reservation.
Allen:
He was stunned for a full three seconds.
After the daze, what rose in his heart was not surprise, but…a strange calmness?
As if this scene, though unexpected, felt strangely harmonious and natural.
When did she get in here?
Allen’s mind began racing.
Looking at the black-haired girl’s defenseless sleeping face, he tried to understand the reason behind this huge change.
Although Marianne was officially his sister, this closeness was way too much.
Right!
She started working so young, taking care of her brothers, but rarely received care herself.
She must have seen me as a brother she could rely on!
That’s why she’s so dependent and close!
Is that so?
Marianne was seeking a brother.
So…that’s why I was confused and treated Marianne like a machine!
Allen suddenly realized, a sense of responsibility like that of an elder rose in his heart.
Since Marianne expected familial love, Allen had to play the role of the “brother” well, giving this strong yet fragile girl the care and sense of security she deserved—
“Marianne,” Allen curled his lips into a cold smile, “do you think I’d believe that? You’re pretending to sleep, aren’t you?”
Marianne’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly in her sleep.
“I saw everything.”
“Tsk.”
Marianne really opened her eyes and looked at Allen, her cheeks slightly flushed, shy: “Master…how does it feel to sleep in the same bed as me?”
Allen hurriedly looked down to check his clothes—fortunately, all neat and tidy.
He sighed in relief and pointed at Marianne with a warning: “I’m telling you, don’t try to slander me out of thin air! I didn’t do anything!”
“You… already took away what’s most important to me, yet you deny it?”
Marianne’s eyes were filled with grievance.
“Enough with the dirty jokes so early in the morning!”
Allen irritably threw off the quilt and got out of bed.
“Your most important thing is Livia; I’m not going to take her away from you. Get up, stupid maid!”
He began changing clothes efficiently.
Allen’s lack of romantic sensitivity completely shattered the seductive atmosphere Marianne had deliberately created.
“Master, shouldn’t I be the one to help you dress?”
Marianne was still unwilling to give up.
Helping with dressing, such intimate contact, might just make Master notice her feminine charm again!
However—
“What are you thinking!”
Allen said, fastening buttons as he spoke, “As a villain determined to destroy feudal oppression, do you think I need someone to serve me dressing? How embarrassing!”
Marianne immediately felt a little dejected.
If even the maid’s work was taken away, what else could she do for Master?
Sensing her disappointment, Allen added: “Cheer up! We have important things to do today.”
“Eh!”
Marianne’s eyes lit up instantly, “Could it be a date?”
Allen revealed the villain’s signature sinister smile: “To save humanity, from now on, we will have intense morning training every day! Then, I’ll tutor you in culture lessons!”
“Eh?”
Marianne was a bit surprised.
She understood the morning exercise, but what were culture lessons?
Allen immediately threw out a question: “Who is Saint Elliott? What are his deeds?”
Marianne knew Saint Elliott was a saint, and the Kingdom Church headquarters was in Saint Elliott Cathedral.
But she hadn’t read the Scripture—those convoluted and elegant sentences were beyond her understanding.
She only knew parts of the saints’ stories from when Livia told her stories as a child.
She honestly shook her head: “I don’t know.”
“See!”
Allen spread his hands, “I’m the messenger of God, and you’re my apostle. But you haven’t even properly studied the Scripture. How can this be?”
He had already made plans yesterday; from now on, they had to be strictly followed!
Only protagonists can improvise as they go, but real villains must have long-term, meticulous planning.
The difference in capability isn’t the key; the rest must be made up with wisdom!
“Starting today, I’ll cram culture lessons into you! Religious texts, accounting for bookkeeping…you must learn them well!”
Marianne didn’t understand what accounting meant, but she knew bookkeeping.
What mattered more was: “Eh? Apostle? Me?”
“Of course!” Allen explained, “Since you’re my partner, helping me save humanity, what else could you be if not an apostle? So throw away those irrelevant identity shackles! Maid, sister—forget them. If possible, even transfer your feelings to Livia.”
“No.”
Marianne stared intently at Allen, then smiled, “Am I the first apostle and the last apostle?”
“Impossible!”
Allen was about to say they needed more allies, but when he saw Marianne’s sulky, jealous expression, he frowned, “What’s with that look? If you’re unwilling, then I…”
Before he could finish, Marianne pounced on him, clinging like an octopus.
“I’m willing! Master! Don’t abandon me!”
“Hey! Let go! You scoundrel! Where are your hands?!”
Allen flailed, tearing her away, took a deep breath, and forced a calm expression.
“Marianne,” he looked at her, “Today, we must work harder to save humanity!”
Marianne gazed dreamily at Allen, eyes slightly moist, “Mm, Master! I’ll work hard too, Knight!”
After saying that, she tried to pounce again.
“Knight or not, don’t think you can ride me!”
Allen hurriedly held her back.
Seeing his little maid getting clingier by the minute, her possessiveness overflowing, like a little black cat that bites if not petted, he felt a bit of regret.
How did he end up manipulating a yandere?
This is bad!
If Livia comes back and finds her childhood friend sleeping in her bed…
It’s over!
Even if it’s not his fault, it’s over!
Allen decided to put three locks on his room, weld the doors and windows shut!
Let’s see who can pull off a locked-room murder now!
Morning training took place in the garden.
After intense practical combat training, Allen began teaching Marianne Military Boxing.
Marianne was no longer an assassin of the Order, but a regular maid; this sharp close-combat style suited her current situation well.
During practice, Allen casually asked Marianne about the Fake Crest she had implanted in the past—
“Death Avoidance?”
Allen was slightly surprised.
Memories of her time as a cult member in the Order flashed through his mind.
Death Avoidance was a common Fake Crest ability among cultists.
It sounded powerful but didn’t actually prevent death.
Its real effect was to limit the damage received to a certain threshold; damage exceeding that threshold was converted into continuous damage.
If someone under Death Avoidance was struck with a fatal wound, it would reduce the injury to a non-lethal level, while the excess damage was transferred to other parts of the body.
Of course, if the damage was too great at once, death was unavoidable.
Death Avoidance was a very practical warrior skill; its only downside was that it was cultist-exclusive.
For assassins who relied on one-hit kills, Death Avoidance was quite useless.
Allen curiously asked why Marianne chose to implant this Fake Crest.
Marianne replied calmly: “At that time, I was really afraid you’d beat me to death someday. With Death Avoidance, the pain was much less. But now, I kind of miss your especially creative tortures.”
When she said the last sentence, a sickly blush appeared on Marianne’s delicate face.
“I’m terribly sorry!”
Marianne used Allen’s guilt to successfully get him to agree to go on a “date” with her in the afternoon.
But this so-called “date” was part of Allen’s plan from the start.
He was going out to handle something this afternoon anyway.
At first, he planned to go alone; now he was just taking Marianne along.
A date? What a joke!
Who would have time for shallow romance when the world is on the brink of destruction?
If only Starshine Serenade were a typical world story where young boys and girls fall in love, fight monsters, and save the world!
Allen wished he could pilot a giant robot to wipe out humanity’s enemies, then happily launch the human restoration plan.
Humans all turned into orange juice, indistinguishable, united as one—wouldn’t that be a happy ending?
Even if EVA doesn’t work, at least Getter Robo would!
Of course, if it were a yuri date, Allen could forgive that.
Yuri was humanity’s ultimate salvation!
Lose yuri, lose everything!
Why don’t you people understand the beauty of yuri…ugh—!!
Mmm!!!
Forced gagged by the supreme existence, Allen finally stopped his rant.
However, thinking about the Crest, Allen realized that his body, once hollowed out by alcohol, seemed to have gained some basic strengthening effect from the Crest.
He wondered if his Future Sight was some kind of unmarked Crest?
Could it be that not only was he being watched by the “Observer,” but also by an evil god?
Allen had possessed the full power of the Crest once when he became an Abyss Walker in a certain cycle.
He knew that when the Crest bloodline was strong enough, using the Crest’s power would affect the user’s mind, magnifying certain desires—killing, indulgence, immortality, knowledge, etc.
Once completely consumed by these desires, the Crest bearer would go mad and become as dangerous as a cultist.
The so-called “Abyss Walker” was like a unicyclist on a tightrope called reason; once balance was lost, they would fall into the abyss of madness.
In contrast, Allen’s Future Sight was peaceful, with no dangerous feeling—more like a blessing from a proper Creator.
Perhaps this was the difference between the true god and the evil god.
According to the Scripture, the Creator’s love for humanity is like sunlight shining on the earth; He demands nothing from humanity, nor favors anyone, only those who refuse the light remain in the shadows.
Under this sunlight, some feel that if peasants can receive equal love as nobles, that means peasants can be equal to nobles?
Impossible!
God only truly loves His “chosen.”
Many who desire special treatment from the gods choose to fall into the arms of evil gods.
Unlike the sleeping Creator, evil gods actually respond to the prayers of their “chosen.”
But to receive their love requires paying a heavy price beyond human imagination.
“All gifts of fate have long had their price marked in secret.”
The Crest is the best example of this.
Marianne’s Fake Crest brought physical enhancement, but at the cost of shortening her life by ten years.
Yet compared to other prices, this was almost nothing.
In the original Starshine Serenade, Marianne frequently used her Crest powers, severely consuming her life, eventually parting tragically with Livia.
When talking about losing ten years of her life, Marianne remained calm.
—In the prime of her youth—
“Master, my most optimistic view of life is to live to thirty or forty. You say humans live up to a hundred years, but that’s too far away for me.”
This sentence weighed heavily on Allen’s mind.
To develop human society, raising average lifespan was key.
Even in the bustling King’s Capital, the average lifespan was only about thirty-five.
Moreover, with the threat of the plague, lifespan would only…
Wait?
Plague?
Allen recalled the related storyline in Starshine Serenade, and a chill ran down his spine.
In the original, the King’s Capital plague was not a simple illness but had supernatural elements.
The plot began with a dying plague-infected person suddenly disappearing; Livia was asked by the family to find the missing patient.
After investigation, Livia found the patient, but he looked odd.
Livia was puzzled why someone apparently dead could still move, when suddenly she was attacked by numerous “Plague Zombies.”
These Plague Zombies constantly attacked the healthy, spreading the plague.
As the protagonist, Livia successfully destroyed many Plague Zombies and informed the Church.
The Church immediately locked down the King’s Capital, searching and eradicating undetected Plague Zombies to stop the infection’s spread.
Finally, the Church distributed “Sacred Water” blessed by the gods throughout the capital, completely resolving the plague troubling the citizens.
Allen suspected the Church’s Sacred Water was some mass-produced antibiotic, which made sense scientifically!
But Plague Zombies, these walking dead, seemed unexplainable by science—more like the work of evil gods.
If not for Livia’s protagonist aura, the hundreds of thousands in the capital would have been doomed!
Now knowing the truth of the Crest, Allen could no longer trust Livia’s protagonist aura.
If she truly was a puppet of an evil god, would she still resolve this dreadful medieval biochemical crisis in this cycle?
Allen suddenly thought of that escaped Bloodflesh Priest!
Could his Crest powers be related to the plague?
Looks like he needs to be captured and interrogated!
Allen’s to-do list grew longer.
The King’s Capital plague incident happened in Anno Salutis 1083 (A.S.1082), January, six months from now.
Since he couldn’t rely on the protagonist, Allen would have to solve this crisis ahead of time himself.