Point-of-View: Belia Lasmodeus

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  Oh, it's almost time to go……guess I should drop by the throne room and pick Cusana up now. There's only one problem……I happen to be in a really comfortable position in my bed right now, and I really don't want to ruin it.

  My head was sunk into the pillow, my body curled up under the covers with the blanket pulled up over my shoulder, while I had my arms and legs wrapped around a body pillow. Not long ago, I didn't even know that body pillows exist, and now, I can't fall asleep without one.

  Well, not that I actually need sleep. My body might have changed, but that's still the same as ever. And in the past, I rarely ever slept at all……but now, I've kinda gotten addicted to it.

  Mm, this is really nice……but I should get going now, otherwise I'm gonna be late. Ohh, but I want to savor this for as long as possible. Why is it that beds are at their most comfortable at times when you've got shit to do? And when I actually have free time and try to sleep, I end up tossing and turning for ages, just to try and find a comfortable position to be in.

  "Okay, time to get up……," I grunted as I reluctantly pushed the covers off and got up.

  I then let out a sigh as I opened a portal to the throne room and walked in, where Cusana was waiting for me.

  "Oh, you're actually here at the time that you said you would be. Usually, you always arrive late," She remarked in surprise.

  "Hey, that's not very nice," I protested with a pout, before opening another portal, "Come on, let's go."

  "Yes, very well," She responded, standing up and walking over.

  "See you soon, good luck!" Called out Agatha.

  The king simply muttered something under his breath, looking irritated.

  "By the way, you sure you wanna trust me with this? I mean, I could easily drop you into a volcano or in the middle of the ocean or something," I pointed out with a smirk.

  Truth is, I'm still kinda salty over having to give up on such a comfy sleeping position back there, this sucks……

  "Oh, I do not trust you……but I do trust that you do not want to be killed by this Samsara character, and for the sake of avoiding that, I believe that, for once, you will not do anything too foolish," Came the reply.

  Huh……I'm not sure if I should be offended or impressed. Well, whatever, it doesn't really matter, I suppose.

  "Alrighty, then, let's go!" I declared, walking through the portal as she followed in after me.

  As we emerged from the portal, near the area that used to be Silvland, I spotted Kuro and the Wind Sage speaking, with a few other familiar faces around as well.

  "Aw, are we the last to arrive?" I inquired, as I looked around with a smirk.

  "Tch, you again," Growled the Lightning Sage, glaring at me.

  Huh, did I do something to her? Can't think of anything off the top of my head……

  "Oh, hey, Draco! Long time, no see," I greeted the Dragon King with a grin, as I spotted him.

  "Er, yes, indeed," He responded, a bit awkwardly.

  "Let's not waste any time," Remarked Kuro, getting straight to the point as he formed several seats and a round table using Earth Magic, "Let's get right to the matter at hand, shall we?"

  "Sure, that's fine by me," Responded Sylvar, taking a seat as Bell followed suit.

  Azyl and Draco also sat down, before I did the same as Cusana took the spot next to me.

  "As Belia has informed you, the Rustlands' seeks an alliance, at least a temporary one until Samsara is dealt with, and ideally, a permanent one that entails non-aggression," Stated Cusana bluntly.

  "Not gonna happen. Not the permanent one anyway, at least not without conditions. Conditions that I'm quite sure you won't accept," Replied Kuro firmly.

  "Yes, I thought as much……to focus on the more immediate concern, I shall shelve the suggestion of a permanent alliance for now, and instead discuss the establishment of a temporary one. Do you protest?" She responded with an inquiring look.

  "No, I don't……but I haven't accepted it either, so convince me. After all, we're up against an opponent who won't be phased by ordinary soldiers and Adventurers, and the Rustlands hardly has anyone that's strong enough," He pointed out.

  "On the contrary……we have Belia, I believe that her Weathering Magic will be quite crucial in order to wear down Samsara's Divine Magic reserves. You will need an opening in order to get the chance to use your fangs or claws on him, yes?"

  "Hm, fair enough, but I've got a technique that lets me severely disrupt the target's Mana flow, and with beings like this, that technique is especially effective," He countered.

  "Ah, yes, I believe that you are referring to the technique you used against Laus when he attacked the Rustlands and you intervened at the very end……there is no guarantee that it will work against Samsara, and even assuming that it does, how do you know that he has not taken any measures against it?" She argued in response.

  Huh……okay, so, uh, this has turned into a back and forth between these two, while everyone else, me included, aren't even getting the chance to chime in.

  "Alright, fine, I can't deny that you've made a good point……but if Belia's the only one that can contribute something-," Began Kuro with a frown.

  "But she is not the only one. There is Shin Tanaka, he is quite skilled and powerful, as well. And not to mention Shiro Blanc, who possesses many of the abilities that you do, most crucially, the ability to drain one's life force using his fangs and claws. It would be foolish to forego such potential assets in what could be the largest scale battle ever seen, in terms of sheer levels of power," She pointed out objectively.

  Wow, she's pretty persuasive, huh? Well, she did used to be a queen, and effectively still is……she's definitely playing a much more significant role in running the Rustlands than that incompetent king is, no doubt about that. Officially, he outranks her, of course, but at this point, very few people treat him like so.

  "Gotta admit, when you make such logical arguments like that, it's hard to stick to my grudges and let them influence my decision. Alright, fine, Abyss is open to the idea of a temporary alliance with the Rustlands……but once Samsara is dealt with, the alliance will be voided. Alright, then, you guys are the deciding vote……oh, by the way, did you come up with a name for this place? It's kind of a mouthful to keep referring to it as 'the area that used to be Silvland'," Remarked Kuro, as he shifted his attention to the two Elemental Sages.

  "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot……we're calling it Liberty. And sure, we agree to a temporary alliance too……might as well do all we can to prepare, there'll be no point regretting it after it's too late," Shrugged Sylvar in response.

  "I have no objections either," Nodded Bell, though she was kinda giving me the stink eye……seriously, did I do something to her?

  "Cool, then it's settled. Unless someone wants to bring up something else, we're done here. We still have time, we can discuss tactics and strategy another time," Stated Kuro, standing up with a sigh.

  "Yes, I concur, the primary matter is settled, so we need not waste any more time," Agreed Cusana, as she stood up too.

  "Huh, just like that? Thought this would take longer," Remarked Sylvar in surprise.

  "Yeah, me too……actually, why am I even here?" Azyl asked Kuro with a frown.

  "My presence also seems a bit pointless now," Added Draco with a wry look on his face.

  "Oh, uh……moral support?" Responded Kuro sheepishly, before adding, "In my defense, I didn't think that this would go so smoothly, so yeah."

  "Fine, whatever, can we go back now?" Sighed Azyl with a shake of his head.

  "Yeah, okay. Alright, then, we're leaving. See ya, Sylvar," Remarked Kuro, summoning a Unicorn, before he and the other two disappeared as they placed their hands onto it.

  "Let us take our leave as well, Belia. We are done here," Decided Cusana, gesturing to me to open a portal.

  "Okay, sure," I replied, opening a portal.

  "Wait a moment," Suddenly spoke up Bell, looking at me.

  "Hm? Need something?" I inquired in response.

  Hope she doesn't want to fight me or something, as a rematch to back when I kicked her ass……ohh, that's why she's been glaring at me this whole time, she must be salty over losing to me so emphatically!

  But, uh, if she does fight me again, things won't go as smoothly for me as they did before……because she has the advantage now, even though I can say with reasonable confidence that I can still probably defeat her thanks to my experience, it'll just be a lot harder. Well, anyway, let's see what she wants……

  "What is your true objective? Your actions make no sense, with each decision you make, I am only more and more baffled. Ordinarily, one's actions make it obvious what their objectives are……but it is different with you."

  "Huh? Wait, that's all you want to know? I mean, isn't it obvious? All that I want……is to bring about chaos. That's how it's always been and how it always will be, it's not like I've got some grand objective beyond that or something, if that's what you're thinking," I responded with a shruf, before walking through my portal with a slight wave, "The battle against Samsara is likely to be quite chaotic, so, yeah……I look forward to it……"

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