"Are you sure about this? You're still very young. Don't you think it's a little too impulsive to decide to devote your entire life to someone?"
Alpha didn't hesitate. Her reply came with a smile, firm and full of confidence.
"No, I won't regret it. I've already seen the most brilliant sun. My eyes can no longer be swayed by mere fireflies."
She had made her choice. No one else could ever replace him.
Because the best of all men was already by her side—Alhaitham.
To her, even if the rest of the men in the world stood together, they wouldn't shine half as bright as he did.
"Really?" C.C. sighed. "But be careful. The sun might be dazzling… but it can also burn your eyes."
"It doesn't matter," Alpha said calmly, "even if I'm blinded by its brilliance, I chose this path willingly."
"…Good grief, I've truly lost my mind," C.C. muttered, rubbing her temple. "There really is no more dangerous emotion than love. Even the smartest person turns into a fool the moment they fall into it. I've already given my warning—do with it what you will."
She looked at Alpha with a helpless expression. Seeing the elf girl's bright smile, full of eagerness and determination to devote herself to Alhaitham, only made C.C. feel more irritated.
She didn't want to keep talking.
Scooping up the remaining slice of pizza, the witch stood up.
"Time to go find a quiet place to fish," she muttered.
But then, Alpha spoke again—words that made C.C. freeze in place.
"Thank you for the advice. But I'll definitely become his strength. I'll help him fulfill his ideals—and I'll destroy the Diavolos Order."
"…What?"
Alpha tilted her head. "What's wrong? I said I'd fulfill his ideals and destroy the Diavolos Order…"
C.C., halfway out the door, turned back slowly.
She blinked her golden eyes at Alpha, then burst out laughing.
"Heh… oh, so that's how it is. You really don't know, huh? And here I was worrying for nothing."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"It's nothing," C.C. said with a shrug as she returned to her seat. "I was just overthinking it. After all, you don't even know his real ideals. There's no point saying anything more."
Alpha frowned, her unease growing. For the first time, she felt something was very wrong.
"Alhaitham's true ideals…? What do you mean by that? Please, tell me!"
C.C. folded her arms and smirked. "You think his goal is to destroy some lousy cult?"
"Isn't it?"
"I've known Alhaitham for years. Sure, he says he wants to be a king, but that's just the starting point. His actual ideal is something else entirely—and completely unattainable."
There was both sadness and admiration in C.C.'s voice.
The truth was simple, yet absurd: Alhaitham wanted to change the world itself.
He wanted to reshape it—into something more beautiful, more peaceful, more perfect than even the most whimsical fairy tale.
A world without sadness.
Without pain.
A world sweet as honey, gentle as a dream.
It was laughable, really. The kind of dream a child would have.
But Alhaitham, despite being far from naïve, still pursued that dream.
C.C., who had lived for centuries and witnessed countless tragedies, had long since accepted the world's cruelty as truth. From her experience, the world was a place of endless suffering.
Trying to change it was simply impossible.
"You should ask Alhaitham yourself for the details," she added.
"Wait, C.C.," Alpha said softly. "You're saying… destroying the Diavolos Order wasn't his goal?"
"Of course not. Why would it be? He has no personal grudge against them, after all."
Alpha stood there in stunned silence.
Indeed… the Diavolos Order had wronged them—the [Demon Possessed]. Not Alhaitham.
They had simply assumed he shared the same hatred.
She had assumed it.
But now she realized just how foolish that assumption had been.
The man she had pledged herself to—he couldn't possibly have such a narrow goal.
Her face flushed with shame. She felt utterly embarrassed.
How could she have gotten something so important so terribly wrong?
—
"I see now. I never really asked you, Alhaitham…"
"Hmm. Well, misunderstandings like this happen. It's not your fault," he said, ruffling her hair gently.
He had no reason to care about the Diavolos Order.
And yet, he had chosen to oppose them.
Not for vengeance.
Not for personal gain.
But because the Order didn't belong in the world he envisioned.
That alone was reason enough for him to destroy them.
It was that simple.
"Alhaitham… I want to know more about you."
"Good," he said, amused. "I allow it."
"I want to know your ideals. Your real ones."
"Then listen carefully," he said, eyes glowing with passion. "My true, complete ideal… is to create a flawless world. A world under my rule, built exactly to my preferences."
Alpha was taken aback by his conviction.
"I want to create a paradise," he continued. "A dream world immersed in sweetness, where pain and suffering don't exist. Where there's no crime, no inequality, no darkness. Where tragedies like what happened to the Demon Possessed never happen again."
He paused, and his eyes lit up—fiery, determined.
"It'll be a world of peace and prosperity."
C.C. had been right. His dream was so beautiful it almost sounded foolish.
And yet, he dared to dream it.
Reborn into this world, how could he possibly live an ordinary life?
He wouldn't settle for anything less than something dazzling—something that shook the heavens.
"I will make this dream a reality," Alhaitham declared, spreading his arms as though to embrace the sky. "I'll become the Carmel of a new world—no, the king!"
Alpha felt her heart pound in her chest.
She couldn't look away from him.
She couldn't think.
All she felt was a burning passion rising in her blood.
Without realizing it, she dropped to one knee, placed a hand over her heart, and bowed her head.
"Dark Night—no… my king! Please allow me, someone so insignificant, to become your strength! I will offer everything I have—my body, my soul—for your ideals!"
Alhaitham nodded with a calm smile.
"Good. I allow it."
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