Interlude 24.5

"I'm still working on something. I hope it's important." Black Abyss said, setting aside the letters she really should have sent out...

But she wouldn't mention it, as Dont was now in her office out of nowhere. She didn't think there was anything planned, so it was unofficial.

"Ejem... Yes... I-I... Wanted to know if... Umu, you're okay..." The Queen of Titania, Dont-Say-My-Name, muttered awkwardly while clutching her arm and looking down.

Black Abyss looked at her and then sat in her chair.

"It was the greatest and most unbearable pain I've ever felt... But nothing has happened since then. So I guess I'm okay." The Paladin explained in a neutral tone, taking a paper, reading it quickly and superficially, and then signing it, clearly seeking to notably ignore Dont.

"Um... I-I'm glad..." The Demoness responded, insecure and nervous.

Black Abyss remained silent, signing several papers with the Deorum Regnum seal on them, making a slight grimace, as if she didn't really believe what she said.

"... I-I... Ha... Wanted to talk... To you... About... Uh... Well..." Dont couldn't seem to find the words to express herself properly, scratching her neck nervously.

Black Abyss sighed, setting down the paper she was reading to look at Dont.

"If you're worried that I'm still angry, I'm not." She said, almost tired of this nonsense. Dont stayed silent for a moment, trying to understand what the Angel was saying, as she didn't behave as if she wasn't angry or upset... "I'm just deeply disappointed, Dont. If you like them so much, I have no problem with you keeping them, just outside of Titania." The Paladin explained with a fairly intense tone, making sure to be clear, then went back to reading the report that looked important.

"... I... see..." Dont sighed, not at all happy or satisfied. More than anything, embarrassed, ashamed, and... Anxious.

In fact, she had already gotten rid of the duo, at least using them for something useful for Titania... It's not like she had used them before other than having them as 'protection' servants in Titania. Again, she hadn't even started the sexual act with them... Just...

... Now, at least she had them training Rogue units or similar in Deorum Regnum, as one was of Orichalcum level strength, or well, Adamantite thanks to her strength enhancement by changing race, and the other had already been Adamantite from the beginning basically. It's not an incredible level of strength by Titania's standards, as the strongest POP monsters, that is, level 30, were already threats of mithril, orichalcum, and even adamantite level.

She didn't care much really. She had planned to use them as mere toys at the time... But she couldn't even do it... The image of Black Abyss... Stopped her, for some reason... And indeed, the real Black Abyss also stopped her at the moment. But that doubt... Well, it prevented Dont from really doing anything, which was for the better, truth be told... The Demon Queen... Now felt a bit dirty for lowering herself so much as to use mere toys from the New World... Besides, for her first time...

"B-Black Abyss... I-I-" Dont was about to try to say something, although she really didn't know what. However, the Paladin interrupted her to add to her previous words.

"Moreover, I suppose it's normal for a 'Queen' to find a girlfriend, or whatever... Just find something better to rule Titania. That Clementine is... Disgusting... I don't even know who the other one was." Black Abyss said as if resigned and disgusted...

And Dont frowned, stomping the ground with her heel in frustration, finally having enough.

"Enough, Black Abyss! I know... I was wrong! Okay? I know I disappointed you for... That... Even if I didn't actually do it... And I've already apologized... But... I don't like this... I don't want us to... Be like this..." She lost strength throughout her speech, realizing that, as much as she was already getting frustrated, desperate, she wasn't in a position to demand anything. She was at fault.

Black Abyss set down the paper and sighed, rubbing her temples, before looking directly at the Shooter.

"You already did, Dont." She pointed at her with a finger, accusatory while squinting. "Or at least you were about to according to you, but that's enough, you tried. You've made wrong again and again thinking Titania is yours to do as you please. Your arrogance is what's making you act like this. You're blinded by your ego. You talk a lot about the nobles of Re-Estize, but you're not doing much better. And if you don't resolve it, I'll resolve that problem for you someday. Even if it's the hard way." She said without much emotion, but with serious accusation.

The Paladin took a deep breath for a moment, leaning back in her chair, then looked at Dont while sitting up, a little more... Aggressive. 

"You've only been thinking about yourself, without considering what others think. A selfish... You don't even seem to care what I think! That's why we got to this point." She relaxed, frustrated and tired of this discussion, simply wanting the cause of this whole problem to leave again. As much as, honestly, she didn't like the idea of Dont just leaving.

"Stop saying that! I do consider you!" She shouted, with a bit of tears welling up at the corners of her eyes from the... Pain she felt... "I take you in consideration all the time! Don't think it simply doesn't cross my mind the 'What would Black Abyss say'! I'm being as humanitarian as possible in all my operations and things just because I know you'd like it that way... I-I... You mean a lot to me, Black Abyss... You're my friend... My girl mate now..." The normally proud and always tentative look between sadistic joy and Dont's amusement was now pitiful, pleading, losing its color and tone for a more muted one.

It was almost like that time when they fought because Dont was hiding things from the Paladin. Almost. Only because this was worse... They were worse...

And the Demon Queen within Dont could only raise an eyebrow at such a display of weakness. But considering what this could lead to, what could be caused by intervening and turning Dont back into a cold, emotionless statue and making her retreat, she let it go silently. Deciding just to watch.

Black Abyss stared at the Demoness intently. Her gaze wandered and returned to the report she was reading before.

The Paladin took a deep breath, calming down a bit, and read the report in silence, leaving Dont there, waiting for an answer.

The pair of women stayed still in their places, with only their gazes moving.

The Angel, finishing reading the little that was left, signed the last sheet and looked back at Dont, using nothing but a neutral expression while doing so.

"You disappointed me a lot. Really..." The Paladin remained silent for a moment, like... Thinking...

She really... Didn't feel well... She didn't like at all being... Angry with Dont... Or well, not angry... Disappointed... Well, both really. She hated it. She really wanted to believe her. That she said she hadn't done anything by the time she interrupted them... A big part of her wanted to... To have faith in her... She needed faith... One of her sources of faith was Dont herself, her friend... And she felt very uncomfortable losing her faith in anything... Especially... From Dont...

She grimaced.

"... I... Ha... I don't enjoy seeing you like this, Dont... I really... Care about you..." She admitted, looking to the side, doubting, but at the same time, almost sure of what she was about to say. "And I suppose... Everyone deserves a second chance." She sighed, taking her face in her hands, as if regretting being so good sometimes... But she couldn't help it... After all, Dont was... She was her... "Friend..." She whispered to herself, while her heart seemed to beat with pure joy and relief for it...

She almost felt like a blind fool for starting to trust and have complete faith in the Demon Queen again... Suddenly... But she couldn't help it... Ugh... These 'Angel' things were really annoying... Black Abyss and she were already one entirely... But maybe Black Abyss was too good... And such a thing hurt...

She was... Literally an Angel... Too much for her own good... But still, she was.

Unfortunately for Black Abyss, Dont's senses allowed her to hear a pin drop even in the middle of a modern battlefield, making the Demoness tremble a bit more from guilt.

"... Th-Thank you... I..." Dont was at a loss for words for a long moment, simply not knowing what to say, feeling a mix of pure joy and relief, with intense guilt and remorse. "I-I'll ask you about everything from now on then... I don't want this to happen again... I don't want you to be mad... I-... I don't want you to hate me..." She murmured, looking off to the side. "Again..."

Black Abyss felt her own heart tremble as she watched the... as she watched the source of her faith look so... Broken.

She sighed and stood up, circling her desk and walking in front of Dont. The latter looked at her with trembling, half-teary eyes, afraid to do anything.

"It's alright... I don't think I could hate you anyway..." She sighed, raising her hand to pat Dont's dark hair, giving her a slight smile. "You don't need to consult me about everything... Just don't make the same mistakes... I... Trust you... Dont. I care about you~" Her smile grew brighter.

"W-Wuh..." Dont sobbed as she rested her face on the Paladin's shoulder.

Black Abyss stifled a light laugh mixed with a sigh, but she just let her be... She was tired of these kinds of problems that Dont caused... She was tired of getting upset with her...

Even... Ugh... Even her angelic side was willing to unconditionally forgive any mistake Dont made... Was this that 'always forgive your neighbor' nonsense...?

If it was, just forgiving wouldn't be enough... She would have to guide... Truly be an Angel...

She couldn't imagine the number of things she would have done if she weren't here in this world in the first place... She supposed it was for the greater good that she stayed this way... That she stayed with Dont... After all, she was the only thing that could stop her friend's whims, who was now literally a Demon... And even she, though internally willing to forgive her friend countless times... Didn't like injustice, excesses... Especially sins. It wasn't like she was religiously Catholic, but she seemed more... Oriented to an inner faith. To her faith... Well, that was what being a Paladin was about... And an Angel was faithful to their faith equally... How ironic...

Though now that she thought about it... "Wah... I had forgotten I was a man before..." She murmured, thinking out loud, with a certain grace in her voice.

"H-Huh?" Dont blinked and looked into Black Abyss' eyes with a frown. "... Umu... Right..." Now she seemed a bit uncomfortable for another reason, but she also didn't seem to want to move away.

"I'm just saying... I had completely forgotten. I've even been referring to myself in the feminine... Even in my thoughts..." Black Abyss explained, somewhat doubtful but amused. "I mean, I just thought of Black Abyss and myself as separate people, but... In reality, we are already one completely~" She said with a quite relieved smile.

Dont coughed into her hand and wiped her eyes for any possible tears that might have escaped and fixed her hair, just in case.

"Ejem... Well... I suppose it's inevitable... There's no real way to... Uh... Change gender unless it's through a World Item, or [Wish Upon a Shooting Star] or high-rare objects that we don't have... Outside of temporary changes or illusions that are possible... Hypothetically..." She murmured, delving into her thoughts as she usually did.

"Well, I don't know if I want that." She said, letting go of Dont with a somewhat nervous smile, moving away from her and returning to her chair, though with some reluctance to really be away from her friend. "I've already gotten used to this body and to being 'female', so to speak. I've gotten used to not having my buddy, and instead having my... Er... Little buddy, I suppose." She laughed a bit embarrassed by what she was saying. "And since I don't have a period or anything like that, it's not that difficult or annoying, and... As I said, a moment ago I didn't remember I was a man until you called me a friend and then a girl friend." She explained somewhat amused while she went back to reading some papers.

Being an Angel made her really diligent for her own good. And well, she supposed Paladins were too...

"Umu... Sure... I'll keep that in mind so as not to... Uh... Make you think about that, I suppose..." Dont scratched her cheek while looking to the side.

"Call me whatever you want. I don't mind if it's masculine or feminine~ It was just something curious." The Paladin indicated, signing another paper while finding it somewhat amusing how Dont was now somewhat shy.

"Umu... Oh!" Dont seemed to remember something. "I-I wanted to give you this... A-As a... Umu... Gift... To continue... Compensating, you know..." The Demon Queen blushed slightly, while she put her hand into her inventory.

Black Abyss raised an eyebrow, looking at her to see what she was taking out, doubtful of Dont's reaction to it...

She blinked as she saw Dont place a beautiful rose with red petals and a white stem with black thorns in front of her.

"I-I know it's not much... B-But... Y-You know. T-They're from my private section of the Garden... I-I liked the extra gardening mechanic of Yggdrasil... And I took care of them... It's hard to take care of plants without the unlimited resource source of Yggdrasil itself, and Wanda along with Bachelory and others are looking for replacements for the fertilizer that Yggdrasil had to grow the special plants here... E-Ejem. Y-You can use it to regenerate two daily uses of any level 8 or lower ability at any time... So... W-Well, that..." The Queen of Titania stammered while looking somewhat embarrassed and shy to another side...

Black Abyss took the rose and looked at it for a moment. Her spear appeared, and she leaned it against the wall, hanging the rose on its hook, making it look beautiful.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it, Dont~" Black Abyss said, and after almost a day of this... Dont finally saw a wide and happy smile on the Paladin's face.

And the Demon Queen couldn't help but smile equally.

She really wondered if... This happiness was really something she should feel towards a 'friend'... If Black Abyss was really a 'friend'...

Not because she distrusted her. Completely the opposite, she... Felt that all her humor and happiness revolved around the Angel...

Since when... Since when did she start feeling this way...?

Doubts swirled in her heart, under the inquisitive gaze of the Demon Queen within Dont.

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Name: Black Abyss and Dont's Relationship