The Pirate Princess Lewdly Smiles

(Huff, huff) ...

...Haha. You were quite good.

No other man I've called up here has satisfied me like you have. They either tired out far too quickly, or completely lacked technique.

R-really? I-I'm honored...

(Yes! Since I was able to satisfy her, I don't have to worry about them killing me!)

(When I first got dragged down here, I didn't know how I was going to survive.)

(Who'd have thought all my philandering on the surface would pay off here? What luck! Just you wait! I'm going to claw my way up to the top.)

(First, I'll use this woman to stay alive, then I'll)

You've treated me to such wonderful sights this evening. Your lovely face as you latched on to my breasts like a baby.

Your lovely face as you closed your eyes and desperately pleaded for your own sweet release...

Your handsome face as you barely kept from screaming in pain...

Thank you. I had a wonderful time. This will be a lovely memory.

N-not at all. I'm the one who should be thanking you. Please feel free to call on me again whenever

There's just one last thing I'd like to see from you before we call it a night.

Do you know what that is?

The look of despair on your face as, even after all I've just told you, I end your life.

...Huh?

A-aaahhh!

Ahh... What a lovely face that last one was. Oooh, it's getting me excited all over again.

Do you know what my only two teachings are?

Take whatever you want, whenever you want it...and do not want what you have taken.

Now that I own your body and your last, wonderful expression, I no longer need them.

...Ahh.

I love how easy it is to dispose of things here in this city. All you have to do is consign whatever you no longer need to the waves.

Now then...I wonder what sort of man I'll take to bed next.

There's no shortage of possibilities or replacements. I'll always get to try someone new.

After all, you can't take what you already own.

So I'll keep on taking everything I don't have. Everything I desire.

And when I'm done, I'll throw it all away. What a wonderful way to live...

Hehehe...

Well, so far so good on making it inside.

？！

Indeed. It rather reminds me of Venice, what with all these canals.

Of course, compared to that charming city on the water

Yes. There's nothing charming about this place at all.

All I hear is angry shouts, tortured screams, and the din of gambling. The only smells are cheap liquor and blood. Andwere those gunshots just now?

？！

Indeed, there are many things that have been carelessly cast aside. Pulleys, swords, belts, blankets, wine bottles...

I can't even tell if they've been thrown out or not. Many of them seem as though they could still be used.

It seems as if they were thrown out after only being used once, not because they were no longer functional.

(I haven't seen such wasteful indulgence since my days spent among French nobility. I may have been accustomed to it then, but now...)

Sure feels like a place a buncha nasty, brutish pirates'd live! We'll be in for it if we get caught!

So, how do we get to this ruler lady anyway?

Taking the canals would seem to be the fastest way. Shall we steal a gondola? I think I can steer one.

No, that would draw too much attention. Let's save that for a last resort and start by trying to make our way in as far as we can go on foot.

Fou, fou.

Yeah, cute creatures like him do tend to draw the eye. Even more when they're hangin' around cute people! Not naming names, though!

？！

Moving inconspicuously and finding places to keep a low profile...

These are both key skills for any good spy. I think I had best lead the way for the moment.

Keep your wits sharp, and step lightly. Remember, we are right in the middle of enemy territory.

Got it!

Good to know, as I was chiefly speaking to you...

Since this is a covert operation, we'll refrain from any unnecessary transmissions on our end too. Please be careful, everyone.

Hold it. Is this...a tavern? There are many people inside. We need to make our way behind it, but...

Yeah, the windows and the entrance are totally open. If anyone comes out from here, they might see us.

Unfortunately, it looks like there is no other path forward. We'll have to wait for an opening and move quickly. Let's see what things are like inside.

All right, last throw.

Miss! Miss! Miss!

Take aim, and...yah!

A-AAAHHH!

Yes! Right in the eye! I win!

Okay then, like the boss always says, I'm gonna take what I desire for myself. Hand over your favorite redhead, like you promised.

I already had my fun with him anyway. Besides, we're not supposed to want what we've taken.

I still hate losing, though... ...Hey, you! Get me a drink! And step on it!

Y-yes, ma'am... Ah!

What do you think you're doing, you idiot!? Now my boots are all wet!

Aww, what a waste. I was gonna bring him home 'cause he was a bit of a looker, but you just had to go and knock one of his teeth out.

You know how you're s'posed to apologize, right? ...Lick it up.

Y-yes, ma'am...

Come on, put your back into it. ...That's it! Looks like you were thirsty!

Hahahahaha!

...

(Why would they do things like that? If they just wanted to vent, they would have only slapped him once. Or is the humiliation the whole point?)

(...I don't understand. How could anyone enjoy things like that? There must be more entertaining things those pirates could be doing.)

Th-this is horrible!

Yes...but it's also our chance. Now that everyone is focused on that terrible spectacle, we can sneak in behind them.

This may be the best opportunity we get to move in without being spotted. However...

？！

Master...

You're saying that even knowing full well what our situation is, aren't you?

？！

...Very well then. I will follow your orders, whatever they may be.

Are you okay with that, Rider?

Heh... If you insist, I guess I've got no choice. It's a question of morals, after all.

It may be risky, but we should be all right as long as we take care of them quickly.

Hehe. I'm glad you're my Master, Master. You're kind of a dummy, only not, y'know?

There's no reason you can't be both a fool and a hero. Many of the greatest Celtic heroes have also been great fools.

It's much worse to be a coward.

...To be honest, I find the way these women live appalling. I almost pity them.

But I also can't turn my back on the men they're abusing like this. I may not understand why they do it, but I can still fight against it.

Then it's decided. Come! We shall finish this quickly!

Well done. We beat them before they could call for help, and luckily it seems no one noticed the scuffle.

Hehe, all thanks to our skill and good habits♪

Whew... Sounds like there was a hell of a party in here while I was taking a leak. What're you all

...

What the...!? Who the hell are you guys!? Hey! We're under attack!

Dammit... Shut your mouth!

The other pirates must have heard that! The whole town sounds like it's in an uproar now!

Ugh, just our luck that there'd be a pirate in the bathroom when this went down!

Maybe next time our habits should include clearing every room?

You can argue about that later. Right now we need to find a place to hide, or we're done for!

Fo...fo...fou... (Pant, pant)

(Huff) ...Okay, we should be able to lay low here for a while.

Man, it seems like the whole town's looking for us right now. It'd be nice if things died down soon...

Do you really think they will? After we snuck into their base and took out some of their allies?

Naaah♪

...So you DO understand the mess we're in. Good. Now, the question is: What's our next move?

We could make a tactical retreat and try again later, but even that won't be easy now.

Indeed. What's more, we are not far from the largest mansion in the city, where I presume we will find the pirates' leader.

That said, I don't see how we can reach the mansion given the current circumstan

Who goes there!?

...Hi there, mister. You guys wanna go to that mansion? I can show you the way if you want.

A child...?

Huh. Well, I guess we shouldn't be too surprised that these pirates might have a kid, especially given how...randy they seem.

Yes. This is the first proper girl I've seen in this entire city.

Miss, I appreciate your offer, but we can't afford to stand out too much.

You mean you wanna play hide and seek on the way? Hehe, you're funny!

But that's okay. I know a secret path that goes right to the mansion from here!

...!

Hm? Heehaha, that tickles. But thanks! I like head pats!

Is that for me? Thanks!

Heehehe, yummy!

？！

Master, you mustn't be so trusting! You need to be more wary around

I'd rather have a Master that was too trusting than one who'd haul off and punch a little kid like this because he was wary of her.

I agree. The pirates may be our enemy, but kids are still just kids. They should be cherished as the treasures they are.

I know why you'd be wary, d'Eon, but my super keen senses tell me this isn't a trap!

She's just a kid, and I don't sense any hostility from her at all...

I agree. This girl doesn't have any weapons. In fact, um...she doesn't seem to have much of anything at all.

She seems rather destitute, despite having access to all these things that have been thrown away.

???

N-never mind. I shouldn't pity her when I don't know her full situation.

Anyway, we can't stay here forever. In fact, it looks like we should get moving very soon.

Why's thatGreat, I should've guessed!

There they are! This way!

Stay out of sight, young lady! You can show us the way once we've taken care of this.

Besides, even if she does have an ulterior motive, she can't make things any worse for us!

？！

Oh, yeah, good point. What with the kid watching and all.

Heh, that's going to be a hassle all right... But okay. After all, if you're going to go after something, you've got to have convictions!

Come on, this way! First you turn here, then you go through this hole...

Ow! Blast, my beard got caught.

Rrrgh, I can't quite get my butt through... Hnnngh...

Phew, made it.

Glad I didn't have to take off my waist armor and skirt.

...

What's up? Are you wishing you'd gone last so that you could've had a good excuse to push my butt...?

N-no! Not in the slightest!

There doesn't seem to be anyone else around. It appears that really was a secret shortcut.

By the way, I suppose I should ask: Was your family among the pirates we were figher, playing with?

No, they weren't. It sure looked like fun, though! You were playing pro wrestling, right?

Uh...that's right, we were playing pro wrestling. It was a lot of fun, and good training, too.

Aw man, you're just letting all kinds of stuff go by that the grown-up you never would, Fergus.

Y'know, for some reason, I kinda wish you would...

I see... Now I'm even more interested in my grown-up self. In the meantime, I apologize...

Don't. You've done nothing wrong. Astolfo should know better than to expect you to say something like "bedtime wrestling."

Hey, I never gave any specifics. See d'Eon, you thought the same thing I did. Heehee.

Grr...

...We've come a fair distance now. How much longer until we get there?

Not much more! All you have to do now is go through the hole in the wall there!

？！

I'll go first. The rest of you, be ready to move once I give the word.

Looks like we're in the clear. Okay, I'll go next...

...Good, you're all here.

This must be the mansion's rear garden... I'm surprised we actually made it here without anyone seeing us.

Thanks, kid. We couldn't have done this without yourHuh? Where'd she go?

That's strange. She isn't anywhere to be seen on either side of the hole.

Perhaps she simply left once she'd finished showing us the way? ...She certainly was a smart girl.

...I don't like this. It could be some sort of trap after all.

Agreed. I know we said we shouldn't be surprised at these pirates having children...but that doesn't mean it's not still strange.

Case in point, we've not seen a single other child like her anywhere else since arriving.

Seems a bit much to be just a coincidence.

But if this was all a trap, wouldn't it have sprung by now? I mean, we're already at our destination, right?

That's true. Now that we've come this far, I think our only real option may be to head farther inside.

Of course, this is the heart of a city where its populace constantly steals from one another...

...then discard their possessions as soon as they've grown tired of them. There's no telling what might be lying in wait for us in here.

？！

...I see. That does raise some questions about that girl.

But right now, we should focus on dealing with the ruler of Ys. I can definitely sense a different signal from the others there in that mansion with you.

Please proceed with caution.

My my... So you must be why my town is in such an uproar.

That voice!?

D-D

Drake!?

Huh? Don't tell me you know each other?

...Drake is one of the Servants that disappeared from Chaldea, so I had considered the possibility that she could be here.

But...while this Servant may sound like her, her dress and manner of speech are very different.

Mash, Fujimaru, I've finished analyzing her Spirit Origin pattern.

It matches Chaldea's records. She is, without a doubt, Francis Drake.

I'm afraid you're mistaken. My name is Dahut. I am known both as the Pirate Princess and the Rider of Ys.

Dahut!?

I suppose that makes sense given the name "Ys"... What in the world is going on here?

？！

...Yes. The tale of Ys comes from France, you see.

Perhaps you've heard it yourself, Master. It's an old legend from the Brittany region.

In brief, Ys was once the name of a city built on the coast.

It flourished as a haven of vice and immorality, but one day, either by an act of God or the Devil, the entire city was swallowed up by the sea.

Yet even now, it remains a hotbed of sin and malice untouched since the day of its submersion... So the legend says, at least.

It also says that the daughter of the ruler of Ys...was a woman by the name of Dahut.

As its princess, she set an example for her wicked citizens by stealing all sorts of things herself. It was her plundering that formed Ys's immoral backbone!

？！

Right. There is no record of Ys or Dahut ever having truly existed. They can't actually be real...

Why, what an odd thing to say. I'm right here, and so is Ys.

So, welcome. Welcome to my city of freedom and decadence, where everything and anything is permitted.

I trust you're enjoying your stay?

I saw plenty of your pirates cruelly abusing their "pets," and I can't say I found it all that enjoyable.

Teehee. But now that you've seen it, surely you understand?

Love. Pleasure. Violence. Inebriation. Hedonism. Gold. Silver. Beautiful fabrics. Delightful creatures. Adorable creatures. Their very lives!

Here, nobody stops taking whatever it is they most desire.

Surely you too must have thought that this is the happiest city in the world?

Happy? This city is OVERFLOWING with trash! Literally AND metaphorically!

Ah, yes, I see. You have not yet learned my city's rules.

Let me tell you. There are only two.

Take whatever you want, whenever you want...and do not want what you have taken.

？！

Not at all. To put it another way...

You are encouraged to take whatever you want without a second thought, but not to get too attached.

That is all.

Desire is supreme. You must never deny yourself what you want.

What's more, not getting attached applies as much to what you've taken as to anything else.

There is no point in holding on to something out of habit. Just let it go. No regrets. After all, someone else is bound to want whatever it is.

In essence, my teaching is this: in each and every moment, think only of what you want, and take it.

...That explains why this city is overflowing with hardly-used junk.

Hmm. So the concept of ownership in Ys changed to align with the notion that moment-to-moment desire is the ultimate good.

It's a positively primitive, yet remarkably complete social system. It ensures that all resources will make their way to the hands of every one of its citizens!

Of course, whether that's a good or bad thing depends on if you're more into hedonism or fairness.

...Why would you teach such things?

Rules like that will inevitably lead to a chaotic, twisted mess, just as we saw on our way here.

You don't have to take in order to get everything you want. Isn't that how a sensible, just world should be?

Why? Why, you say? It should be obvious.

This is the only way that everyone can be happy.

...!?

Those who follow my rules have created a city of pure momentary pleasure.

And if, in each moment, everyone has attained their true happiness by taking what it is they want...

...then in those moments, it is as if everyone is happy, right?

So she's trying to make all of her people happy by permitting anyone to take whatever they want?

I'd never considered such a way of life before...

And as long as I remain myself, that moment will last forever. Which means that everyone's truest happiness will as well.

Ahh, this city is truly a utopia. Didn't you see for yourselves how all of my people were smiling?

Nobody has to deny themselves in my city. They are free to take whatever they want.

There is no need for them to be concerned with how others may feel. What could be better than that?

Yeah, your pirates were smiling all right. But they were the only ones.

This talk of happiness sounds nice, but it's deeply flawed.

What about the people you take from? The ones you treat like playthings?

How do you think those men feel when you rob them of their dignity...their very lives?

...How do I think those men feel, you ask?

You heard me.

What a strange thing to say. Why should I care about that?

I am the daughter of King Gradlon. The most beautiful, most noble princess in the world.

As such, I have a right to take from those beneath me, and those I take from should be honored to have been of use to someone such as me.

Surely they all understand that?

Otherwise...

Why would the men I kill after bedding them shed such wonderfully lovely tears?

...!

And that is just as true for my people.

In other words, all of Ys is my proxy. As such, anyone used by a citizen of Ys should be similarly grateful.

What else could there possibly be to consider?

...Master, there's something I'm absolutely sure of now.

Well, I maybe shouldn't say "absolutely sure" since it's not based on hard data, but...

..since I accompanied you to Okeanos, I feel I should say it anyway.

That is not Francis Drake.

It's true, Francis Drake was a pirate, and she took from those around her.

But she never once said it was right. She was completely aware of the evil of such an act.

Yet she had a sort of charisma and good cheer about her that let her shrug that weight off with a smile.

This woman is nothing like that. She doesn't even think there IS any weight to her actions.

Her evil is nothing more than a habit: just some normal behavior for her.

And so there's no way she and Captain Drake could possibly be the same person.

Drake, was it...? The name doesn't ring a bell, so she must not have been around back whenever I was alive.

Quite frankly, whether this woman is her or not does not matter to me.

The only question that I'm concerned with...is what we do about her.

？！

Good. Then we're on the same page!

Habit? You're wrong there. If anything, I'm in a constant state of flux.

I attain happiness by sating my desires, then I cast that happiness away and begin desiring again.

Taking is what allows me to ensure everyone's happiness is always shifting. It's the perfect way for us folk of the water to live our lives!

That's why I can understand why you're here.

You seek this happiness for yourselves. It is what you desire, and so you're here to take it from me.

But...as I always discard all that I desire, the only thing I truly possess is myself.

Which means...you desire me. You came here to propose.

I'd tell her she's waaay off the mark, but something tells me she's not the type to listen!

Then yes, I accept. I will always desire people with love in their hearts who seek my hand in marriage.

Very well, then! Come, let us go to bed and each take our desires from the other.

...Of course, it should go without saying that I will discard you once I am sated.

That is the perfect happiness of the moment. Taking what we desire is how we obtain ultimate happiness.

Master's not going to your bed. He's going to settle this right here and now.

Here? Now? With our clothes on? While standing up? My...how passionate.

...I've never seen any woman as strong and terrible as her before.

Maybe my future self will meet many like her in Ulster...

...but right now, she's the first woman of this sort I've ever encountered.

Still...I can't help but shudder. I never met someone so strong and up front about her desires!

...I'm ashamed of myself.

How can I still be incapable of battling such a fierce opponent simply because she's a woman!?

？！

Well that's too bad. Some of you would have shined like gems with a little training... But I suppose you just aren't ready to handle me.

Then again, there really are a lot of you, aren't there. Not even I could handle all of you by myself.

So I shall call some of my maids to keep the rest of you company. Naturally, you're free to take them for yourself if you so desire.

Course she's got a buncha maids waiting in the wings!

We need to take care of them quickly, before any other pirates show up!

Yes! We almost got 'em all! Keep it up!

My my, so impatient. Very well then, why don't we bolster our ranks a bit.

...?

Which of you are expecting?

We are!

Then birth them.

We are!

Hngh... Aaah!

Wh-what are they doing!?

Th...th...there's more of them now!

Impossible. It's as though they split apart like cells...creating clones of themselves!

So...this is how they reproduce.

Tch. I always knew there was something wrong with these pirates.

...This is just a way to match your numbers.

If you want to be taken by the genuine article and experience something truly mind-blowing...

All you have to do is close your eyes and come to me.

Oh, but...this won't do.

Now that you're proving difficult to acquire, I'm starting to desire other things!

Quick! I must have it all! I must have everything I want!

I want them so badly.

I want a blue rose that has been watered with the blood of a thirteen-year-old virgin.

I want the sweat dripping from the hands of a composer with a fatal disease as he plays the last beautiful notes of his career.

I want the ashes of a book of romance whose cover has been coated with crushed jasper and human bones!

Give them to me. Give me the joy that comes with getting what I desire.

I'll throw away everything else I've ever wanted to get that!

You're a fool. Taking, discarding, taking, discarding... Do you really think that's sustainable?

The world's resources are finite. Eventually, everything runs out.

All that plundering and momentary happiness you love so much, it will end one day. It's only a matter of time until you've taken everything there is to take.

When that happens, you'll be left with nothing. A void that won't be filled even after it's consumed you.

When there's nothing left to take, the only thing you'll be left with is your own desire to do so.

And by then...it'll all be over. You can't keep the world going if all you do is take and never produce!

...I don't care about the world.

All I want is for this city I was given to flourish forever.

To have its people live out their lives in endless joy and pleasure.

And for that, I'm proud to call myself its ruler.

I don't care what rest of the world thinks of me. I don't even care if they call me a demon!

I am Dahut. The daughter of Gradlon, and the ruler of Ys.

I am noble by birth. I am the debauched witch who turned her back on Saint Guénolé!

In spite of that, my people, who love the joy they take for themselves, see me as their ruler.

Now come, my people, sing the praises of your lord. Let us lose ourselves in these endless pleasures!

Ew, the pirates just did that divide-y thing again! Gross! Now how're we gonna beat 'em all!?

？！

Haha, well said!

I may not remember much, but there's one thing I still recall clearly.

No matter how hard things may seem...

...as long as you know what it is you have to do, you still have a chance. So I'm not giving up.

Hell, not knowing when to give up is the best weapon I've got! So come on, boy! Time to hold our ground!

Khh...!

How is this happening? This isn't right...

All I want is to take. Take!

There's nothing wrong with wishing for my people's happiness... There can't be!

No... I can't allow myself to be taken. That would be... That would be absurd!

Aw crap! We didn't finish the job! She's trying to escape!

We have to stop her!

But...!

Dammit... There are too many of them! She'll get away!

？！

Fooou!

Lady Dahut! Emergency!

What's going on here? Tell me everything.

It's...it's the floodgates! The city's floodgates have been opened!

Water is flooding in from the great lake and swallowing up the entire city!

That can't be! No one should be able to operate them!

I have the only key, and I keep it tightly locked up in... Wait.

Don't tell me somebody took it while I was fighting?

Eheh... Ahaha! Ahahahaha!

You look a right fool, Rider of Ys!

That girl we met earlier!?

Tch, I'd forgotten about her. Now that we know how the pirates reproduce...

...it clearly makes no sense for a girl like that to be here. Who is she?

You... You're...

...Empress of the Nightless City! Assassin!

Oho, so you at least recognize my face, Pirate Princess. That puts you well above those simpletons.

That's the girl who showed you the way to the castle!? Running analysis... Complete!

Sh-she's definitely a Servant!

I had no idea... Since she's an Assassin, maybe she's got some sorta Presence Concealment kinda thing?

So our plan to cut off transmissions while you were sneaking in backfired.

At any rate, be very careful, Fujimaru.

If what we've heard is true, she's one of the three rulers controlling Agartha!

So, your name is Fujimaru. Your assistance has been invaluable.

Thanks to you fools keeping the little princess here busy, I was able to get exactly what I wanted.

As a token of my appreciation, I shall overlook your earlier transgression to my person.

Yes! But that candy was delicious! If you are still alive later, I will gladly accept another!

？！

Ahhh! What a relief! It's such a joy to know that you filthy pirates will soon be extinct... That this eyesore of a city will trouble me no longer!

How... How did you do this!? No one but me even knew where the key was kept.

The only other one who could possibly know is...

Ehehe. Surely you already know the answer to that.

...Now I see. I was wondering where she went after leaving Ys...

So your domain is where that Caster ended up!

Did you really not know what one who left your pitiful nation might be thinking? Oh, I'm almost embarrassed for you, fool that you are.

You and those silly Amazons are both the same. Attacking neighboring villages, engaging in crude violence day and night... What a waste.

Why waste such energy to destroy an enemy state when a single key will suffice nicely? Hah!

Assassin!!!

Whaaaaaahhh!

Aaah! A flash flood!

It swallowed up Dahut! With her injuries, she will most likely perish.

What about us!? How are WE going to survive!?

We've got to get out of here! I'm not going down with Ys if I can help it!

Ahahahaha! Oh my, that won't do. It seems this form is given to laughter unbecoming for an empress.

Let's try that again with elegance and arrogance, just like I practiced... Ehehe!

Very well then, Fujimaru... No, I've already grown tired of that name.

From now on, your name shall be Hun Yang, "Lost Sheep." You should be honored. It's a rather perfect name, if I do say so myself.

After all, when you let me show you the way here without suspecting a thing...

...you resembled nothing so much as a foolish little lamb who didn't even realize his own wool was being shorn away.

Then again, perhaps you would rather I call you mister, like I did earlier?

I might consider doing so again if you prostrate yourself before me. I am in an extremely generous mood right now, after all.

Speaking of which, allow me to extend you an invitation to my Nightless City. Assuming, of course, that you survive to visit it.

You will be dazzled by how brightly my own city shines! That's a promise!

In fact, I demand you come and pay me a visit there, so that you can see for yourselves just how wonderful it is. Good luck making your escape, Hun Yang!

Ha! Don't you worry, Assassin. I'll be sure to take you up on your invitation!

Please focus on escaping first!

Hurry! I'll do my best to guide you to safety!

(Huff, huff) That was too close... I'm all soaked, but I guess that beats drowning!

Fou... (Soaked)

Ys is almost completely sunken now. It seems it lived up to its legend perfectly.

I hope the men who were being kept prisoner there managed to escape too, but it was so sudden...

Well, that certainly spells the end of Ys as a threat.

If nothing else, they won't be robbing any more men of their freedom.

That's true. At least one of the three powers ruling Agartha is gone now.

What's more, we now know that the Rider of Ys was not the Demon God Pillar.

Right. Master pushed her to the brink of defeat.

Based on the other patterns we've seen to date, that would have caused her to reveal her true nature if she had secretly been the Demon God Pillar.

There is no reason the Pillar would have simply let itself be defeated like that, after all.

Some things about her are still puzzling, like her resemblance to Drake, but we can at least infer that it is not at all likely she was the Demon God Pillar.

True, but we've also narrowed down the possibilities. Please don't let this get you down, Master.

That's just like you to see the bright side, Senpai! I'll do everything I can to keep helping you too!

Fou fou!

？！

Very well then, where should we head next?

We may as well take the Assassin up on her invitation. Besides, we've got to pay her back for using us.

？！

All right then, our next destination is the Assassin's domain: the Nightless City!

...

(...So this was Ys. A city that sought nothing but momentary happiness for its people, thinking of nothing but taking and discarding what they wanted.)

(It was certainly evil. It was wrong. But...its people may still have been happy...)

(Countless nations have been founded across history. Many of them died out, and some still exist today.)

(I'll have to remember this evil city's governance as one of the possible ways one might ruleone with no class structure and no hierarchy.)

(I'm sure this will serve as a sort of training for my own future as a king.)

(There may not be much point in doing so, since I'm only a Servant, but I just can't help but think about it in those terms.)

(I wonder what the next nation we visit will be like?)