Seth Hyde is #1

7.1

MC and Seth sat next to each other on her couch. Seth slowly slid his finger up from her neck toward her chin, tilting her head up. Seth met her gaze, his face close. He asks if she’s afraid of him. There was something about the sadness in his eyes that sucked her in. She started to speak before stopping, listening to her heart. She felt like she was diving into the dark ocean that she didn’t know the depth of. She was honest with herself that she felt like she may drown. She repeats part of his question back to him. Seth lets her go and she thinks again that she wants to know all of Seth first, wanting to believe in him. She kept her head raised to keep her eyes on him, telling him she’s not scared. He laughs softly and says that that’s good.

Seth’s expression brightened as he says that Alice is a bit like his sister, so if she was scared he would be sad. MC is shocked and asks what about her is like his sister. He says she’s cute just like her. Seth’s expression is serious again as he looks at her and MC feels herself blush in embarrassment. His face comes closer again and says that she’s shy like that too. MC looks away to hide her blush. Seth laughs and asks if she finds it annoying to hear. MC tells Seth that if he’s going to think of her that way, then she would think of Seth as an older sister in return. She thinks about how it’s a half-lie since she’s also so excited by him. Seth grew quiet and MC turned to face him again. Seth says that he only thinks they look similar, that he’s never thought of her as a sister.

7.2

Seth’s gaze dropped from her face to her neck, saying that sisters don’t leave marks like that. MC thought again of the feeling of his soft lips on her before he sharply sucked on her skin and she knows she’s blushing from her neck up. She thinks to herself on why he would leave such a mark then, thinking back on how he had told Loki that the mark meant she was claimed. She thought that in retrospect, this wasn’t really something someone would normally do as a form of protection. When she got the mark, she had been upset and didn’t have the time to think about it deeply. Did he leave the mark just to keep the other guys from getting close to her? She thought that she surprisingly liked that. She felt all her thoughts were beginning to be overwhelming and she wanted to know what Seth was thinking when he left the mark. She stopped herself before she could voice the question, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. She would be leaving at the end of the month. Voicing if she liked it, or if Seth liked it, wouldn’t be helpful for either of them. She stayed silent, hands clenched in her lap.

Cut to Seth outside headquarters, having left MC’s room. The night was breezy and held the scent of rain.

7.3

Seth stood outside headquarters, the breeze carrying the scent of rain and the voice of a man in the dark. A man in disciple robes tells Seth to not forget his mission, reminding him what he’s here for. Seth apologizes. It was 25 days until the full moon. Seth stares up at the night sky, thinking of how it’s been many years since he’d shared his sorrow with anyone.

Two days later, on a rainy night, MC was called along with the other military leaders to the dining room to discuss the battle strategy for the next day. Ray asks MC if she’s really going with them, asking one final time. She can feel Seth watching her silently and she nods without hesitation, saying she was. She had been training with Fenrir for the last two days from morning to night. She says that it may be true that all she can do is use her nullification powers, but if it helps, she wants to use it. Fenrir laughs and tells her to show off the training he’d given her to the Red Army. Sirius tells her that everyone is looking forward to seeing her abilities and that her powers are a real threat against the Red Army. Everyone around the table is expectant of her and she thinks how close she is to them now despite the short time she’s known them all. Ray gave her a small smile and gave her acknowledgement for her decision.

7.4

MC thanks Ray and the strategy meeting began. They discuss different strategies on if Edgar was leading that he would likely go to west Central, Sirius pointing to a map he had on the table. Ray asks if it’s possible for them to take control of Central. Sirius asks if any other citizens are there and Luka says they have all vacated. Fenrir says they should go for Central first. Ray turned to MC and asked for her to be a rear guard to help protect the evacuees from Central. He says she needs to be careful not to be a target since the enemy doesn’t know she’ll be on the battlefield. Seth tells Ray to leave Alice’s safety to him. Seth’s squad was going to be defending the Clubs district away from the forefront, as that’s where many of the evacuees were at. MC says she would like to help there to help protect the civilians. Seth tells her that the majority of their magic crystals will be with the leading forces, so the rear guards only have a little bit, which is why they need her there. With the thought of how many lives were to be protected by her abilities, she began to feel a bit nervous. She told Seth she would try not to get in the way. He tells her that he had been worried at first, but having watched her train, he knows Alice’s ability is strong and says that they should do their best together. His words eased her nerves immediately. She thinks on how Seth had initially told her to not train and she is glad all her hard effort has been worth it.

I’ll not be a bother. [+2, +4]

I will do my best.

Thank you.

[MC says that she will do her best to not be a bother, thanking him. Seth says he’s not nervous and they’ll show them the power of their young lady.] Ray agrees with the final plan.

7.5

That night, after the meeting, MC went to bed early to prepare for the battle the next day. She kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep, nervous because it’s the first time she’s had to go to war. She decided maybe reading a book would help her, when there was a knock on her bedroom door. Not sure who it was, she got out of bed and turned on the bedroom light, opening the door. Seth was there and they both exchanged evening greetings. He was holding a steaming mug in hand. He said he thought she may not be able to sleep, so brought her some warm milk. He said he hopes it will help her relax.

Seth urged her to go to bed and drink the milk. She tells Seth that it was delicious with the honey he had put in it. Seth sat on the edge of the bed and smiled at her. He tells her that he’ll tell her a bedtime story when she finishes drinking the milk, since he used to tell his little sister stories before she went to bed. MC asks what the story is and Seth said he’s looking for her to request one, asking her what kind of story she wants to hear. She thought while she finished her milk and put it on her bedside table. She asks him if he would tell her why the Red and Black armies are fighting in the first place. She’d heard that it’d been going for 500 years but didn’t know the details on why. Seth is surprised by her request, eyes wide before he laughs. He says he’ll tell her, but only because she’s special.

Intimacy Checkpoint: potpourri in a bottle

6.1

Seth and Sirius met at the training grounds. Seth asks Sirius why he asked him to meet out here and before Sirius can start telling him why, Seth cuts him off and gives him a confident smile, saying that there was only one thing that he must want on a romantic night like this. Sirius responds in confusion, asking if Seth thinks this is a confession of love. Seth says that it’s no good because Sirius is also a man and their relationship will never last long. Sirius folds his arms and says that he didn’t call Seth out there for a joke. Seth laughs and says he was trying to soften the mood. He sighs and gets serious, asking Sirius what he wanted. Sirius says to tell him straight where he’s been going out at night. Seth asks if he’s referring to three nights before and doubles down on the reason he had first given Sirius, that he had dropped something in town while out with Alice and had to go find it. They both fall silent before Sirius asks who he’s been meeting. They both fall silent again and watch each other as the night breeze blows between them.

Cut to inside headquarters. Despite training all day, MC can’t sleep. She decides to go to the kitchen to get a hot drink to help her. As she walks down the hall, she runs into Ray.

6.2

Ray and MC go to the kitchen together. Ray hands MC a mug and she asks what’s in it. He smiles as he says that it’s citrus tea. She looks in the mug to see slices of lime and lemon in the steaming tea, along with some marmalade spooned at the bottom. She mixes it, saying it looks good and tasted it, expressing how much she liked it. Ray took a sip and asked her why she couldn’t sleep. She doesn’t answer immediately, unsure how she should say that thinking about Seth potentially being a betrayer is keeping her up. So she answers his question with one of her own, asking why he was up in the middle of the night. She says that everyone knows that it’s unusual for Ray to stay up late. He asks her who told her that and she deflects by drinking more of the tea. He says that he was just thinking and she says she was just thinking too. She thinks back on what Loki had said about watching out for the Magic Tower and a betrayer in the army. She wonders if Ray is staying up thinking about the same thing she is, since she had eavesdropped on him talking with Sirius about a potential traitor the night before. She grips the warm mug tighter and gets Ray’s attention.

6.3

MC confesses that she had heard him talking with Sirius about a traitor. Ray is surprised, obviously having not known they had been overheard. She says that Loki had also mentioned there being a betrayer, so she’s worried. Ray thinks about what she said and sets his cup down, looking out the kitchen window. He tells her about the Black Army slogan, “freedom soars on raven wings.” He tells her because of this, they allow anybody to join the Black Army, unlike the Red Army who are based on bloodlines. He looks at her and says that he doesn’t want to doubt any of his soldiers because they are all friends. Because if you doubt your friends, you cannot trust anybody. He tells her that in order to protect what matters most, he will continue to trust them, even if they have another side to them. MC thinks that even if there are traitors in the army, Ray will still trust in them, which she believes to be true from the serious look he wears while saying it.

After finishing her tea, MC goes on her way back to her bedroom, thinking about the power of trust. While she’s thinking, Seth calls out for her attention from behind her, running up to her saying that it’s not a good idea for her to leave her room at night without her knight. 

I’m sorry. [+4, +2]

I met Ray by chance.

I’m tired.

[MC apologizes, saying she was going to be fast and Seth apologizes for making her feel like she had to apologize.] Seth offers to walk her back to her room. As they walk, MC glances at Seth and thinks back on what Ray said about accepting people no matter how many sides they have. MC thinks about how she wants to get to know all sides of Seth, to know and trust him fully. Seth takes her to her room and she asks him to wait, grabbing his shirt sleeve when he turned to leave. 

6.4

MC grabs Seth’s shirt to keep Seth from leaving her room. He asks her what’s wrong and she hesitantly asks again if she can really ask him anything. Seth is a bit surprised, but nods slowly. They settle on the couch and she tells him she wants to know about him. Seth says it’s kind of thrilling she wants to get to know him and tells her to ask her questions about him, putting a hand to his shoulder as though subconsciously. He plays it off saying he’ll let her know his very skin, acting as though he was going to unbutton his shirt. MC gets flustered and Seth tells her it was a joke and she’s cute when she’s blushing. They divert from the topic for a little bit as MC tries to play off her blush. MC steers the topic back around and debates on what she wants to ask him first. She asks him what he did before he joined the Black Army four years ago. Seth thinks for a second and says that he supposes he was sick and tired.

6.5

MC asks what he means. Seth says that he lost his parents when he was young and he was left with his sister, who was still a baby at the time. MC is shocked by him having a sister. He says that her name is Rapunzel. He says she is fifteen years younger and has the same hair color he has. He says in order to keep his sister from starving, he wandered around doing things here and there, doing anything he could in order for them to live, even some unsavory things. Seth smiles and says that the details will remain a secret, his eyes swimming with sadness. MC thinks that she can’t even imagine what it would have been like to be in that situation. MC says that it’s hard to think that Seth had a story like that where he was now. She thinks about how happy he seems with the others. Seth continues saying that even though Central seemed peaceful, war was coming, just like how every person has light and shadow, that it’s not an unusual thing. A short silence falls on the two of them. MC thinks about how the more she learns about Seth, she wonders more about who the real Seth is.

5.1

At the training grounds, Seth and Fenrir are there waiting for her and Luka. Fenrir asked if she was prepared for training, sporting a grin and pulling his gun out. 

Is that a real gun? [+2, +4]

You’re practicing shooting?

Wait a second.

[MC asks if that’s a real gun and Fenrir says that it is. MC baulks and Seth reassures her that he’ll explain how they’ll proceed with her training.] He points at Fenrir’s gun and says that it’s a magic gun remodeled for training and won’t hurt if you get hit. MC feels much safer with Seth’s backup. Fenrir smiles and shoots a practice shot away from them to prove it’s harmless, telling her it will only give her hiccups if they hit. Seth tells her to neutralize the magic bullets. She prepares herself, giving Mimo back to Seth. Fenrir lifts his firing arm to aim at her and MC pulls at the memory of the feeling of blocking magic like she had done in the gardens when Jonah and Edgar captured her. She knows if she’s done it before, she can do it again. She says out loud to herself that she can do this.

5.2

Seth and Luka watch on as Fenrir holds his guns up and fires at her, the sound piercing her ears. She quickly holds her hands up in front of her and thinks to herself to be strong. The bullets coming toward her crashed into what was like a glass wall stretched in front of her, scattering them away. Fenrir, Seth, and Luka are all shocked into silence and she relaxes, cheering herself on mentally. Fenrir tells her to not let her guard down and fires his bullets at her faster than before. Holding her palm up, she blocks these bullets too. Seth congratulates her for the second success, clapping. MC is happy to be praised by Seth and they continue their training until late afternoon.

MC couldn’t stop her hiccups from when she had been hit by several bullets during practice. Fenrir asks her if she needs to take a break and she tells him no. Despite the practice not being physical, she is getting tired but wants to continue. She held up her hand to make another block but Fenrir realized he was out of ammo, saying that practice was over. He put his guns away in their holsters and MC says that she can still take more. Seth waves at her and tells her that because the bullets are made of magical crystals, they can’t continue if they don’t have any left. MC thinks back on how Seth said that crystals aren’t cheap and she accepts that they’ll need to stop for now. Her shoulders sink as she wanted to keep going, because she doesn’t want to be useless in battle.

5.3

MC left the training grounds, disappointed that she didn’t reach the capacity that she had wanted to. She takes a bath to wash off her sweat and goes to her room. Mimo had been waiting for her on her bed and jumped up on her to wrap around her neck. She thanks Mimo and pets his back before noticing that her hiccups had finally gone away.

She thinks about how where she’s at now, she can’t fulfill her promise to Ray and wonders if she should follow what Seth said, to just let them protect her. She shakes those thoughts out of her head and says aloud that she’s just being impatient for wanting instant results with her training and to keep doing her best. A voice interrupts her saying that they were glad that she wasn’t depressed. She looks around and finds an unknown boy sitting on her windowsill and she felt her heart stop.

Too surprised to speak, the boy came in through the window and approached her with a cat-like stride. He thanks her and takes her hand in his without permission to shake it. She wonders who this suspicious person is. Noticing MC’s confusion, the boy let go of her and apologized for coming in without permission, saying that he had knocked on the window, and saying he had watched her training and came to check on her. MC’s finally able to ask who he is and the boy lowers his hood, introducing himself as Loki and that it’s nice to meet her.

5.4

Loki asks her if she would tell him more about herself. Cut to the dining hall after they’d had a conversation and MC tells Loki that he shouldn’t climb in through windows. Suddenly, Ray and Sirius walk into the dining hall and ask what Loki and MC are doing there together. MC is a bit surprised that everyone seems to be friendly with Loki. Loki says that MC and him had just become friends. Loki talks about how everyone in Central is in a hurry with the war about to begin. MC notes that Loki seems to be talking about the matter rather lightly, but sees that Loki quickly becomes friends with everyone since he’s very outgoing. She thinks about how Loki had told her that he was learning magic from a magician and she wonders what that person is like. 

Loki pulls something out from his bag and says he brought their delivery with him, handing a bunch of magic crystals to Sirius. Loki thanks him for his purchase. MC asks if those are magic crystals and Loki smiles, saying that he’s a crystal-selling merchant. MC thinks back on when Seth had told her that the Magic Tower controlled all sales of magic crystals. She thinks to herself that Loki must be selling his crystals illegally. She makes a noise and Loki winks at her, telling her that it’s a secret.

The sun sets by the time Loki prepares to leave and MC was asked to send him off. She walks him outside and Loki says that he’ll see her later. Loki walks around her before getting up close to her. He warns her to be careful about the Magic Tower.

5.5

Loki looks at her in concern and MC thinks that he’s rather thoughtful. He’s about to tell her to be careful of betrayals when he suddenly stops talking and someone’s arm comes around her from behind. The scent is familiar and MC realizes that it’s Seth. Seth tuts at Loki and asks him if he didn’t see the sign, pointing at the mark on MC’s neck, visible just above Mimo’s tail. He tells Loki that she doesn’t belong to him. Loki asks if the mark is from Seth. The air gets chilly between them and MC is worried that Seth might do something to Loki. She realizes that from the angle Seth had been, it may have looked like Loki was doing something provocative with her when he came close to her to give her his warning. She tries to explain that this was a misunderstanding, but something about his expression told her he wouldn’t take any excuses. With his arm around her, he pulled her close, not allowing her to continue. 

Cut to MC sighing as she returned to her room. In the end, Loki had laughed off the situation and Seth had sent her to go back inside. She thinks back on what Loki hadn’t been able to finish telling her about a potential betrayal and to watch out for the Magic Tower. 

4.1

Seth came closer to MC and told her she doesn’t need to train and she should forget the story she had overheard in the hallway, reminding her that he’d tell her anything she wanted to know about and she doesn’t have to do dangerous things like that, because he’s her protector. They both fall silent and she thinks about what Seth told her and about what she had heard, even if it wasn’t the full story.

She squared herself up and told him that she may be a girl and need to be protected, but she can’t just look at the dangers ahead of them and leave them alone. Seth is surprised by her response and she adds that she had made a promise with Ray and she’s prepared to do what she can for both him and for Cradle. Seth gives her a bitter smile and tells her that she is a strong woman. Seth holds onto her arm and when MC meets his eyes, she finds that he is looking at her rather coldly. He tells her if she won’t listen to his words, then she should listen with her body.

4.2

Seth wraps an arm around MC and lifts her up, putting her on his bed. MC is confused over what Seth’s thinking or what he’s planning on doing. The bed creaks as Seth gets on his knees on the bed, pinning her hands by either side of her head. He smiles down at her and asks her if she’s not able to move. She says his name and his expression changes to one she’s unfamiliar with. He comments that Alice has a power that nobody else has, but even she is helpless under the strength of a man. He entwines his fingers with hers and tells her that he won’t allow a weak girl to the battlefield. That this isn’t her fight to fight. He smiles softly and says that her power shouldn’t be used for war and asks if she doesn’t want to live peacefully. MC realizes that this is Seth’s way of trying to protect her. MC opens her mouth to give her response.

4.3

MC tries to keep herself as calm as possible as she forms her response, trapped under Seth on his bed. She tells him that she can’t just wait and be protected, that if she has the ability to help, she will do anything to do so. She tells him that she knows that what he says is also true and she cuts off as she gets emotional, closing her eyes and thinking that she just wants to do her best. Seth sighs and mutters that women are truly strong. She opens her eyes and Seth watches her in silence.

He smiles bitterly and says that he thought she would be scared to be in a position like this. MC trails off after saying his name and Seth brings his face closer and out of her view as he presses his lips to her neck with a warm sigh. The kiss was not sweet for long, a sharp pain causing her to cry out. Her hands pinned by his pushed her down harder against the bed. She thinks to herself on why Seth would bite her and he pulls away with a light comment on her reaction. She asks what Seth did and he said that he marked her. When she asked why, he said that it was a seal to protect her from wolves. He moves off her and looks satisfied. He tells her that she can train but to remember that he will be her one and only knight, touching the spot he left on her neck. 

4.4

Stunned by what just happened, MC leaves Seth’s room. She thinks about how Seth definitely isn’t sister-like in her mind anymore. Every time he touched her, it was a reminder of how he was a man. Seth talks about how all men are wolves, but wouldn’t that also make him a wolf? MC blushes to herself as she thinks about the bite he’d given her and wonders what that was all about, covering the mark with her hand. She thinks that she will look in the mirror later to see the damage done but her name is called from down the hallway.

Ray and Sirius are there and ask her what she’s doing. She’s reminded that she had just been eavesdropping over their conversation before the incident with Seth and that they must be done talking now. They came closer and she decided that if they asked her if she’d heard them talking, she would confess, but instead they asked her why she was holding her neck. She removes her hand and tries to come up with an excuse.

It looks like my neck. [+4, +4]* 

It’s an insect bite.

It’s nothing.

[MC says that it looks like she’d been bit and she fake laughs as Ray stares at it.] Ray expresses that he’s not sure about that and her eyes tear up as they both look at her and their eyes widen in response as they realized what it really was.

Cut to the Magic Tower. Amon drops the black knight from his chessboard to the floor. He asks why the capture of Alice failed. Dalim apologizes and says that the Black Army is strengthening their defences in their war preparations. He tells Amon they should wait until the war starts in five days so they can capture Alice easily among the ruckus. Amon grumbles about them being too slow and says that they would go with their alternate plan then. He raises Dalim’s head from where he was knelt by his side. He looks at the chess piece on the floor and says that it’s time to use their discarded pieces.

4.5

Seth sits on his bed alone after MC left. Seth speaks the name of his sister** faintly and puts his hand over his left shoulder and sighs deeply.

26 days remain until the full moon.

The next morning, MC goes to the dining room, blushing and looking at the ground as she walks. She thinks about how Seth said the mark was a seal to protect her from wolves and thinks there’s no way it could be anything like that. Ray and Sirius had already seen it the night before and she picked clothes she’d purchased with Seth that first day that would cover her neck and styled her hair down to cover it as well. She didn’t want to have rumors spread about her around the barracks.

She entered the room with a sigh and was brightly greeted by Seth. He came up to her and asked why she had such a scary expression first thing in the morning. She says that he knows full well why and he let out a giggle. She doesn’t say anything because she doesn’t want to be overheard by the others in the room and he told her that he has a good idea on how she can cover her neck. He pulled something from the chair nearby and wrapped it around her neck.

4.Normal

Seth wrapped something warm and white around her neck. He says that it’s his fox, Mimo. MC is shocked that it’s an animal and she looks at her shoulder. The fox lifted it’s head to look at her in return. Seth pet the fox’s tail and said that Mimo’s specialty is disguising itself and that he often wears Mimo around his neck at parties. Mimo nodded and hid his head under his tail again. MC comments how when he hides his face, he really does look like an accessory. Seth says that he’ll have Mimo hide the mark on her neck for the whole day.

She is a bit unsure about this plan, since it seems to have her sticking out even more, as some of the other soldiers in the room are staring at her. Seth speaks loudly and says that Alice looks really cute, but he won’t hesitate to show his knives up close and personal to anyone who gives her too much attention. The men quickly look away. MC feels a bit sorry for the men, as that was a rather violent image.

With Mimo around her neck, MC bumps into Luka in the hallway after breakfast. He asks MC if she’s already been to the training grounds. She says that she had been there with Seth before. Ray had given her permission to train her nullifying powers. MC asks Luka what he knows about Seth. Luka says that he doesn’t really think anyone knows much about Seth. MC asks him how long he’d known Seth. After some thought, Luka says that Seth joined the Black Army four years prior. Luka says that if she has any other questions, she should ask Seth herself.

At the training grounds, Seth and Fenrir are there waiting for her. Fenrir asked if she was prepared for training, sporting a grin and pulling his gun out.

------

*(A/N: I took the phrase through four translators and this is the best I can come up with at this time. Original phrase: 首がこ つたみたいで)

3.1

Seth reaches out to touch MC’s neck, sliding his finger down toward her collarbone. He warns her that she should be more careful or she’ll be eaten by a big bad wolf. Seth’s fingers are cold, reminding MC of the daggers he had just used during training. She thinks back to when Seth touched her in her room that first night and she finds herself frozen again, not knowing why she can’t move. Seth removes his finger from her. She asks Seth if he would help her from any wolves during the day and he confirms it, adding that she can’t just praise a man or it would drive him to that point as well, causing trouble. He assures her that he will always be there to protect Alice as a knight. Seth asks if she’ll stay by his side during the day and she tells him she will. He compliments her good behavior and the tense atmosphere disappears.

27 days remain until the full moon.

The next morning, MC goes to the kitchen that smells like freshly baked bread and finds Seth there.

3.2

MC and Seth greet each other, though MC awkwardly as she thinks of where Seth had touched her neck the night before. Luka makes his presence known as well and greets MC. Seth asks MC if anything is wrong and she says no, saying she was just here to offer her help in the kitchen. Seth responds brightly that MC is such a good girl and Luka looks at him in annoyance. Seth pulls MC to help him crack eggs, holding her hands and telling her to be careful to not let the eggshells to not cut her skin.

I’ll be careful. [+4, +2]

It’s okay.

It’s just eggshell…

[MC says she will be careful and Seth says that he will cry if she gets hurt.] Luka sighs and tells them to hurry up so they can have breakfast ready in time. MC secretly watches Seth while they work, each movement affecting her. She asks herself why she’s paying so much attention to him, but can’t come up with an answer.

MC tells herself that she will do her best not to think about Seth that day and decides to help around headquarters to help distract her. She begins by cleaning one of the bathrooms. She gets to work, thinking that if she can’t use her powers right now, she may as well help in this way. When she goes to turn on the shower faucet to help clean, it starts pouring all over her head instead. She shouts out in surprise, turning it off and a few soldiers ran to her aid. When they asked if she was okay, she told them she just got a little wet. She gave them a shy smile and wondered why they all wouldn’t look at her and were blushing. The sound of loud footsteps ran closer, bringing Seth with them.

3.3

Seth cries out that she isn’t just a little wet and kicks out the other soldiers out from the doorway. He quickly wraps her torso in a towel, telling her not to show herself in such a way that could tempt others. Confused, MC looks at her shirt under the towel and begins to blush, finding that the shirt had become transparent by getting wet. Embarrassed for being seen that way, she can’t look at Seth and he tells her to get a change of clothes. Once she dashes off, Seth says that he was in trouble for nearly acting like a wolf in her defenseless state. His sigh resounded around the bathroom.

That night, MC is upset that her attempt at helping turned out to be a failure. She stands in the corner of the common room as Ray looks over the Black Army leaders and says that war begins in five days. The peace talks he had attempted with the Red Army had broken down and Lancelot had announced war. The air in the room was tense and made it hard to breathe in.

3.4

Listening to the war announcement, the other leaders say that they are prepared even if it were to start tomorrow. Sirius comments about how it’s been a long 500 years of trouble. MC remembers her agreement with Ray that she would be of help to them in the war. She isn’t sure about the details of why the war was going on, but she wanted to help the army as much as they had helped her. Remembering the training she had watched Seth do, she thinks that she too has to train for battle. Seth watches MC with a serious look on his face.

When the meeting was over, MC searched with Ray in order to ask to be trained so she could use her power properly as Alice, but she couldn’t find him in the halls. Thinking he may be in his office, she goes that direction and hears Ray and Sirius talking around the corner. Ray asks if Sirius is sure about there being a traitor in the army.

3.5

Sirius comments that he’s not sure, but that information is leaking somehow and it’s never happened before. MC is shocked by overhearing this information and she stayed where she was at, wondering who the traitor could be. Suddenly, a hand covered her mouth from behind and the person holding her chastised her for eavesdropping. She recognizes the voice as Seth. Seth wrapped an arm around her and carried her away.

2.1

Dalim tells Amon that this is where the “fox” who has been sneaking around for a long time would come into play. Amon smirks, liking the idea greatly. He says that they will follow Dalim's plan of coercing Alice to stay, but if she tries to escape, they will have to lock her up. Amon stands and tells Dalim that it's about time they had another "cleaning." When Dalim asks what he should do if things go sour, Amon tells him to just capture Alice, and to take out any of his own pawns if he has to, saying that so long as Alice is theirs, they can suffer the loss of anyone protecting her. He sits back down and laughs.

Around the same time, in the Black Army headquarters.

Sirius catches Seth in the darkened halls and asks him where he's been. Seth says he was out on duty, but Sirius says that he had been the one with night duties that night. Seth attempts to deflect, but Sirius asks him again, not letting Seth go without giving him an answer. Seth says he dropped something in Central he had to go back for and that he needs to go to bed before his skin is ruined from lack of sleep. Seth continues down the hall and Sirius watches him go, feeling uneasy.

The next day, MC goes into town with Seth. MC thanks Seth for taking her into town again and Seth says he wants to take her on a sweets tour around Central.

2.2

Seth takes MC to a cute cafe and the two of them swoon over a variety of desserts. Seth comments about a dish made with a hot crepe.

This is a great dish. [+4, +4]

I want to eat this every day.

Can you make this yourself?

[Seth nods after eating the rest of the crepe.] Seth taps out because he still has work he needs to do. MC thinks about how nice it is to go places with Seth and has a flashback of when Sirius told you Seth was picked for the job of your escort. She thinks that Seth was the perfect fit because she gets along with him like a sister, since he’s been helping her with makeup and clothes. Seth asks if something is wrong with a warm smile and she tells him nothing’s wrong, thinking she still wants to hang out with Seth some more.

They walk out of the shop and Seth cries out as he sees someone down the street. He asks MC to wait for him while he goes to see a friend. While he’s away from her, someone calls out at MC.

2.3

A young man called out to MC and asked if she would go have tea with him. As he gets closer, MC notices that he’s drunk despite it being midday. She rejects the offer and he grabs her arm to take her with him. As soon as MC calls out, the hand that is holding her suddenly has a knife pressed to it, shocking the man into let her go. They both look up to see who was holding the knife to find Seth, who steps between them.

Seth makes a comment about how he hates aggressive men and says he wasn’t paying close enough attention. The man is too drunk to care about Seth obviously wearing military uniform and grabs at Seth’s collar, provoking him. The atmosphere grows serious and Seth’s smile disappears as he asks if the man really wants to do this, his tone dark. The man gets scared by Seth’s sudden change and runs off.

Seth turns to her and makes a comment about the man being a loser and she goes to thank him when she’s interrupted by a second man. It’s Dalim (though still unknown to MC), and he says that you must be the rumored princess.

2.4

MC recognizes him as the man Seth had been talking to down the street just before. Seth introduces MC to Dalim as the owner of the tavern in Central, saying he takes good care of the army members. Dalim calls MC a princess again and she gets bashful, saying she’s not a princess, which makes him smile. Dalim turns to Seth and says to tell everyone else hi for him and leaves with a wave goodbye. MC thinks he must be a popular guy.

Once Dalim leaves, Seth cries out and apologizes for leaving her alone with that wolf. MC tells Seth thank you for rescuing her. He promises her that he will fly to her side if she’s ever in a pinch because he’s her knight. MC thinks about how reliable Seth is.

That afternoon, MC watches as Seth and the others train at the training grounds. She’s blown away by how strong and agile Seth is during sparring and how easily he can disarm his training partner. Seth quickly has a knife up against the paired soldier’s throat before releasing him, saying he could have been fatally injured six times during that current training and sheathes his knife.

2.5

MC can’t help but think about how Seth is in a league of his own, which made sense as one of the military leaders. She thinks that it was hard to imagine this was the same man who was also so serious about choosing her clothes and eating desserts.

After training, she walked inside with Seth and couldn’t help herself from saying that she was surprised by his training and thought he was really cool. He laughs and thanks her. He stops in front of her and tells her that there’s a lot of things she doesn’t know about him, smiling bitterly and reaching out for her.

At the same time, outside the barracks there was a scuffle. Men had been trying to sneak into the barracks and Sirius orders some black soldiers to capture them all. Unfortunately, the men got away. Sirius wonders if someone had leaked information about there being thin protection over that spot. He tells the soldier to search thoroughly, as he will find the source of that information no matter what. Sirius sighs after the soldier leaves and wonders aloud if those men were from the Red Army.

A voice responds to Sirius’ question to himself and he is surprised to see Harr by his side with no warning. Sirius is interrupted from asking what he was doing there and Harr tells him he came with advice. He asks if they are holding the second Alice there and that it’s not just the Red Army who is looking for her. Sirius teases Harr for sounding so concerned, giving him advice. Harr hides further in his hood and says he only said so to prevent any further casualties and he disappears before Sirius can say anything else.

Back inside, Seth reaches out to touch MC’s neck, sliding his finger down toward her collarbone. He warns her that she should be more careful or she’ll be eaten by a big bad wolf.

Intimacy Checkpoint: Seth-colored Eyes

1.1

MC is taken to the Black Army headquarters. Everyone meets up in the dining area and tells her that she can treat headquarters like her own home and come and go as she pleases. They leave her alone in the dining area to get back to their duties. She looks down at her hand and has a flashback of Ray telling her about how her nullifying abilities would be a great help to them, forming a fist as she thinks about what that all means.

Her thoughts are interrupted and she’s surprised by a tap on the shoulder by Seth, who tells her playfully that she is too tense and needs to relax. She tells him that she thought he’d left with everyone else, which he replies with a smile and says he came back to tell her something important.

1.2

Seth tells MC that he is there to be her knight and Sirius comes in the room too, standing by her side. He tells her that while she can go wherever she wants, it’s still dangerous for her to go willfully where the Red Army might target her. So, a unanimous decision was made between the officers to have Seth as her escort because he is the most friendly and understanding when it comes to women.

Seth is dissatisfied with how Sirius phrased it. He says that he doesn’t want her to think of him as an escort, but as a knight, because that’s what all maidens dream about. MC asks Seth if he’s really okay taking this job and he boops her on the nose, telling her that she is being too kind and tells her that she should be saying thank you instead. She says thank you with a smile and he is happy with her response.

They held a welcoming party for her before leading her to her room. The window was open to the night sky and she looked outside, thinking about how she’s nervous about having to stay here for a full month. She thinks back on how everyone was friendly to her during the party and relaxes. MC looks around the room and thinks about how nicely put together it is, considering it was arranged last minute by Seth. She takes a deep breath and closes the window and curtains.

1.3

The next morning after breakfast, Seth invited MC to go shopping. He told her he’s going to get her up to all the current Cradle trends. MC agrees, as she has no other clothes due to her sudden arrival here. She gets herself ready and heads out to town with Seth.

She has a flashback of her nighttime carriage ride through town with Blanc and admires all the cute and fashionable shops and all the people shopping now that it’s daytime. MC asks Seth if there really is a war going on because it feels so peaceful and he agrees that it doesn’t feel that way when seeing town like this.

While walking, MC notices a wanted poster for Harr and reads it with curiosity but is pulled away by Seth calling for her to follow him.

1.4

Seth is waving for MC to follow him into a shop and she runs to catch up with him, putting the wanted poster out of mind. They go shopping at many places and go back to Black Army headquarters.

In her room, Seth holds up all of their purchases one by one to her where she stands in front of the mirror. He compliments her, saying that she looks great in everything, from A-line skirts to mini dresses.

Is that so? [+4, +4]

I’m glad, that makes me happy.

Thank you.

[Seth tells her that it’s true and she gets bashful from all the compliments.] When they wrap up with all the clothes, Seth watches her brightly. He tells her she definitely won’t be needing clothes for the rest of the month. Seth’s cheerfulness was helping her feel much better about her stay there. She thinks that he isn’t just a knight or an escort, but felt like a reliable sister as well. Seth invites her to go have tea and a popular dessert with him in the dining area.

That night, Seth escorts her to her room and she thanks him for the day’s activities. Suddenly, the lights went off in her room. Seth rushed to the light fixture and replaced the crystal inside, turning the lights back on. He explained that anybody can use magic with the use of a crystal. They help with all kinds of household things and improve the quality of life, though the crystal will turn into a stone when it runs out of magic and they are rather expensive. MC asks where you can get crystals and Seth tells her that anything related to magic crystals are all controlled by the Magic Tower. MC asks about the difference a wizard has, thinking of the poster she saw in town. Seth falls silent and stares at MC before laughing, the lamp casting a dark shadow on his face.

1.5

Seth tells MC that sometimes people are born with magic in them, like the wizard. That they can use magic without crystals. He clapped his hands and changed the topic, telling MC that they should head to bed. MC thanks him again and Seth goes to leave before turning around to face her. Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and tilted her chin up with a delicate finger.

Seth speaks close to her, saying that he could answer her if she wants. His closeness has her blushing. He tells her not to hesitate asking him for anything with a small laugh and she agrees nervously. He smiles and apologizes. Her heart remains pounding even as he takes his hands off her. Seth leaves the room, leaving a very confused MC behind. She isn’t able to go to sleep quickly that night.

That midnight, a cut to the Magic Tower.