[All enemies have lost the will to fight . You've ended the battle . ]

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After he finished telling them off in a cold, but quiet manner, Clyde and Toru went their separate ways . The feeling of being watched vanished a minute ago . The young man almost thought it was his imagination .

When he stepped outside, he noticed Harumi arguing with someone vigorously on the phone . Angry tears fell from her eyes . The young man stopped, unsure of how to deal with tears this strong . Back at home, he'd give mourners their s.p.a.ce and the time to heal .

Harumi didn't give him that option . Upon being spotted, she ran into his arms, tears falling .

[Warning . Your close friend truly needs comforting . Abandoning her at this moment will severely damage your relations.h.i.+p with Harumi, her friends, and some of your friends, desu . Or worse . ]

Don't insult me, annoying system, Clyde thought . That word again . He pushed it out of his mind to give full attention to his friend .

"Do you want to talk about it?" Clyde said, holding her in a way that allowed the young woman to melt into him . Harumi said nothing, clinging to the young man as if nothing else mattered . They walked to the apartments in silence .

"Will you be okay, alone?" Clyde asked . She nodded, but still didn't tell him what happened . When she closed her door, giving the young man a forced smile, he entered his own apartment .

Alice was still there, reading something . Natalia slept peacefully next to her, snoring softly . She smiled when she noticed him . She followed the young man to the bedroom then slowly closed and locked the door .

"I'd like to stay here for the night," she said . "Natalia will return to Tear when she wakes up . "

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"You're welcomed here anytime," Clyde said, meaning every word . "My place is your place . " He started to mentally kick himself for sounding so lame, but Alice's face lit up . She sat by Clyde on the bed and rested her head on his shoulder .

"Sometimes I wish I was born as a human," Alice said . "Then I wouldn't have to deal with plots, my father's backstabbing army, politics . Maybe Mother would still be alive . Maybe…" She let out a sigh . "They seem to think I'm clueless of their schemes . I have spies, wit, and…sometimes the looks they give me under their fake smiles reveal years of planning . My cousin came out of worry, even invited Natalia . " She looked Clyde in the eyes . "Everyone knows I'm capable of taking care of myself but against such numbers, supported by Father who listens to everyone else but me, I'm powerless . The female guards are either afraid of me or hostile . I don't know what to do . And worst of all, my spies told me that Father is trying to make me life mate to Tyrus, that arrogant brute from our enemies, the Ashfall family . " She buried her face into Clyde's chest . "I'd rather be dead than so much as sit at the table with that man . He visited the other day to hear out my father's offer . When he left, rumor spread that he raped almost a dozen of our female guards without a care in the world . The Ashfalls are snakes and my Father wants to send me there . "

"You're not going there, so don't worry about it," Clyde said, surprising himself over the words that came out before his furious thoughts . Alice…was his . He slightly flinched, mentally red-flagging himself . Alice's intense gaze had so much interest in it that Clyde felt like she'd gobble him up . He continued anyway, regardless of the possible hole he dug himself in . "No one's going to control your life . Not your father, not your enemies . And they will have to go through me to have you . I don't know much about demon culture, but—"

Alice's intense pa.s.sionate kiss cut off words . She pulled away, reluctantly, and laid her head on his chest .

"You balance caring and defiance like a scale . " She smiled . "And reading your heart . . . it's intoxicating . "

[ Incredible! Your relations.h.i.+p with Alice has changed to Soulmate Candidate . This impossibly rare relations.h.i.+p status cannot be taken lightly . Will not be taken lightly . Unknown benefits . For achieving this, you gain one level! You combat skills gained 1 level . ]

[Alice has fallen in love with you . Because she's a demoness, she is not bothered by human women being around you nor if they share the same feelings . However, her jealousy can spike around other demons and nonhuman beings . ]

[Congratulations, you have completed two secret quests! First quest: have two or more people fall in love with you by being yourself . Second quest: woo a demon woman . You have gained 250,000 EXP, $10,000, and learned the skill Charm level 1 . You have reached levels 28, 29, and 30 . You can now learn or obtain a Special . A Special is your ultimate attack, which can only be used once per day . ]

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[Congratulations, you've earned the t.i.tle: The Man Who Shatters the Balance . ]

A surge of pain lasting less than a tenth of a second circulated the young man's veins . And his senses spread, grew, influenced . All of the prompts were too much to take in . And a t.i.tle? What did it mean? Maybe it had something to do with him gaining thirty levels in just over a week . No, anyone could do that with effort . So what did it mean? He decided to not care .

At that moment, he became even more aware of Alice . Maybe more emotionally than physically . The look of love she gave him was different than normal . It wasn't longing, but belonging . This was just impossible…right? Clyde did know there were circ.u.mstances throughout earth's history, but most were in stories . Myth . Love at first sight, so on . Yet, here she sat, a possible soulmate . Candidate? Having more than one soulmate should be impossible . Questions for later .

Alice's sweet kiss seemed to shatter his thoughts . He kissed her back, pouring in his pa.s.sion, his longing into her . There was no need to hold back . There—

A knock dissolved the mood faster than acid . Alice leapt up, but not before kissing Clyde again . His erection wouldn't go away, even when he tried to cover it with a blanket . Alice stifled a laugh . She pointed at the bathroom .

"Just pretend you're using the restroom," she mouthed .

Clyde complied, closing the door behind him . He stretched his senses to listen .

"Hmm? Where's the pervy-monster?" Natalia said, her loli voice blanketing his room .

"Bathroom . You need something, Natalia?" Alice said .

"Oh, you two were about to bone! Make love! Fu—"

"Watch your mouth," Alice said, her voice clearly joking . "That is no way a child should be talking . "

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"Why you," Natalia said . "Let me join!"

Silence . Then Natalia playfully shouting . "I was just kidding . " She laughed . "I was just kidding . "

"Don't lump my Clyde with those in the castle who really do look at you like a piece of meat," Alice said .

"It's infuriating, being treated like a child, especially by that one," Natalia said . "So…how big is he?"

"Shhh," Alice hissed . Natalia sounded as if she was being tickled, her laughter hard . "No child should be speaking like that . "

"I'm sorry—waah—sorry your highness . But it's so cute, the way you're acting around him . Or when I bring him up . "

"Shhh," Alice said, but Clyde already knew . It felt weird and amazing at the same time . "Are you leaving, Natalia?"

"What do you mean, are you leaving, Natalia?" Natalia said . "Are you not coming back to the palace?"

"No," Alice said . "At least not tonight . "

"Pervy-princess-monster," Natalia said . "Ow!"

Clyde stifled a laugh .

"Tell Clyde-pervy-monster I did my best to ward his apartment but keeping Tear out while she lives in the same city may be beyond me . She's a powerful succubus, next in line for being the queen in her nation . "

"I will . "

"Ciao . "

When her presence vanished, Clyde reemerged .

"She can be such a brat sometimes," Alice said . Clyde gave her a sad smile .

"I need to get her to stop calling me a pervy monster," he said . Alice laughed .

"But you're my pervy monster," she said then kissed him . His text notifications beeped . It was from Harumi, stating that she wouldn't be partic.i.p.ating in tonight's patrol . At least she told him rather than pulling the cliché disappearing act .

"It's going to be difficult to do a patrol without a healer," Clyde said .

"Let's go check on our friend," Alice said . As if confirming his suspicions, a prompt flashed into his mind's eye .

[Warning: Harumi NEEDS your presence, comforting, and help . Alice and she share a close friend relations.h.i.+p of 1 . It is recommended to bring her along . Warning! An unknown situation has your close friend, Harumi, weighing the value of life . ]

[Quest: Help Harumi . This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused . Rewards: unknown . ]

Clyde dropped his phone as he raced out of his apartment, a worried Alice trailing him .

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