Ch 388: Doppelganger

"Miss Himejima, I am going to accept your kind offer." said Viktor Idinarohk as he joined them for lunch.

"I'm very happy to hear it, Vika." smiled Akeno.

"It wasn't much of a choice anyway." shrugged Viktor. "I am a hound bred for war, and people such as me aren't needed in times of peace."

"I do not agree." replied Akeno. "We all know you are more than a military commander, just like Lerche is more than a Processor for her Alkonost. And peace is a fragile thing. A strong military is one of its most crucial pillars. Weaken the military too much, and neighbors will get ideas."

"I can attest to this." nodded Leila. "My own nation made this mistake, and we were barely holding when Akeno and her companions came to our aid."

Akeno fondly watched Lerche and Cortana speak to each other in a low voice, in a corner of the mess. If she judged by their expressions and body language, Cortana was trying to convince Lerche to accept Akeno's offer and upgrade her body to a flesh and blood one. Lerche still seemed to hesitate, sending glances at Viktor.

"Did you tell Lerche about your decision, Vika?"

"…Not yet." shrugged Viktor. "Once Sir Enfield revives Lerchenlied, things between me and Lerche are going to become… complicated… How are the preparations regarding the Republic of San Magnolia?"

Viktor clearly wanted to change the subject, and Akeno didn't mind.

"On schedule." nodded Akeno. "The six Tempests are patrolling the Republic's borders, their pilots using the opportunity to have one on one talks with the Squadron Leaders. The Guardian Series is starting production inside the Finality and in the Federacy, and we should have five thousand of them by the time we kick off the offensive, in about ten days."

Da Vinci's Guardians were humanoid, two-meters tall robots equipped with a large ballistic shield and an assault rifle.

They were essentially an armed, slightly better armored version of the maintenance bots Da Vinci had already created for the Finality and the Tempests, smart enough to follow simple instructions, but requiring supervision by a proper AI for complex tasks.

They would assist the Squadrons of Eighty-Sixes and the Tempests during the liberation of the concentration camps, freeing the remaining Eighty-Sixes civilians and bringing them to the Republic, who could easily take care of them.

As for dealing with the Albas afterward… The idea came from Lena herself.

Lena didn't really want to end up leading the future Republic of San Magnolia and had only accepted the position because there was no better candidate, aside maybe from her uncle or her father.

She felt a strong sense of duty toward her homeland, but her disgust for the vast majority of her fellow Albas had grown even stronger, and after checking with Da Vinci on its feasibility, Lena suggested an alternative to Akeno.

The latter, after hearing about it, burst into an evil laugh and agreed that it should be done. Lena's solution would also allow Valhalla to wash their hands off San Magnolia, completely and after only a few weeks, and Lena would get to follow Akeno to Chaldea.

Akeno, to be sure, had asked Lilith if Lena's solution was acceptable and got the green light. This world wasn't under Noah's responsibility, so if San Magnolia later self-destructed itself, the blame would squarely and entirely repose on its citizens.

"I see." nodded Viktor. "And once this is over, I assume you will search for the Demonic Pillar."

"That search is already ongoing. It started the instant Valhalla set foot on your world." said Akeno as she shook her head. "We're going to give our pilots some R&R time while they can. After suffering the Albas, they deserve it… Ernst told me the food situation in the Holy Kingdom is improving. It the threat of a famine averted?"

"Yes." smiled Viktor. "The food the Federacy is sending us is going to help a lot. We'll have to ration most kinds of meat for a while, but we avoided a disaster."

Akeno nodded and was about to ask Viktor about his father when she noticed Cortana walking towards them.

"The drones near the meeting point spotted a Legion formation. Three hundred of various types, one Morpho without its railgun, and a medium-sized machine we never saw before."

"It looks like Legion is three hours early." nodded Albion.

"It looks that way, yes." smiled Akeno as she stood. "Let's put an end to this war, before we start another."

…

Like three days ago, only Akeno and Albion went to meet them. They landed near the white Ameise that had remained all this time.

"You came with an escort?" asked Akeno to the Ameise. The three hundred Legion units were standing a hundred meters away, centered around the unknown type, a gray, six-legged machine the size of a bus.

"That is correct." replied the white Ameise. "This escort is useless against you, but I had to consider the possibility of being attacked by another party."

"Yes, I understand." nodded Akeno, taking from her inventory a high-grade artificial body. "Bring your real body forward, Legion, and we will do the transfer."

"Is this the new artificial body you mentioned?" asked Legion. "It doesn't look able to host my consciousness."

"It is capable of doing so." nodded Akeno. "Looks can be deceiving. Cortana, Finality's Artificial Intelligence, uses a similar body."

Legion processed for a second before its main body moved forward, its escorts parting to the side. It stopped two meters from Akeno, and the artificial body came to life, standing on its own feet and walking to the Legion.

The body placed its forehead against the Legion's chassis, and Akeno blinked as she heard her System.

[Akeno, you must choose Legion's physical appearance.]

[I do? This never happened before.]

[This is because Legion's self-image isn't that of a human, so the Artificial body will take a suggestion from the nearest person, or the choice will be random, and Legion might end up with a male body. But you must... Well, that is too late now.]

[Ah? Too late?]

[The Artificial Body has already picked up on the first mental image that came to your mind.]

[…Oh.]

The Artificial Body was already shining with a white light, its shape changing. The Legion's main chassis dropped to the ground as if its power had been cut off.

When the light faded, Albion snorted in amusement.

In front of Akeno and Albion stood a blue-haired version of Rias Gremory, her body wrapped in a tight, black leather bodysuit and high-heeled black leather shoes.

Legion looked down at her new body with a frown, flexing her hands and lightly pinching her flesh in various spots.

Akeno guessed it was the first time for Legion to have a sense of touch.

"Akeno, why does she look like Rias?" asked Albion.

"It seems the artificial body needed someone's suggestion because Legion didn't have any human self-image to begin with, and it somehow latched into the first thing that crossed my mind." shrugged Akeno.

"I want to see how Rias and Ddraig will react to this." laughed Albion.

"This is a strange body." said Legion. "Why did you want me to have one like this?"

"For several reasons. It will be more adapted to the work we have in mind for you. I want you to learn more about humans, and having a human-like body will help. And it will be harder for other people to kill you. In time, you will gain most of the abilities I demonstrated when I fought your machines."

"I think you will agree that I am harder to kill than your previous body is." smiled Akeno.

"Yes. And I can still somehow command the Legion." nodded Legion before glancing at the incomplete Morpho. "What should I do with Pale Rider?"

"I asked his brother." sighed Akeno. "Shin wants his brother to be in peace, and for his remains to be buried on top of this hill."

"Understood." nodded Legion, and the Morpho collapsed like a five-thousand-tons puppet whose strings had been cut, with a great noise and a slight shake of the ground.

"Alright." nodded Akeno. "Next is the Oath of loyalty. Legion, do you agree to serve Noah Enfield, the leader of Valhalla, and Valhalla as a whole?"

"I accept." replied Legion.

Akeno felt the oath take effect and smiled.

"Good. I am Valhalla's acting vice-leader for the time being, so my orders take precedence over anyone else's aside from Noah's. Understand that at the current time, you are at the very bottom of the hierarchy. That might change later if you serve Noah well."

"I understand."

Albion used giant shovels made of condensed light to dig a hole, and Akeno flew to the downed Morpho. She carved the thick armor open and found the brain in a jar, took it, and placed it inside the hole.

Albion and Akeno remained quiet for a minute, then Albion filled the hole. Akeno created a white stone to mark the position, with the name of Shin's brother engraved on it.

"Legion, have some of your units dismantle the Morpho and carry it away, then sent your units elsewhere, please."

"Understood." replied Legion. "It will require about a week to create units with appropriate manipulators, bring them here, and execute this task."

"This is fine." nodded Akeno. "We'll get on our way, then."

Akeno took Legion in her arms, and they departed toward the Finality.

…

Akeno, not wanting for the members of the Spearhead Squadron or the 1028th to meet Legion so soon, decided to stop on the way and put her in her Sanctuary before reaching the Finality. But didn't use its time compression feature in order not to risk isolating Legion from her network.

Once inside the ship, Akeno exchanged a few words with Da Vinci and Leila, then entered her quarters. She was surprised to see blue-eyed woman with a bob of black hair stopping at her neck waiting for her.

"I wish to participate." smiled Cortana.

Akeno considered it for an instant, then smiled. "Alright. Do you see this as your opportunity to be on the other side of the crop?"

"I'd probably want to try it one day, but what I have in mind for now is for you to treat me as a role model."

"You are aware that Legion is going to experience something a lot more severe than what we did together, right?"

"I know." nodded Cortana. "And I want to experience it, temporarily. No more than three days. Maybe I'll ask for more later."

Akeno grinned, put her Sanctuary on the desk, and transferred them both inside.

Legion had entered the wooden house inside the fake mountain flank and was carefully examining everything.

"Legion, this is Cortana, the Finality's Artificial Intelligence." nodded Akeno as she gestured toward Cortana.

"Nice to meet you, Legion." nodded Cortana.

"Greetings." replied Legion without a nod.

Akeno had noticed it earlier. Legion lacked all the little gestures humans did to accompany their voices, giving a little bit of an uncanny valley feeling. That was something she intended to teach her over time.

"Akeno, where is this place?" asked Legion. "The snow outside of this structure isn't snow."

"A small dimensional pocket, and the snow only has a cosmetic purpose." shrugged Akeno. "The artifact generating this dimension is now inside the Finality, and I will let you out eventually. A couple of ground rules, though. You will not attempt to take over any of the Finality's systems, nor the Sirins, or the Feldrebs belonging to Valhalla."

"Understood, but I do not know what Sirins refers to."

"The artificial humanoids that the Holy Kingdom or Roa Garcia used to man some of their Feldrebs. Surely you met some of them after defeating them in battle."

"I did." replied Legion.

"Cortana, strip." commanded Akeno.

As Cortana started removing her uniform, Akeno walked behind Legion, grabbed the zipper on her nape, and pulled it down.

"I am going to remove your current outfit, Legion. I have another one for you to wear."

"Acknowledged." said Legion. "Is it part of the work you will have me do in return for not destroying me?"

"It is." nodded Akeno. "When I asked you a few days ago what your goals were, you only told me you wanted to ensure your survival."

"That is correct and still current."

"Yes, but I am not satisfied with that. Survival is only the continuation of life. This is a goal almost everyone shares, but to have only this is very unhealthy. You need to have other goals, other desires. And before we give you the ability to heal people's injuries or diseases and get you started on making up for all the people you killed, we will assign you a role that should also teach you to want something besides surviving. Now lift your left leg."

Legion did, and Akeno removed her left boot and got her leg out of the suit. She repeated the process with Legion right leg, and Legion stood naked, without trying to cover her crotch or breasts.

Akeno nodded with a smile, the turned to Cortana, who was equally naked and also didn't bother hiding her assets.

Akeno took from her inventory the item she had initially prepared for Legion. A chastity belt, made of a translucent blue material like sapphire, with floral patterns and two inserts. It was her replica of the very belt Lilith had "gifted" her, and she had already synchronized it with her smartphone.

"Ufufu." softly chuckled Akeno as she next took a bottle of lubricant and coated both inserts.

She crouched in front of Cortana, holding the belt, and Cortana smiled as she stepped into the belt.

"I wonder how many of your belt's features you managed to replicate." said Cortana.

"How many…" blurted out Akeno with a raised eyebrow before she frowned. "Did you perhaps peep at my private times with Noah?"

"Maybe I did." smirked Cortana. "Women repeatedly going into your quarters made me curious. And you're inside me after all. I think I have a right to know what is going on."

"I do not fully disagree, but still, that's no good, Cortana." chuckled Akeno as she lifted the belt. Cortana relaxed when the heads of both inserts touched her pussy and anus, and started pushing their way up. "You need to be pu-ni-shed for peeping."

"Then so be it… mmmph." snorted Cortana. A soft moan escaped her lips as the two dildos fully disappeared inside her. "Depending on the punishment, maybe I will still peep later."

The belt, a golem, shrunk slightly until it sat snug on Cortana's hips. It would not let go unless Akeno sent a command through her smartphone.

Akeno stepped back, took her smartphone, and grinned.

"You asked how many of the features I managed to replicate. At it turns out, most of them. At least I think so, since I haven't tested them it. A lapse that needs to be corrected, right now."

Akeno smiled as she launched the control app. Something her System had created while assisting her as she made the chastity belt. She started activating some of the options, and grinned as she changes took place.

A black material with the sheen of leather oozed from the belt, going up Cortana's belly and down her legs at a rate of a few centimeters per second.

When the material reached her feet, it pooled under it, forming a five-centimeters thick sole and fifteen-centimeters tall heels.

Cortana's arms, hands and fingers were fully coated by the false leather, and so were her throat and half of her face.

When it stopped, the material stopped at the bridge of her nose, covering it as well as her mouth and cheeks. She could still breathe easily as the fake leather created narrow channels linking her nostrils to the back of her head. Those channels were invisible from the outside.

"Can you breathe easily?"

"Meyphs." nodded Cortana, her eyebrows rising in surprise as she touched her lower face. The leather didn't just cover her lower face as she imagined. It also prevented her from opening her mouth like a muzzle.

Akeno nodded and turned on some more options.

A deep blue, wide leather posture collar formed around Cortana's throat. tentacles made of the material burst from her back, grabbed her arms, and pulled them back and up in a reverse-prayer position before transforming into dark blue leather cuffs around her wrists and above her elbows. Cortana's hands were forcibly closed into fists, a second layer of the material forming pouches around them.

More tentacles ensnared Cortana's waist before widening and merging with each other. When the transformation was over, Cortana's waist was squeezed by a dark blue leather corset, removing 8 centimeters from her waist size.

"You should get on your knees before the belt forces you too, Cortana, or you may fall." suggested Akeno, and Cortana obeyed, managing to keep her balance despite the restraints and heels.

As soon as she was done, deep blue leather sheaths formed around her thighs and legs, pinning her heels against her butt cheeks. Cortana's legs were now bound in a frog-tie.

Akeno nodded in satisfaction. So far, the features seemed to work as intended. She next activated both dildos, setting them to randomly alternate between vibrations, thrusts, inflation and deflation, and tilts to one side or another.

Finding the option to allow or deny orgasms, Akeno activated the alternate denial mode.

Most denial plays consisted of having a vibrating toy gradually bring its user close to climax, then shut down until the user could safely be stimulated again, leaving them in deep frustration.

The belt was perfectly capable of doing just that, but the alternate setting Akeno had chosen would let Cortana orgasm once to establish the baseline, then lower its intensity to a percentage of that baseline.

Akeno had tested that with Lena before, using a Sybian machine, and Lena had reported that the experience was both better and worse somehow than the on and off approach.

It left Lena desperate to be touched and played with.

Akeno patted Cortana's head.

"You will watch for now. I will have the belt keep you hot and bothered for a few hours while I deal with Legion. Then, we will have some fun together, my plaything. On my terms. You will accept what I choose to give you, and nothing more."

"Mmphes." replied Cortana as she managed a small nod despite the posture collar.

"What do you think, Legion?" Asked Akeno as she turned to her.

Legion had been observing without expression

"This device makes extensive use of nano-machines, yet there is no evident storage space for this mount. Does this device possess a dimensional pocket?"

"That is correct." nodded Akeno.

"I understand. But I cannot determine its benefit. This device only seems to severely limit Cortana's available range of movement. It makes her body considerably less useful."

"That is something you need to experience yourself to truly understand, Legion." smiled Akeno. "Now I am going ot make another one for you. I could make a blue one, but variety is important, and…"

"Mmpresh!" groaned Cortana. as she gently rocked her hips.

"Red?" asked Akeno, and Cortana nodded.

Akeno turned back to Legion, imagining her in a black and red outfit, and decided it would look good on her. She set her smartphone on the wooden floor and used Item Creation to make a translucent red belt. Its smooth surface could have been made of rubis.

"I will make you wear this one later, Legion." smiled Akeno as she set the belt on the ground.

Since Legion was likely a virgin right now, Akeno wanted to deflower her first.

She moved behind Legion, hugged her from behind, and with both hands, started massaging Legion's breasts.

"What are you doing?" asked Legion after a few seconds.

"Preparing you. Does it feel pleasant, Legion?"

"…I do not know. It feels increasingly strange."

"But do you want those strange sensations to stop, or to keep going?"

"…I would like for this experience to continue." decided Legion.

"Then it is pleasant. And this is part of what we are going to teach you, Legion. We want you to want more of those pleasant feelings. There is more to life than just living."

"Why do you want me to desire more than maintaining my existence?" asked Legion as her nipples hardened.

"For control." smiled Akeno. Her left hand drifted down, and she started gently rubbing Legion's clit. "You swore loyalty to us, and that is good. But in Valhalla, we motivate our members with more than an agreement. We make them experience pleasure more intense that what they can obtain elsewhere."

"You could self-pleasure yourself. That is called masturbation. I will make you masturbate later to demonstrate. But you will discover that this isn't nearly as pleasurable as what we in Valhalla can do with each other."

"I understand." nodded Legion. "You want me to want this pleasure, so that I will obey you to receive more of it."

"Exactly." smiled Akeno. "Do you object to it?"

"I already agreed to follow your orders." replied Legion. "This incentive is a benefit."

"Right, calling it an incentive is fitting." nodded Akeno as she rubbed Legion's clit a little faster, then inserted a finger into her pussy. It was still a little dry, but wetness was spreading. "Because you have two jobs from now on, Legion. The first and most immediate one will be to provide pleasure to other members of Valhalla when they request it, and you will often, not always, receive pleasure in return."

"The second job will be to heal patients and do humanitarian work. Once we decide you have worked that second job long enough to compensate for all the people you killed, we will consider promoting you and granting you more freedom."

"Understood. This feels very pleasant." said Legion. Her breathing was now faster.

Akeno nodded and inserted a second finger. She also nibbled on Legion's left ear.

Legion has never experienced anything like this before, but her new body was based on the mental image Akeno had conjured back then. A mental image that wasn't only limited to a physical appearance, but also to the desire for Legion to become a sex slave.

As a result, Legion's body was very responsive to physical stimulation. One could say she was built for sex.

It didn't take long before Legion started trembling.

"Something… Is building up… Like some kind of pressure…" gasped Legion.

"Ufufu, look forward to your first orgasm, Legion." chuckled Akeno as she increased the pace.

"Aaahhhh…" gasped Legion as her limbs started spasming, and she was rocked by her first orgasm.

Akeno held her firmly against her body until it passed.

"Did you like that, Legion?"

"…Yes. That was very pleasant." replied Legion.

"Good. Get on the sofa, Legion and lie on your back. What we will do next will be painful for a minute, then become more pleasant that what you felt just now."

"I understand." nodded Legion as she obeyed. "You are going to rupture this body's hymen."

"Yes. I see you aren't completely clueless about sex."

"I accessed medical literature before." replied Legion.

Akeno nodded before removing her own clothes, revealing the amethyst-colored belt around her own hips and taking Corruption from her inventory.

When she moved the large, black dildo with a purple butterfly pattern around its shaft near the center of the belt, Akeno felt a pull.

It was like there was a magnet inside Corruption's base, and it adhered on the belt's surface with a soft click.

Akeno felt the artificial nerves inside Corruption connect with her own, and she ran her fingers around the shaft a few times.

She grinned as she positioned herself between Legion's legs, ready to thrust into her.

Akeno intended to give Legion a few more orgasms with vaginal penetration, then introduce her to anal sex.

After that, Legion would wear the rubis-colored chastity belt, and get to try the exact same settings Cortana was currently enjoying, aside from the blue color being replaced by red, and a different collar. Legion would get one of the special ones.

Although she wondered if this was even necessary, considering how well Legion seemed to be accepting of her new circumstances.

…

"Can you let me out of this prison?" asked Alpha when she saw Takina walk down the hallway, followed by Nu.

Takina wore black leather pants and knee-high boots, a black leather top, black leather fingerless gloves covering her forearms, and held the end of a short chain. A chain that was linked to a pair of shackles keeping Nu's hands bound in front of her.

Nu was dressed in a black and white cotton maid outfit with a large chest window and a short skirt that was decidedly too short for polite company, and long white gloves and stockings. The unfortunate girl would likely end up flashing her butt if she leaned forward.

A panel gag covered her lower face, with a bulge suggesting her mouth was filled to capacity. And of course, she had a black leather collar around her throat.

Nu tried to keep a dignified expression despite her attire and bondage, and exchanged a respectful nod with Alpha.

She had been waiting in that dreadful hallway for a while now, unwilling to enter any of the rooms where she knew her companions were being trained.

Both because she knew they would feel more humiliated if they saw her watching, and because she cowardly didn't want to risk them resenting her for her current privileged treatment.

"Why do you want to go out?" asked Takina.

"Since I am not going to be… trained, my presence here is unnecessary." said Alpha. "It should be fine if I stay inside the Sanctuary, right? I am bound by that oath and I cannot even attempt to get out."

Takina stared at her for a few seconds, then nodded and let go of the chain.

"Nu, I expect you to be right there when I return." warned Takina.

Nu nodded, but Alpha could see in her eyes that she was going to bolt the instant she could, if only to express her defiance.

Alpha felt pride. Even in their seemingly hopeless circumstances, her companions were still resisting where they could.

Takina seemed to see it as well and snorted before turning back to Alpha. She stepped closer, put a hand over Alpha's right shoulder, and suddenly, she and Alpha were outside, in front of a large wooden house, in a clearing surrounded by strange green trees with a very narrow and tall segmented stalk.

"Those are called bamboos." said Takina as she noticed her gaze. "They are often used as scaffolding because of their resistance and light weight. Well, those aren't real bamboos, just replicas to mark the Sanctuary's borders. The others should be inside."

Alpha nodded and followed Takina to the house's door. They entered, and found Alexia, Claire and Rose in the living room. They have been staring at something Alpha had never seen before.

"You girls are watching television?" asked Takina, surprised.

"Yes." nodded Claire. "We needed a break between all those training sessions, and Alexia suggested trying to replicate something Noah showed us in our soul space."

"Ah, I see." smiled Takina as she stepped toward a small black device and picked it up. "You called someone after borrowing Chisato's phone and displayed the feed on the television. Who is it?"

"Yes, we called Aria. She was happy to help." nodded Alexia.

"What is this thing you're watching?" asked Alpha.

"It's called 'The Adventures of Magical Girl Sera-Chan'." shrugged Claire. "And the actress playing the main heroine is going to join Noah's harem, according to Chisato."

"That is the case." nodded Takina. "I never met Serafall Leviathan personally, but I heard Noah mention her. It seems she's quite fun to be around, and a complete siscon with her younger sister."

"Siscon?" asked Alexia.

"That means she loves her little sister a lot, to an almost obsessive level." shrugged Takina. "Anyway, since Alpha is bound by an oath, she's safe to be around, and there is no point keeping her in the Purgatory. Don't let her out of the Sanctuary, though. Now I'm going back. I am almost sure someone just did something she shouldn't have and deserves a good spanking."

"Yes, we'll leave you to it." nodded Alexia as she waved her away.

Takina left, and Alpha hesitated, not sure what to do next.

"Don't just stand there, take a seat." said Alexia.

Alpha watched Rose and Claire, seeing no reluctance on their faces, and took a deep breath.

"Alright." nodded Alpha as she sat on the nearest free spot.

"Once we're done watching this, Alpha, I want to spar with you." said Claire.

"A spar?" frowned Alpha.

"Yes. You'll probably win because you have a lot more magical power, for now. But you've been trained by this dear little brother of mine, so your swordsmanship style should be close to his own, and I want to get some experience against it."

"…What did they tell you?" sighed Alpha.

"Everything Noah knows, I think." shrugged Claire. "When the time comes, I want to fight Cid. I want to make him pay for treating me like a fool all this time."

"You'll need to enter Noah's harem to get the power to even try to do that, though." pointed out Alexia.

"…I know." nodded Claire. "That's coming anyway. It's not like I'm made of stone, and this damn handsome face of his is a cheat."

"Yes, a cheat." agreed Alexia. "And once you start having sex with him, you won't be able to leave. You won't want to."

"…Claire, did they tell you what they intend to do to your brother? That they want to turn him into a woman?" asked Alpha. She couldn't escape by herself, but if she managed to recruit Claire's help, then maybe…

Claire turned away from the television to face her.

"…Yes, Noah told me."

"And you agree with it?"

Claire sighed.

"… Alpha, do you realize that my little brother is insane? I love him, and anyone trying to kill him will have to go through me first, but something needs to be done to stop him, and Noah's idea solves several issues at the same time."

"How can you say that about Cid?" asked Alpha, alarmed.

"Cid lived to the age of nineteen or so in his previous life, kept his memories intact as he was reborn here, and is now eighteen. That's almost four decades of life experience. And yet, he still has the mentality of a child."

"Don't try to deny it, Alpha. Noah showed me some of your interactions with my brother when you two were alone. And you know what I saw? Not the relationship between a commander and a subordinate, or two friends. It looked like a doting mother taking care of a lazy child."

Alpha opened her mouth to protest, but countless flashes of memories came to her mind, scenes of herself fixing his clothes, removing the shoes he was too lazy to take off himself as he laid on the bed, and so much more.

"The truth, Alpha..." said Claire, deciding to press her advantage. "…is that Cid is obsessed with the idea of hiding his own strength, only to reveal it in carefully chosen and very dramatic circumstances where he will show off with no consideration for the results of his actions or collateral damage."

"It is his obsession, and it has become a self-imposed prison for him. None of us would be doing him a service by denying reality like you have done until now. Cid needs to suffer a crushing defeat to shatter this mental prison, so he can grow out of his childish fantasies and become a proper man."

Alpha was about to retort that Cid wouldn't be a man anymore if Noah's plan succeeded, but Claire forestalled her with a raised hand.

"I don't like the part of the plan where he becomes a woman instead, but Noah has a point when he tells me that it will make the assimilation of Shadow Garden smoother to have him in his harem, and that he will be better able to reign in Cid's impulsive decisions and help him grow as a person. As long as Cid is happy in the end, that's… fine with me… mostly. But if you have a better idea, feel free to talk about it."

"…How can you even know if what Noah showed you is true or not? Maybe he's manipulating you…"

"Alpha, I have spent over six weeks in his company by now." cut in Claire. "And after being burned once by Cid's shenanigans, I have watched Noah like a hawk. He's not a good enough actor to pull something like that off."

Rose and Alexia nodded.

They too knew Noah well by now, and while they could guess he wasn't telling them absolutely everything, they knew that Noah wouldn't lie about something like this. He was too smart not to realize that lies had a strong tendency to later blow up in liars' faces.

Alpha realized that trying to convince Claire to help her escape was hopeless, and fell silent.

As Claire, Rose and Alexia decided to turn their attention back to the television, giving her time to think, Alpha started thinking back to her interactions with Shadow.

If a member of Shadow Garden had told her she was acting as Shadow's caretaker, Alpha would have drawn pride from it, smiled, and replied that helping Shadow with mundane matters so he could focus on greater things was simply part of her role as the vice-leader.

In hindsight, she could see why Claire had called her a doting mother. But examining things from that angle raised a few questions that made Alpha uncomfortable.

What exactly did she feel about Shadow? It was admiration, certainly. Not romantic love, although Alpha would gladly have offered herself if Shadow showed any interest in such a relationship.

Wasn't her love for Shadow… like the love of a mother for a child?

Alpha had long ago resolved herself to serve Shadow for the rest of her life, as gratitude for everything he had done for her, and to fight the Cult of Diablos. She had, more or less consciously, given up on ever getting a child, until and unless Shadow showed interest.

Could she, without really realizing it, be treating Shadow like a surrogate child?

Besides, it was true that Shadow had never manifested any shred of romantic or lustful interest in any of the young women surrounding him, despite some of them flaunting their bodies like Beta, Epsilon or Delta, and wearing attires that highlighted their curves.

Didn't that mean that Noah had a point when he stated that Shadow was still a kid in a man's body?

Alpha shook her head with a wince. No, they couldn't be right. It would upturn everything she thought she knew about Shadow.

Despite her best efforts, the seed of doubt had started taking root in Alpha's mind, and she couldn't stop her thoughts from picking at it like a scab.