"Is something up with him?" Amon noticed Alaric's reaction and glanced at Danitz, adjusting his monocle as he asked.
As Amon spoke, Danitz, though not the sharpest, sensed something off with his animal-like instincts. He stepped back, intending to slip into the crowd, but bumped into someone.
"Sorry, excuse me, I'm in a hurry…" Danitz apologized instinctively. Despite being a pirate, Edwina's teachings had made the Golden Dream's first mate oddly polite. But when he saw who he'd collided with, his voice cut off.
The person also wore a monocle, mirroring the gesture of someone he'd just seen. Without reason, Danitz's spirituality screamed danger.
"You seem nervous, sir."
"Need some help?"
"You look pale. Are you ill?"
Voices of concern surrounded him, as if this weren't the pirate-filled City of Generosity but some quaint, wholesome town. Yet Danitz's face grew paler, his fingers trembling. Every person wore a monocle, their faces different yet eerily similar.
What in the blazes was this? Was this still Bayam, the City of Generosity?
Danitz's mind froze.
"Stop scaring people. And release your parasites from them. Humans aren't your toys. If you can't kick that habit, I'll have a word with your father."
A stranger's voice, not warm but firm, pulled Danitz from his fear. He gasped, eyes wide, looking thoroughly spooked.
The people around him began coughing, expelling Worms of Time that vanished quickly.
What just happened? Danitz's mind was a fog.
"Sorry, force of habit. My brain acted before I could stop it. I'll try to restrain myself." another voice said, sending an inexplicable shiver through Danitz.
Terrifying!
The crowd, as if forgetting the incident, looked around in confusion before dispersing like startled birds.
The City of Silver group watched in silence.
Colin Iliad finally grasped what Lucifer meant by Amon's "somewhat mischievous" nature. A flicker of worry crossed his mind: Have we pledged ourselves to an evil god? They didn't seem like upright figures.
But he suppressed the thought, focusing on Lucifer approaching Danitz, his resolve firming. Whatever the case, Lucifer had brought light to City of Silver. Out of gratitude or necessity, they had no way back.
No choice but to see it through.
"You okay?" Alaric asked, standing before the shaken and confused Danitz, feeling a rare pang of pity for the unlucky guy.
Amon had moved too fast for Alaric to intervene. At least Danitz's ordeal wasn't to bad. Hopefully, it wouldn't leave too deep a scar.
Alaric wasn't entirely sure, though, and he wondered why Danitz was here.
"I… I'm fine." Danitz managed, glancing at Alaric, then at Amon, who watched him quietly a few steps away. He forced out the words, managing a strained smile.
Alaric shot Amon a look, and Amon returned an innocent grin.
"I didn't do anything else to him." Amon said, feigning grievance.
"Your mere presence is torture enough." Alaric retorted, then turned to Danitz with a smile. "Sorry about that. Amon was just playing a prank. As an apology, how about we treat you to a meal? Don't worry, he won't harm you again."
Danitz's eyes widened. He wanted to refuse, but his words came out as, "S-sure, that's… very kind of you."
Alaric saw Danitz's reluctance but chose to ignore it. Passing up a chance to mess with the Red Maid? Unthinkable!
"So how are you any different from me?" Amon asked, genuinely curious.
"No difference. I've never denied I'm a bit of a jerk." Alaric said, glancing at Amon without a hint of shame.
"Is that your so-called humanity?" Amon, used to Alaric's shamelessness, pressed on sincerely. "Doesn't seem much different from me."
"There's a difference. I have a line; you don't." Alaric said, meeting Amon's dark eyes seriously. "Amon, you need to set one for yourself, no matter who it's for."
Amon adjusted his monocle, pondering. "What kind of line should I draw?"
"At the very least, respect life. Killing is fine, but killing for amusement isn't a good habit." Alaric said, smiling. "That's my line. Having fun is great, but killing or mentally breaking the innocent for it? Not allowed."
"Sounds like a low bar." Amon said, lowering his gaze, lost in thought.
"I'm no saint. If you want, you could aim for your father's standards. I don't care either way." Alaric said, shrugging nonchalantly.
Amon fell silent, likely recalling the Ancient Sun God's principles. Finally, he said earnestly, "Turning over a new leaf takes steps. I'll start with your standard."
He admired his father, but adopting his entire worldview? Terrifying. Amon felt a rare twinge of fear.
"Tch." Alaric said, unsurprised by Amon's reaction. He shook his head, then turned to the City of Silver group with a smile. "Sorry for the wait. Let's head to the restaurant!"
The group stayed silent, none objecting.
And so, they marched toward Amon's restaurant, now with a quivering Red Maid in tow.
***
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