Dawn City, Sandy Beach
Lilith had fully commandeered Solo's private beach spot.
She lounged beneath a wide parasol on a luxurious beach bed, legs crossed, sunglasses on, sipping a chilled tropical drink thoughtfully prepared and delivered by her Secret Service.
Solo, meanwhile, sat on the sand a short distance away, clutching his old towel like a beggar.
"…Honey, can I have—"
"Don't talk."
"…."
Solo immediately complied.
He had learned, through pain and repetition, that Lilith's silent treatment was not an invitation for negotiation.
Several minutes passed. The waves rolled in. The sun was warm. The silence was not.
"So," Lilith said casually, without opening her eyes, "what are you running from? The goddess?"
Solo let out a long breath.
"At first… I thought so," he admitted. "But I think… I'm actually running from you guys."
Lilith opened one eye.
"…Explain."
"For a hundred and thirty years, we prepared weapons," Solo said. "Everything we could build. Everything we could think of. All to kill as many enemies as possible."
He swallowed.
"We even built a nuclear bomb."
Lilith didn't react.
"We believed that if we destroyed the goddess's worshippers and ruled the planet," Solo continued, "we could finally get our revenge."
He paused.
"I promised that. To you. To all Muricans."
Another pause.
"And… I failed."
Lilith finally turned her head toward him.
"Why did you fail?"
Solo's voice cracked, just a little.
"Are you listening? We can't kill people anymore. How do we win a war without killing?"
He clenched his hands in the sand.
"And when the other kingdoms learn that… they'll definitely try to wipe us out."
Lilith nodded slowly.
"That's true," she said. "But isn't it your job to lead us through that?"
Solo looked away.
"You just… don't understand how I feel."
Lilith sighed.
"Remember this, Solo," she said calmly, closing her eyes again.
"You may be the weakest demon… but I married you because you're the strongest existence I've ever known. In your own way."
She adjusted her sunglasses.
"Now stop bothering me with your human pity party."
"I'm taking a nap."
Solo fell silent.
The waves kept rolling in.
---
Dawn Castle, East Wing
That night, Solo sat alone on the balcony, watching the lights of Dawn City slowly fade into quiet. The streets below dimmed one by one, as if the city itself knew when to sleep.
He hadn't spoken to Lilith since the beach.
"May I join you?" a familiar voice asked.
Solo turned.
It was King Luxtar—now simply Luxius's retired father.
"Ah, Your Majesty—"
"No 'majesty'," Luxtar said, waving a hand as he sat beside Solo. "That's Luxius now. I'm just an old man enjoying retirement."
He reached under his robe and discreetly produced two chilled cans of beer.
"I heard your wife banned you from alcohol," Luxtar added calmly. "So I smuggled these in."
"Bless you," Solo said without hesitation.
They clinked cans.
"Aaaahh… wonderful," Luxtar sighed after a long drink. "Soon your ships will bring more of this, and even commoners will be able to enjoy it."
"When we finish upgrading your port, yeah," Solo nodded. "Container ships. Bulk delivery. Cheap beer."
Luxtar chuckled. "Ha. I never thought I'd see the day Ravendawn becomes prosperous."
He took another slow sip.
"Hell, I didn't even think I'd ever return to this castle."
Luxtar gazed at the stone walls fondly, then gestured toward Solo's chair.
"You know… the chair you're sitting on," he said, "I used to sit there whenever something troubled my mind."
"…"
"So tell me," Luxtar continued casually. "What could troubles the mind of the demon leader? Is it how to defeat the goddess?"
Solo froze.
"H-how did you—?" He swallowed. "We kept that secret from outsiders."
"Ohohoho," Luxtar chuckled. "I'm old. Humans don't live a long lifespan, but as we grow older… we become sensitive to changes."
He tapped his chest lightly.
"Your people changed everything about their lives. Culture. Instinct. Identity. That level of devotion only comes from two things."
He raised two fingers.
"Love… or hate."
A pause.
"And demons aren't exactly known for love," he added dryly. "Heh. I'd be furious too if I were caged for thousands of years."
Solo stared at him, stunned by the old man's clarity.
"And you don't mind helping us?" Solo asked quietly.
"Even though… when we get the chance… we'll kill your goddess?"
"I stopped praying to her a long time ago."
Luxtar snorted.
"She never answered anyway. Hell, the only one who ever answered me was your foreign minister."
He took another sip.
"You Muricans take things from us, yes," Luxtar said. "But at least with you, we can say yes or no. And what we get in return is clear. Fair game."
He leaned forward.
"Meanwhile, the goddess takes. And takes. And takes. Can we even refuse? And what do we get in return?"
He scoffed.
"A vague promise of heaven? Pah."
Luxtar spat over the balcony.
"So go for it," he said with a laugh. "Kill her. You have my blessing! Hahaha!"
Solo let out a quiet huff.
"Thanks… but I don't know," he admitted. "Everything I believed in… it feels like a lie now."
Luxtar glanced at him.
"Belief cuts both ways."
Luxtor stared toward the distant ocean.
"A long time ago," he said quietly, "my family believed every kingdom respected us—the bastion of humanity standing against demons. But when they thought they were strong enough to fight the demons by themselves… And when Vandoria stole our land…"
He let out a breath.
"They all turned their eyes away from us."
He sighed.
"I also believed surrendering Dawn would protect it. Protect the city. Protect the people my wife loved."
He shook his head slowly.
"I thought: what's the worst that can happen? They're humans like us."
A bitter smile crossed his face.
"Boy, was I wrong. Some humans are demons wearing different skin."
"…Is that your biggest regret?" Solo asked.
"No."
Luxtor shook his head.
"My biggest regret is that after failing the people who trusted me… I hesitated."
His voice hardened just a little.
"I was too scared of failing again."
He glanced meaningfully at Solo.
"Sound familiar?"
"…You crafty old man."
Luxtor chuckled.
"We're leaders, Solo. No one can truly understands what we carry."
He lifted his can.
"So crack a beer. Swear. Cry. Whatever demons do. Stay in Dawn. Clear your mind. Then go back and be the best demon leader your people could ever hope for."
"…I'll try," Solo said, a faint smile forming.
"Are you always this wise?"
"No," Luxtor laughed. "That was my wife."
His expression softened.
"Whenever I sat on that chair, she'd sit right where I am now. Saying the words I needed to hear… or staying silent when I needed to think."
He smiled to himself.
"But she never let me face my problems alone."
Solo smiled warmly.
"And you know what?" Luxtor suddenly grinned.
Solo stiffened. "What."
"Whenever I finished thinking…" Luxtor leaned back smugly.
"We always ended up fucking. Right here. On this balcony."
"EWW! OLD MAN!"
"No, I'm serious!" Luxtor insisted. "We always doing it on that chair you're sitting on—sometimes even on the railing!"
He demonstrated with aggressive hip thrusts.
"Like this!"
"STOP IT! OH NO—IT'S STARTING TO FORM IN MY MIND!"
"I may be an old man now," Luxtor declared proudly, spanking imaginary buttocks,
"but if my wife were still alive, I know I could still ride her like a stud! HAHAHAHA!"
Solo covered his face.
Luxtor continued enthusiastically assaulting the air with imaginary memories.
The two laughed like idiots.
Neither noticed the figure perched quietly on the roof above them.
Lilith watched, lips curling into the tiniest smile.
"…Stupid husband," she muttered.
"If you asked me to talk, we could be fucking right now. Oh well."
She shrugged lightly.
"Your loss."
She took off silently, leaving the two men to their moment.
For several nights after, Solo and Luxtor continued meeting on the balcony—drinking, joking, swearing, and sneaking booze from the castle storage.
---
Dawn, A Hill Nearby the Castle
A week passed.
Then one morning, the maids found King Luxtor had passed away peacefully in his sleep.
There was no struggle. No pain. Just a gentle smile left on his face, as if he'd simply decided he was done.
A private funeral was held on a quiet hill overlooking the castle, led by Archmage Gregor. Luxtor was laid to rest beside the grave of his beloved wife.
Luxius stood between the two gravestones.
"Goodbye, Father," he said softly.
"Everything will be alright now. You and Mother can rest… and watch over us."
A few steps behind him, Solo, Lilith, and Hannya stood respectfully—Murican representatives… and friends.
Lilith leaned slightly toward Solo.
"Are you sad?" she asked gently.
"Not really…" Solo replied. "I'm jealous."
Lilith blinked. "Jealous?"
"That dirty old man," Solo continued quietly, "got everything a man could ever wish for."
"…I suppose so."
Hannya interrupted bluntly.
"Is it the son?" she asked. "Are you two planning to have a son like former King Luxtor?"
Solo and Lilith turned bright red instantly.
"A-Anyway!" Solo coughed loudly. "Please arrange transport to Bashington tomorrow. I have work to do."
"Yes, sir!" Hannya replied crisply.
Lilith watched him for a moment, smiling softly.
Her husband had finally returned to the man she fell in love with.
On their last night in Dawn Castle, Solo invited Lilith to the balcony. They shared wine beneath the moonlight.
In honor of the dirty old man…
They spent the entire night enthusiastically recreating his balcony tradition until dawn.
---
Bashington DC, Cabinet Meeting Room
The meeting table was already full with Solo's cabinet members and their staff.
After more than a month of vacations, the ship captain had finally returned to the helm.
"Huh, Belphy?" Mo said. "It's rare to see you joining a meeting."
"I tried to bail as usual," Belphy replied, "but this time Lilith's threats are so fucking real."
A moment later, Solo and Lilith entered the room.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, sir."
Solo took his seat. A staffer poured his coffee with practiced precision.
"Thank you."
He set the cup down.
"Alright," Solo said. "As you all know, we've had major developments in our war against the goddess—especially after discovering the true nature of the goddess virus."
He glanced toward one corner of the room.
"Oh, and congratulations to Director Lich for winning the No-Bail Award in Physiology and Medicine for his latest discovery."
Clap.
Clap.
Clap clap clap clap clap.
"Ohohoho! Thank you, thank you," Lich said proudly.
The skeleton beamed, his medal dangling proudly from his neck.
"Sorry for being late, Lich," Solo continued. "My vacation took longer than expected."
He rose to his feet.
"Now—our discovery changes everything. Our initial plan of using peace to buy time, then erasing goddess-worshipping nations one by one with force… is no longer viable."
His voice hardened.
"From this moment, I—Alex Solomon, Prime Minister of the United Demon Kingdoms of Murica—decide a new path."
A pause.
"We will continue our campaign for revenge and the downfall of the goddess Celes—"
Another pause.
A breath.
A grin.
"—by building world peace."