Chapter 80 – Rank.

Eleonora looked at Sun's hand holding her fist.

For a second, she didn't speak. Her purple eyes were wide. Her lips trembled. Not from fear. From rage.

Sun was still in front of Matt, completely naked, with a serious expression and her fingers closed around Eleonora's wrist.

Matt didn't move either. He just watched the scene with the pistols still in his hands.

Iris, sitting on the bed, was watching everything with a smile that had lost quite a bit of confidence.

Eleonora clenched her teeth.

"Move," Eleonora growled.

Sun didn't blink.

"No."

Eleonora yanked her arm. Sun held it.

The grip wasn't perfect. She didn't have the refined technique of an old ego-weapon. But she had strength. A lot. Too much for someone who had awakened so recently.

Eleonora frowned.

"I told you to move," Eleonora shouted, tensing her shoulders. "I'm going to teach Matt a lesson."

Sun held her gaze.

"I wasn't going to allow that," Sun answered firmly.

Eleonora opened her mouth to answer.

Then the room lit up blue.

A cold light appeared next to Matt, growing from the air until it took a human form.

Matt turned his head slightly. Iris did too.

Eleonora went still when she saw another presence forming in front of him.

The light dropped.

Moon appeared, but she was also naked. Her blue hair fell over her shoulders and her eyes of the same color looked at Eleonora with a mix of fear and resolve.

Moon swallowed. Then she took a step forward, placing herself between Matt and Eleonora.

"If you dare hit our master," Moon warned, her voice trembling a little, "we'll beat you up."

Matt blinked.

Sun didn't take her eyes off Eleonora.

Iris raised an eyebrow.

Eleonora looked at Moon. Then at Sun. Then back at Moon.

Her tears were still there, but her expression hardened more.

"You two?" Eleonora asked, incredulous.

Moon clenched her fists.

"Yes."

Eleonora let out a low laugh. It didn't sound amused.

"Weapons as young as you two aren't going to tell me what to do."

Moon took half a step back, but didn't move away from Matt.

Sun let go of Eleonora's wrist and adjusted her stance.

"Then back off on your own," Sun asked.

Eleonora smiled with fury.

"No."

She moved all at once. Fast.

Moon's eyes went wide. She didn't have time to dodge.

BAM!

Eleonora's fist struck her face.

Moon's head snapped to the side from the impact and she stumbled back several steps.

Matt took a step forward.

Sun moved first. She lunged at Eleonora and grabbed her black hair with one hand.

"Don't touch her!" Sun shouted.

TUG!

Sun pulled hard.

Eleonora clicked her tongue, her head tilting to one side from the pull.

Moon recovered almost instantly. Her cheek was red. Her blue eyes shone.

For the first time, her expression stopped being shy.

She stepped in and sank her fist into Eleonora's stomach.

THUD!

The blow echoed in the room.

Eleonora let out a short breath.

But she didn't fall. She didn't even stagger back much. She slowly lowered her gaze to Moon.

"Was that it?" Eleonora asked, in a low voice.

Moon's eyes widened a little.

Eleonora raised her arm.

Sun tried to pull her hair again.

Eleonora turned her body and elbowed Sun in the side.

BAM!

Sun clenched her teeth and lost her grip. Then Eleonora grabbed Moon by the shoulder and shoved her back.

THUD!

Moon crashed into a small table.

The wood creaked.

CRACK!

Matt raised the pistols.

"No," Iris cut in from the bed.

Matt looked at her.

Iris was still watching the fight.

"Let them," Iris insisted, with an uncomfortable calm. "This is between ego-weapons."

Matt tightened his fingers around the grips.

"I don't care."

Iris looked at him sidelong.

"If you step in now, Eleonora will never accept it."

Matt didn't answer because that sounded annoying. And maybe true.

Sun lunged at Eleonora again. Moon too.

Eleonora took a step back, dodging Sun's first punch and blocking Moon's second with her forearm.

TAK!

The impact made her arm vibrate.

Eleonora frowned.

"You're beginners," Eleonora spat with fury.

Sun attacked again.

Eleonora blocked.

Moon tried to hit her leg.

Eleonora jumped back.

Sun took advantage and punched her in the shoulder.

BAM!

Eleonora stepped back.

Moon moved from the side and hit her in the ribs.

THUD!

Eleonora clenched her teeth.

"You don't even know how to stand properly."

Sun didn't answer. Moon didn't either.

The two of them kept attacking.

That was the worst part for Eleonora.

They weren't precise. They didn't have style. They didn't have grace.

Sun was direct. Too direct. She went in from the front, blocked and hit with a strength she shouldn't have.

Moon was clumsier, but she moved with mana around her body, reinforcing every step and every impact.

They didn't fight prettily. They didn't fight elegantly.

But they fought together.

That, they did.

One covered when the other pulled back. One pressed when the other took a breath. One distracted when the other struck.

Eleonora blocked a punch from Sun with an open hand.

Moon took advantage and hit her in the abdomen again.

BAM!

Eleonora fell back two steps.

Sun pressed forward.

Eleonora tried to kick her.

Sun took the hit in the thigh and still grabbed Eleonora's leg.

Moon came in from the other side.

THUD!

Moon's punch struck Eleonora's side.

This time Eleonora did lose her balance and fell sideways onto the floor.

BAM!

The room went silent for a second.

Eleonora braced a hand against the floor. Her eyes were wide.

Not from pain. From surprise.

'What strength is this?'

It annoyed her to think it and hurt her more than the blow.

Those two were young. Too young. They shouldn't be pushing her like this. They shouldn't be forcing her back. They shouldn't be making her end up on the floor in front of Matt.

Eleonora raised her gaze.

Moon was breathing hard. Her body was covered by a light layer of blue mana.

It wasn't a small amount. The mana wrapped around her unstably, but abundantly. Too abundantly for such a recent ego-weapon.

Eleonora pressed her fingers against the floor.

'This one has mana to spare.'

Then she looked at Sun.

Sun was standing in front of Matt, fists clenched and her ruby eyes fixed on her.

She didn't have the same amount of mana around her.

No. Sun's was different.

The energy coming off her had blood in it. Matt's blood.

Almost her entire presence was soaked in that blood. Not like a simple contract mark. It was deeper. More embedded.

Eleonora felt an uncomfortable pressure in her chest.

'What...?'

There was something strange there. Something that didn't fit with a common contract. A form of connection she hadn't seen before, or didn't want to acknowledge.

Eleonora wanted to focus on that. She wanted to understand it.

But Sun moved.

Moon did too.

"Don't turn your back on me," Sun warned, stepping closer.

Moon raised her fists with less confidence.

"Please don't try to hit master again," Moon asked, nervous.

Eleonora clenched her teeth.

"Respect ranks," Eleonora growled, getting to her feet with effort.

Moon blinked.

"Huh?"

Eleonora vanished from her spot.

Not completely. She was just too fast for Moon.

BAM!

The blow landed directly in the center of Moon's chest.

Moon's eyes went wide.

The air left her lungs.

"Ah!"

Her body was flung backward.

CRASH!

Moon slammed into the wardrobe. The wood split at the impact zone. Several garments fell on top of her.

Matt tensed.

"Moon."

Moon coughed from the floor.

"I-I'm okay," Moon murmured with difficulty.

She didn't sound okay.

Eleonora breathed hard. The blow had been heavier than it should have been. She'd used more energy than necessary.

Her body demanded to be paid back immediately. But she didn't care.

She looked at Sun.

"Now you."

Sun stepped forward.

Eleonora struck first.

BAM!

The fist connected with Sun's face.

Sun's head turned. But she didn't fall.

Eleonora's eyes widened.

Sun looked forward again. There was blood at the corner of her mouth. She wiped it with her thumb.

Then she returned the blow.

BAM!

Sun's fist struck Eleonora's jaw.

Eleonora stepped back. One step. Two.

Matt saw Eleonora's breathing turn ragged. Sun was breathing harder too, but she was still standing.

Eleonora raised a hand to her own mouth. There was blood. She looked at it. Then she looked at Sun.

"Damn brat," Eleonora murmured.

Sun held her gaze.

"Don't touch my master," Sun repeated.

Moon got up slowly from the broken wardrobe, with clothes hanging over her shoulders and a dazed expression.

"And don't insult us either," Moon added, in a weak voice.

Matt lowered his hands a little.

"I don't think that part is up for negotiation," Matt commented.

Moon looked at him.

"Oh..."

Eleonora looked at Matt again.

Her purple eyes were full of rage, pain and something else. Something worse.

"Why?" Eleonora asked.

Matt didn't answer.

Eleonora took a step toward him, but Sun stepped between them again.

Eleonora didn't try to hit her. Not immediately. She just looked over her shoulder.

"Why didn't you hesitate to make a contract with them?" Eleonora asked, her voice cracking a little.

Matt pressed his lips together.

Eleonora continued:

"With them, yes."

Moon lowered her gaze. Sun didn't move.

"With me, no," Eleonora said. "With me, never."

Iris, from the bed, was no longer smiling.

Matt stayed still.

Eleonora took another step, but Sun raised an arm to stop her.

"Answer," Eleonora demanded.

Matt closed his eyes for a second. Then he opened them.

"Because I'm going to stay here," Matt revealed.

The room fell completely silent.

Iris's eyes widened. So did Eleonora's. Moon raised her head. Sun turned her gaze slightly toward Matt, but didn't stop watching Eleonora.

Iris was the first to react, though she didn't speak. She just sat on the bed, fingers clenching the sheet.

The sentence didn't seem to fit in her head.

Matt. Staying. Here.

Eleonora, on the other hand, understood part of it. Not all. But part.

If Matt was staying, then a contract with Sun and Moon wasn't a chain to keep him from going back to the human world. Not in the same way.

If Matt was accepting to be in the castle, he was accepting to carry those two with him. He was accepting them being his weapons. He was accepting a permanence he had denied her before.

Eleonora felt something rise in her throat.

It wasn't just anger.

It was injustice.

An enormous injustice.

"You're going to stay with them?" Eleonora asked, in a low voice.

Matt didn't answer right away.

Eleonora pointed at Sun and Moon.

"With these two?"

Moon dropped her shoulders. Sun frowned.

Eleonora clenched her fists.

"And I waited for you all this time for THAT?"

Matt looked at her tiredly.

"Eleonora."

"No," Eleonora cut in, taking another step. "Don't say my name in that voice."

Matt didn't say anything.

"You rejected me for months. You said you couldn't make the contract. You said you didn't want to be tied down. You said you were going to go back to your world."

Eleonora pointed at Moon.

"And now you make a contract with her."

Then she pointed at Sun.

"And with her."

Sun narrowed her eyes.

"We're his weapons."

"I WAS his weapon!" Eleonora shouted.

The voice echoed in the room.

Matt didn't move. Iris lowered her gaze. Moon went still.

Eleonora breathed with difficulty.

"This is unfair..."

Matt looked at Eleonora for several seconds. Then he let out a sigh.

"That's how things are now," Matt conceded, resigned.

Eleonora went still.

That sentence hurt her more than any blow.

That's how things are now.

It wasn't an explanation. It wasn't an apology. It wasn't an attempt to fix anything.

It was a door closing.

Eleonora felt the tears start to fall again. She tried to swallow them. She couldn't.

"If you had made a contract with me..." Eleonora murmured, pressing her lips together.

Matt looked at her.

Eleonora lowered her voice.

"If you had made a contract with me, I would have been willing to help you kill the queen."

Iris got up from the bed all at once.

"Eleonora."

Iris's voice was serious. Too serious.

Eleonora didn't look at her. She just kept looking at Matt.

Matt didn't flinch. He didn't open his eyes in surprise. He didn't smile. He didn't seem tempted.

He just watched her with that tired calm that was breaking Eleonora more than any rejection.

"That's already a thing of the past," Matt cut in.

Eleonora clenched her teeth and bit her lower lip. Blood appeared right away. A red line ran down her chin, but she didn't care because she had just heard herself.

She had just offered to betray the queen.

Iris.

Everything.

Just so that Matt would choose her.

And even so he didn't react.

Eleonora looked at Sun.

Then at Moon.

The two of them were in front of him. Naked. Without shame. Without having endured Iris trying to misuse her over and over.

And still they were there. Protecting him, with the right to call him master.

Eleonora slowly lowered her gaze, her legs lost strength and she dropped to her knees.

THUD!

Nobody spoke.

Moon took a step forward on instinct, but Sun raised a hand to stop her.

Eleonora kept her head down. Her shoulders trembled.

She didn't want them to see her like this.

She didn't want Matt to see her like this.

She didn't want Iris to see her like this.

She didn't want those two new weapons to see her like this.

But it was already too late.

"So..." Eleonora murmured.

Matt looked at her in silence.

Eleonora swallowed. The tears fell onto the floor.

"If just once…"

Her voice broke.

She pressed her hands against the black fabric of her dress.

"Couldn't you use me for practice?"

The room went still.

Matt closed his eyes.

It was only a second.

Then he opened them.

"No."

Eleonora raised her head slightly.

Matt held her gaze.

"I already have my ego-weapons."

Sun stayed serious.

Moon lowered her gaze.

Matt continued:

"You stay focused on working for Iris."

Eleonora opened her mouth.

Nothing came out. Nothing.

Not an insult. Not a plea. Not a threat.

Just air.

Matt had rejected her again.

But this time there was no big excuse. There was no escape. There was no human world. There was no rush. There was no Cave of the Forge.

Just him and that decision.

Eleonora felt helplessness. A horrible helplessness.

She wanted to get up. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to grab him by the neck and force him to understand. She wanted to shout at him that he had no right to do that to her.

But she couldn't.

Because Sun and Moon were in front of her. Both of them, naked and with fight marks on their skin, were still protecting Matt.

If Eleonora took a step, those two would throw themselves on her again.

And the worst part was that she might lose again.

Eleonora lowered her head again and her tears kept falling.

Iris remained standing next to the bed. Her expression was serious. Not annoyed. Not mocking. Just serious.

She looked at Eleonora. Then at Matt. Then at Sun and Moon.

Finally she took a deep breath.

"So that's the path you're going to take," Iris concluded calmly.

Matt didn't answer.

Iris watched him for a few more seconds.

Then her gaze went up to Matt's white hair.

That short hair. Messy. Impossible to ignore.

Iris let out a small sigh.

"At least," Iris asked, in a lower voice, "can you let me fix your hair before today's debut?"

Quick little update! (≧▽≦)/

Very soon, the novel will have up to Chapter 95 available early on Patreon. And on top of that, I’ve also started posting illustrations of some of the most important moments from the novel’s early chapters over there. ( ✧≖ ͜ʖ≖)

I want to slowly illustrate some of those key scenes from the beginning, and if the novel ever gets an Amazon release, I’d love to include several of them in it. (´꒳`)♡

That said, thank you so much for reading and supporting the novel throughout all these months. I really, really appreciate it. (╥﹏╥)♡

More stuff is coming soon. (ง •̀_•́)ง