“S-sorry... It was me. I was the one who tried to assassinate the Queen.”

  Biscuit kneels in apology with her head placed firmly against a floor of rubble in the centre of the Krumbledome’s sunken arena. Her quiet voice can barely be heard over the cheering of those celebrating Lust’s defeat, and her heavy words fall only on the ears of those gathered around her.

  “... Fweh?”

  Biscuit was the one who tried to assassinate Queen Kokoro—Greed of the Seven? That sweet and innocent little ball of fluff? That’s harder to believe than the accusation that Bran did it! I mean, Biscuit doesn’t seem like the type to want to hurt anybody in the first place. Whereas I saw Bran beat up two women and a child for having boyfriends the other day, as well as drop a guy down an elevator shaft for mentioning his wife. Although, Biscuit is definitely the only one of the two who could potentially pull something like that off. Not only is she exceptionally sneaky, but she’s pretty damn agile too. I remember how effortlessly she scaled the outer walls of the Spire when we all got thrown outside of it. Bran, on the other hand, I remember complaining to me back in the Curse Ward because he accidentally cut himself on the butter knife one morning while making breakfast. This guy couldn’t assassinate a sandwich, let alone one of the Seven.

  “Biscuit, I appreciate you trying to help me...” the man in question complains, poking out from his hiding spot behind the unamused Mei-Mei. “But nobody’s going to believe a lie like that! If some other innocent person wants to give a false confession and take my place, I’d much rather it be the gorilla, because at least then it would be believable!”

  This guy... Even if he didn’t do it, maybe it’d be fine to just leave him to his fate anyway.

  “Besides...” Bran continues. “Neither of us did anything wrong, so I don’t want you taking the blame for something you didn’t—”

  “It’s not a lie,” Biscuit interrupts, her face still planted against the floor in apology. “While the Queen was travelling with her guards, I snuck onto her carriage with the intention to k-kill her... and failed. Because of my Curse, I thought I had gotten away, but they must have followed me after I ran into the woods, and that’s where...”

  “Where we first met...” Bran finishes, climbing back to his feet as the realization begins to dawn on him.

  “Mm...”

  “Right before I was thrown in a cage at blade-point and shipped off to the Spire for a crime I didn’t commit...”

  “Mm...”

  “All of the hell I went through at the Spire... was because of you?”

  “I d-didn’t mean for you to...” Biscuit’s voice is shaky. And her silent sobs slowly stain the ground beneath her bowed head, her tears pooling between the many cracks in the fractured floor of rubble. “I’m sorry, Bran. I’m really sorry...”

  Hearing Biscuit’s confession, Lemon lets out an audible gasp.

  “That’s right!” the golden knight exclaims. “I remember now! It was you! You were the one who I saw in that carriage! My apologies for not realizing sooner, my Lady! Though I’m sure you had already known from the start and this was all part of your plan to lure them into a confession.”

  Greed dons her signature mischievous smirk in response. “Is that so...? I guess she does look familiar, yeah.”

  Now standing above her, Bran addresses the sobbing girl kneeling before him. “Why did you do it...?”

  “I didn’t want to put the blame on you, I swear! I wanted to say something but I was too scared... And the longer I waited, the harder it got to say something... And I was having so much fun in the Spire every day, and I didn’t want you to hate me, and—”

  “No, not that.” Bran interrupts the girl’s distressed babbling. “Why did you want to kill the Queen?”

  “...” Biscuit remains silent. At first I think she’s not going to answer, but after a moment's hesitation, she finally manages to squeak out a response to Bran's question. "... I thought it would make Dad like me.”

  Bran simply sighs and scratches irritatedly at his flaky purple head.

  “My Lady,” Lemon begins, brandishing her heavy golden trident once again as she addresses the small dwarf at her side. “Now that you’ve successfully lured this pitiful assassin back before me, please allow me to make up for my previous failure by cutting her down. With the collapse of the Spire and Sir Grave in his bedridden state, the only proper course of action would be to execute her right here and now.”

  The sly smirk on Greed's face only seems to grow wider at her attendant's request. "Is that so?”

  Hey, hey! Not it isn’t so! Just because I’m a little confused about what’s going on right now, doesn’t mean I’m gonna let you snuff out one of my friends from right under my nose! Especially not Biscuit! Bran, maybe! But definitely not Biscuit!

  As I move to stop Greed’s golden attendant from making what would be both the biggest and final mistake of her life, somebody else beats me to the punch. Though I doubt he’s going to be throwing any actual punches, an awkward Bran hesitantly shuffles himself in front of Biscuit.

  “W-wait, wait, wait!” he stammers, facing off against the towering knight and stopping her in her path.

  “Move aside,” Lemon replies sternly. “Though you have my gratitude for taking care of Lady Kokoro and bringing her into my protection once more, this is a matter that goes far beyond mere gratitude. None who would make an attempt on Lady Kokoro’s life should be allowed one themselves. So move aside, or I will cut you down alongside—”

  “Quee— Uh, K-Kokoro!” Bran shouts, calling past the golden knight to address the Queen directly. “I’ve changed my mind! I’ve picked something I want!”

  “H-how dare you address Lady Kokoro so casually—!”

  “Hm?” At his call, the tiny woman peeks her head around the back of the large knight. “Oh. Right. Bran, was it? Yeah, sure. Name it.”

  “I want Biscuit!”

  “... Huh?” Biscuit’s ears twitch at Bran’s confident outburst, and she lifts her head in surprise to find the man standing protectively above her, staring down both Greed of the Seven and her towering golden attendant. Already a snotty mess of tears and dishevelled hair, the wolfgirl’s eyes begin to well up once more at the sight. “But... why?”

  “Because—!” Bran begins confidently, and then suddenly stops himself. His eyes dart around the arena momentarily, and he seems to recoil a little before shrinking back to his usual meek self. “H-hey... Why are there suddenly so many people watching me? P-Pepper, Mei-Mei, this is really bad...”

  “Fweh...? Why is that a problem? I feel like you were about to say something surprisingly cool just now. Just ignore them.”

  “W-well, I’d like to, but why are they all looking at me with apparent disgust like that? Isn’t that weird? I mean, I’m used to it at this point, but why now of all times?”

  “Oh,” Mei-Mei interjects. “It’s possible they missed all of the context and build-up to your uncharacteristically courageous outburst and only saw the part where you made a small girl cry by demanding the Queen give her to you.”

  “Why?!” Bran complains, addressing the concerned onlookers. “Either pay attention from the beginning or not at all! I didn’t mean it like that! Me and Biscuit are just friends! Yes, it’s ultimately her fault I’ve recently developed a new fear of rabbits, fire, and the colour red, but she’s the first friend I’ve had in the twenty-seven years I’ve been alive! And don’t look at me like it’s weird for a grown man to be friends with a little girl either! Don’t put me on the same level as the perverted gorilla who regularly sexually harasses both her and that rotting runt standing next to her as well! Sure, I might be lonely and desperate, but even I’m not depraved enough to be into—! O-ow! She hit me! Look! Notice how the gorilla instantly started attacking me just now!? This is definitely— Ow! This is definitely an admittance of guilt!”

  “There is no guilt in liking cute girls! I’m hitting you because you didn’t pick something cuter like a panda or a slow loris!”

  “Why is that your problem?! And why is it always the ribs?! And—! Ow! And why is the zombie attacking me now?!”

  “Keh! What the hell is a slow loris?! I refuse to believe such a ridiculous-sounding animal truly exists!”

  “That’s your problem?! And it’s not even a problem with me! Go kick the gorilla in the shins instead! Why are both of you always— O-ow! Biscuit?!”

  “I’m not a little girl...” Now standing on her feet, a pouting Biscuit pokes repeatedly at Bran’s back with a sharp fingernail. “I’m already nineteen after all...”

  ...

  “... Fweh?”

  Biscuit’s only... one, two, three... Biscuit’s only five years younger than me? I always thought she was like ten or something. Are wolfmen supposed to be that small? I mean, the only other wolfman I know of is the Warden. And that guy was really big. Well, I guess I’m a little short by demon standards too, to be fair.

  “Wait, what...?” Bran eventually responds. “I thought you were like ten or something.”

  “I-I’m not ten!” Biscuit complains, pouting and poking even harder than before. “And I’m not little either! I always thought I was, but actually I might be pretty tall for a half-elf!”

  Oh, right. If she’s Lust’s kid then she’s gotta be part elf. Unlike demons, I heard these guys mature pretty slowly. Which is great, because it means they stay cuter for even longer!

  “O-ow! Is that really okay though? I mean, we already have Mei-Mei, right? Isn’t it weird for us to have two women who look underage but are ‘technically’ adults? It’s definitely one of those tropes that are only liked by a very small and specific group of people that everyone else finds really weird and off-putting! Is this really okay?!”

  As usual, Bran is loudly rambling about something only he could possibly understand while Biscuit clings close to him, pouting all the while. But despite her sulking, she’s at least a lot more energetic than she was just a moment ago. As usual, those two are as close as ever.

  The heavy crack of a golden trident slamming against the floor suddenly cuts short their regular routine of goofing around.

  “My Lady,” Lemon interrupts, addressing her Queen. “Ignore this ridiculous farce. Give the order and I will cut them both down. There is no point in humouring such an unreasonable request.”

  “Hmm...” A mischievous smile crosses Greed’s lips once again. It’s the signature sly smirk of somebody who seems to have already planned out this entire interaction before it had even begun. “You think so? Well, if you think I made a mistake when I offered to give him whatever he wanted, I guess I can go back on my word if that’s what you think is best.”

  “N-no, that’s not what I—! I don’t think you made a—! M-My Lady, in the entire time I’ve served you, you have never once made a mistake! Your boundless wisdom and foresight has absolutely no equal! Every problem this kingdom has ever faced during your rule has been accurately predicted and immediately amended before the problem has even arisen or made itself known! Every action and decision you’ve made as acting ruler—though often times incomprehensible to me at first—has always resulted in the direct benefit and prosperity of our kingdom and its people! Without fail! It has always been this way since the day you appeared before us and single-handedly drove Gluttony and her dreaded Blackspawn from the burning ruins of this grand city those twenty-five years ago!”

  At her words, Greed’s smirk only grows wider, causing her golden attendant to breathe out a sigh and lower her weapon in resignation.

  “I see... My apologies, my Lady. It seems my immediate concern for your safety has blinded me to the path you’ve envisioned towards a brighter future. Is it out of the kindness of your heart that you let them live? Or will this small girl one day come to be a great benefit to you somehow? Only you could possibly know the answer to such a question. Though I can’t see any merit in allowing this assassin to live, I wholeheartedly trust in your decision to do so.”

  O-oh?! Is it over? It looks like Biscuit and Bran are safe and Lemon has stopped trying to swing her trident at people thanks to Greed. To be honest, I kind of zoned out a little after Bran started rambling, and I started watching Lust instead. At some point she must’ve fallen asleep on her feet because every now and then she’s been letting out these cute little snores with a frown still on her sleeping face. Occasionally choking and spluttering on a little blood bubble working its way out from the corner of her mouth or out of one of her nostrils.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  With a smirk still on her lips, Queen Kokoro gives a shrug. “Well, if Lemon says it’s fine then I guess it’s okay.”

  “J-just like that...?” An anxious Bran and Biscuit huddle nervously together for the Queen’s final verdict. “We’re free to go...?”

  Queen Kokoro simply gives another shrug. “Sure, why not?”

  “A-and what about Mo— What about Lust?” Biscuit asks.

  “Sparing a failed assassin is one thing,” Lemon interjects. “But Lust can not be allowed to live after the number of lives she took here today. Death in the arena is to be expected, of course, but Lust’s indiscriminate violence extended far past what could be considered reasonable. I’m positive my Lady would agree.”

  In response, Greed looks up at her attendant with a smug grin. “Oh? How many lives were lost here today?”

  “My Lady...?”

  At those words, another knight arrives alongside the two women, donned in the usual silver armour of the regular fodder soldiers. Offering a salute, the man takes a moment to catch his breath, before delivering his message.

  “I’ve come to report that the evacuation of all injured and non-combatants has been successful, and an army has assembled outside, awaiting your word to advance, my Queen.”

  “Oh? How many?”

  “Thirty-thousand strong and rapidly growing, my Queen. News has spread across the city of your efforts to subjugate Lust and every able-bodied man and woman has begun gathering outside the stadium walls to aid you should you need it."

  The Queen smirks. “Thirty-thousand, huh? That’s a lot. But I think everything’s fine now, so they can probably all go home. I’ll have to apologize later for wasting their time.”

  “Nonsense, my Queen. There isn’t a single person gathered who would consider it a waste of time to simply be on-hand to assist you should you need it.”

  “Indeed, my Lady. It would be best to thank them instead.” Lemon nods, before turning back to the knight. “And what of the dead? Have you begun to recover the bodies?”

  “Well...” The knight scratches awkwardly at his silver helmet. “I’m not sure there are any.”

  “... What?”

  “Well, thanks to the quick actions of all the slaves working together under the guidance of some kind of ‘Leader’ who they all seem to respect, alongside a certain spectacled slaver—The Analyst he calls himself—directing his own team of rescuers made up of anybody else willing to assist, apparently, we were able to avoid any deaths during this incident.”

  “What?! After all the destruction Lust wrought? I find that hard to believe.”

  “Yeah, I did too, but... The only bodies we’ve been able to find belonged to a number of partially devoured slaves that fell victim to that oni before Lust had even entered the arena. As well as the remains of a troll, which curiously showed signs of having died more than a fortnight ago. Aside from that... nothing. There’s a countless number of injured, of course, but everybody seems accounted for.”

  Lemon turns a curious glance towards Queen Kokoro, but the tiny dwarf offers no reaction other than absent-mindedly picking off the flecks of dirt and rubble clinging to her extravagant cloak.

  Lemon sighs again. “Very well, my Lady. I understand. This was all part of your plan from the start, wasn’t it? For reasons I cannot yet comprehend, it’s clear you’ve foreseen something troubling in the future that would require the particular talents of Lust and you’d like to see her spared for now, yes? If that is the case, I will not push the matter any further.”

  Fwah! Finally! It looks like everything’s just about wrapped up. In the end, Lust gets to live, Biscuit gets to stay friends with Bran, nobody died, and Mash is probably still alive out there somewhere. All’s well that ends well! Well, except for one little thing...

  “Fwahaha!” I laugh, drawing the attention of the group once again. “Time for my reward!”

  Yes, now that the tournament’s over and I’ve been declared the winner, I can finally request that promised reward I’ve been thinking about ever since it was mentioned back at Cinnamon’s camp. It took a lot of difficult deliberation, but I think I’ve come to a final decision!

  “Reward...?” Lemon asks. “Oh, yes. For winning the tournament, I suppose. Although, as a slave, that privilege is to be granted to the one who owns you, as he was the one whose name is entered into the tournament, not yours. Please bring the slaver Mash Ketchup here so him and the Queen can discuss his rewa— Hm? What is it, my Lady?”

  Lemon is interrupted by the tiny woman rapping her ringed fingers against the metal of her golden greaves.

  “Lemon, I’m hungry. Let’s just give her what she wants and go get lunch.”

  “A-are you sure, my Lady...?”

  Greed shrugs. “Sure. Why not? Mash can get his later. Consider this her reward for putting on such an exciting show. And besides, it looks like that’s what the audience wants to see too.”

  Gesturing around her, it becomes clear that—across every broken floor of every exposed layer—all eyes in the stadium are now on me once again.

  Lemon nods. “Very well, my Lady. Do as you will.”

  On that note, Queen Kokoro clears her throat.

  “Pepper, was it...? Alright, let’s at least do this part properly...” Assisted by her golden attendant, the regal dwarf scrambles atop a small mound of rubble to stand level with myself. Puffing out her small chest, she places her hands on her hips and raises her voice above the curious murmurs of the onlookers in a grand fashion. “Champion Pepper! For your victory here today, I—Queen Kokoro la Peppyseed—will grant you any one request! What is it you desire? Name it.”

  From all across the stadium, the jumbled whispers of the excited audience tickle my muscular ears.

  “The Leader and the Queen...”

  “I hope the Queen will listen to our Leader’s request...”

  “Hey, that was my favourite contestant! I hope she gets what she wants...”

  “Baby Eater, huh? After saving my comrades, I’d say she’s definitely earned it...”

  “Please save us, Leader...”

  I figured the prize-giving part of a fighting tournament would be the least exciting part of a fighting tournament, but everyone seems to be super invested in it for some reason! All around the stadium, people of all types watch onward. Bloodied slaves, slavers, knights, and members of the audience alike, lean their injured bodies against one another for support. It seems that nothing brings people closer together quite like the imminent threat of a giant elf woman who enjoys indiscriminately kicking people into a pink paste. Well, I’m sure they’ll all be back to hating on each other soon enough. Not that I care though! The most important thing right now is my reward!

  The entire stadium falls into silence as I clear my throat, ready to give the Queen my request.

  Fwah~! I thought about this really long and hard, but I think this is for the best. At first I wanted to ask to kiss the Queen on the mouth because she’s super cute and totally my type, but after that day we all went shopping for slaves and Mash only had enough money to buy Buttercup and that goblin, I realized there was something else that I wanted. Something that might go a long way to helping me achieve my dreams...

  The reward I want for the Queen to grant me right now is...

  “I want slaves to be free!” I answer proudly, slamming a determined fist against my chest.

  Yes! Because if all slaves are completely free of charge, then I’ll be able to buy as many cute slave girls as I want without the need for money at all! Fwahaha! A genius plan, if I do say so myself!

  With bated breath, all eyes in the stadium turn from me to Queen Kokoro, awaiting her response.

  As expected—a sly smirk spreads across her face once more, and she glances around the stadium. The atmosphere is clearly excitable, with slaves clasping their hands together with fiery eyes, knights and members of the audience pumping their fists in approval, and even many of the injured slavers giving a solemn nod while tossing their whips into the rubble at their feet for some reason. I don't know why, but it seems almost everybody is on board with my plan for free, costless slaves!

  “Sure,” she replies, turning back to face me with a smirk still on her face. “Let’s go with that then.”

  At her words, the entire arena erupts into excited cheers. Slaves hug one another with happy tears streaming down their faces, while everybody else claps with raucous applause while shouting their support.

  Fweh? Why do these reactions feel a little... off? It feels like the slaves are reacting a little more strongly than I expected. Like they seem happier at the idea of not costing anything than I am at the idea of buying them free of charge. Well, I don’t really get it, but whatever. I got what I wanted.

  “Very good, my Lady!” Lemon claps her hands together excitedly. “I knew you had been working hard towards ending this barbaric practice once and for all, and I suspected you had planned this tournament in order to do just that. Although you could have ended it at your own discretion, such a decision means nothing if the people don’t accept it. Planning such an elaborate scenario to unite them into accepting it is a feat only you could possibly pull off. Even timing it so close to the twenty-fifth anniversary of the city’s destruction at the claws of Gluttony to add weight to the immediate threat of Lust. As expected, my Lady! As always, I am in complete awe of your boundless wisdom, planning, and foresight!”

  Helping the regal dwarf down from her pile of rubble, the two of them begin to walk away, making their way carefully across the fractured arena.

  “It seems the coming weeks are going to be very busy for you, my Lady, so I will ensure today’s lunch is especially grand in honour of all your hard work!”

  “Oh! Will there be sweets too?”

  “Of course, my Lady!”

  ... Fweh? End what practice? Hey! Please explain these things to me before you suddenly walk off together! For all this constant talking, I’m not really understanding a lot of what everyone is saying! Why are slavers throwing their whips away? Why are slaves taking their collars off? Mei-Mei’s smart, maybe she can explain it to me...

  “Keh! Let’s tend to the big one, shall we?” Pointing out a group of celebrating slaves, Mei-Mei directs a thumb towards Lust, still sleeping on her feet as she continues to bleed out across the floor. “Help me drag this giant idiot somewhere a little more sanitary, will you? I’ve got to patch her up. Preferably before she stops breathing.”

  The slaves give each other a brief look, before giving a nod and quickly rushing in to do as she asked.

  “Big sis Mei-Mei...” Biscuit gratefully bows her fluffy white head. “Please save her...”

  “Well, no promises, but I’ll do my best. Come, let’s hurry. You too, Bran.”

  “Huh? Why me? I don’t care if she’s half-dead, I’m not going anywhere near that crazy woman. I don’t even like going near you and you’re full-dead!”

  “Stop complaining, idiot! I need your help so shut up and do something useful for once.”

  “F-fine... I don’t really know how I’m supposed to be able to help though...”

  “It’s fine. By the way, Bran, your blood type is O negative, just so you know.”

  “O-okay...? I don’t know what that means. Why is that important? And more importantly, how did you even find that out? H-hey, wait up! I’m coming, I’m coming!”

  And with that, the three of them run off together with an unconscious Lust being carried along behind them atop a group of strong-looking centaurs.

  Ah... They left...

  Should I be going with them, or...? Actually, it’s probably best if I don’t. Being around Lust might get me a little excited, and if that giant powerhouse catches a whiff of that excitement, she might decide to wake up and start kicking people again. Which could be fun, but would probably undo all the work we did to get her to quiet down. So let’s not.

  Besides, there’s something super important I have to do right now...

  Dusting off my torn and bloodied clothing as best I can, I make my way through the celebrating crowds in search of someone in particular. For whatever reason, all the slaves I pass thank me and try to shake my hand, while many knights pat me on the back and offer me praise. A few slavers even approach to give me their apologies. I don’t know what I’m being thanked, praised, and apologized to for, but the attention is nice so I make sure to soak it all in on my way through.

  Wandering across the sunken arena, I eventually find who it is I’m looking for amongst the rubble.

  “Fwah! There she is...”

  Sitting with her back against a broken slab of concrete in a quiet and shadowy corner of the arena is the slave master, Cinnamon. Her black leather outfit is dirty and torn, and her long, blonde hair is dishevelled and flecked with patches of red from the shallow gash above her ear, slowly dripping blood down the side of her face. Her grey eyes flick to mine as she notices my approach, before quickly turning them away again.

  “Oh. It’s you,” she spits as I come to a stop in front of her. “I suppose you’ve come to finish me off, have you? Or have you simply come to make a fool of me again?”

  “Fweh? Uh...” I blink back at her in puzzlement. “N-no...?”

  “Then what?” she asks, focusing her gaze back to mine. Her eyes are blank, their usual grey gleam from when we first met is no longer present. It seems she’s pretty bummed out about losing this tournament. “It wasn’t enough to just kill me and then take everything from me, you had to cruelly rip out my heart and make me watch as everything I had went up in flames. What more could you possibly want from me?”

  What more do I want from her...?

  I think about the question carefully before giving her my answer.

  “I want jerky!”

  “... What?” This time it’s her turn to blink back in confusion.

  “Jerky! Because jerky means protein! See, it’s a little embarrassing but, when I was a kid, I was actually pretty weak. So I ate lots of protein and worked out a bunch so that one day I would became just as strong as my mom and sisters! It’s always been my dream to come to the surface and rampage across the land just like they did! Making one hundred friends and kissing one thousand girls along the way!”

  “Why are you telling me this...?”

  “Because dreams are important! And maybe you might feel bummed out when things don’t go your way, but it’d be a waste to just throw those dreams away or give up on them because of one little hiccup, don’t you think? That’s why I want jerky. So you better add it to the menu for me when you eventually open up that restaurant you’ve always wanted!”

  “... Huh? How did you...?” Cinnamon blinks back at me again, but this time with the gleam returned to her eyes. Her now-flushed face immediately brightens with a tinge of red across her cheeks. “You remembered... From our date...”

  “Fwahaha! Of course I did! I might forget a lot of stuff, but dreams are important! I would never forget the dreams of one of my friends! Even Bran! Probably!”

  From what I can put together, Cinnamon must’ve entered this tournament with the hopes of having Queen Kokoro help her open up her own restaurant as the reward for winning. Which explains why she’s been so cold to me lately because I’ve been actively fighting against that dream of hers by trying to win the tournament myself. I don’t know what she’s talking about with the whole ‘ripping out her heart’ thing or ‘making a fool of her’, but I guess she’s just being a little melodramatic right now since she’s all bummed out about her loss.

  Yes, I’m sure that must be it.

  “So...” I extend a hand down, offering her to grab hold of it. “As one of my friends, it’s important to me that you don’t give up on the things that are important to you.”

  Especially if it involves jerky. Free jerky, I hope. Because ‘money’ is one of those things I haven’t really got the hang of just yet.

  “Just friends, huh?” Cinnamon shoots me an exaggerated pout before bursting into a fit of giggles. “I suppose you couldn’t have come to make a fool of me, because I must’ve been a fool to begin with to have found myself falling all over again...”

  Fweh? I guess it would be foolish to keep falling over, sure? Maybe that’s how she got that nasty gash on her head.

  With a smile on her flushed face, she grabs my hand, and I pull her to her feet.

  “Well,” she begins with a playful sigh. “With your end to slavery putting me out of a job, I guess there’s nothing stopping me from starting up that restaurant now, is there?”

  “... Fweh?”

  An end to slavery? Why would it be ending? Especially after I just got the ‘okay’ from Greed to make it even better?

  “And I’m going to have to pass on the jerky request,” she adds with a teasing giggle. “You might’ve noticed on our date, but I don’t do meat, silly. It’s going to be a vegan restaurant, of course!”

  “... Fweh?”

  finally come to the end of an arc that probably felt a lot longer than it actually was. An arc that was almost entirely built around the punchline "I want slaves to be free!", which may or may not be as amusing to other people as it was to me.

  for now, as well as opened up some important pieces of character story regarding Biscuit and Lust. All things I can get to in due time because—much like Pepper and the gang—I'm finally free to do whatever I want in the story! No more prisons, no more cages, it's time to go somewhere more fun!