Alice sat in the corner of the cell with her knees tucked to her chest. Chin buried. Silence. The kind that said: 'I've just suffered through a world-ending betrayal by big brother.'

He left her behind.

Pried her arms off of him.

Cruel.

Unforgivable.

… Maybe forgivable, but only after head pats.

Lots of head pats.

Seeing the sight, Calypso crouched down in front of her, practically vibrating with interest. Her golden eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Alice ignored her. She remained an immovable, desolate bean.

Calypso stayed.

One minute.

Two.

Five.

Still no response.

Finally, the demon's voice came smoothly. "Nice to meet you. I'm Calypso. Are you Darling's sister?"

Alice's head snapped up.

"Darling?"

Calypso nodded with all the calm confidence of a woman with zero shame, accompanied by the dreamy look of a woman madly in love. "Yes. Your brother displayed his supremacy before me, so I kneeled, and let him grab my horns and—"

"Kmhm!" Aria coughed loudly into her fist. "Keep the details child-friendly."

Bastet didn't look up from braiding her hair. "Human child friendly, you down-bad demoness. That means no graphic copulation commentary."

Calypso sighed. "So boring…~" But she continued anyway. "Anyhow. I accepted your brother as my superior, and he was kind enough to accept me as his lover in return."

Alice stared.

Then her entire body trembled.

Her eye twitched.

A low growl formed in her throat. "What do you want?"

Calypso blinked. Not offended in the slightest. If anything, she looked amused as if Alice was an angry kitten trying to bite in her eyes despite the girl sporting higher levels due to Calypso accepting the reduction in levels.

"Me? I just want to get to know you," the demoness said, cheerful. "I understand enough about human customs to know that my lover's sister will play a big role in my life. I thought it would be nice to get to know you."

Alice turned her head away. She remained curled up, silent.

Calypso tilted her head. "You don't seem very happy. Is home life not good?"

Surprisingly, Alice decided to respond as she muttered into her knees. "My father's an egomaniac. I hate him. My siblings are horrible. I hate them. Mom's nice, I love her a lot... But she's a bit too oppressive at times. I want to move out, but… I can't."

"I see." Calypso blinked. "Then why don't you come live with us?"

Alice paused.

Then frowned. "Kai wouldn't let me. And mom definitely wouldn't."

"Then we can ask them again. Now that Kai has moved into my previous home, perhaps things have changed."

Alice's head whipped around so fast it almost made a cracking sound.

"… Moved. Into your what?"

"My dungeon," Calypso replied as if announcing something mundane like a grocery trip. "I gave it to Kai. We'll live there. Maybe you can stay with us for a while."

Alice's brain blanked.

Dungeon.

Kai.

Living together.

She slowly turned toward the others in the room, expecting someone to shut this insanity down. After all, even the little sister could tell that Calypso wasn't very clear on some things. It was very evident that she'd just now started trying to understand Earth and its denizens.

But the four women didn't shoot her hopes down.

They just smirked.

"Really?!" Alice launched forward and wrapped her arms around Calypso like a missile of pure happiness. "Thank you!! I'll convince mom! If Kai has a dungeon, she might even want to stay there with us! This could really work!"

Calypso blinked at the sudden armful of clingy Ashborn.

Then, as the majestic demon queen that she was, she accepted her fate and gently patted the girl's back.

It was at that moment when the four girls realized that perhaps the demoness was the perfect candidate to befriend Alice. After all, Calypso seemed to be a demon of emotion and obsession. She did not care about much, but what she did care about, she became obsessed with.

To a demon like her, having a little sister act like Alice had, probably wasn't weird one bit. She saw the girl as someone who knew exactly what she wanted and fought tooth and nail for it. In fact, instead of not being weird, Calypso saw Alice's expressiveness and obsession as traits to be respected.

…

When the cell door finally opened, it wasn't a dramatic moment. There were no speeches, no last-minute threats made. Just the click of a lock and the curt order of, "You're cleared. Move."

Kaiden walked out first with Alice comfortably slung across his back like a spoiled, emotionally recharged koala. Her legs wrapped around his waist, arms draped around his shoulders, cheek resting atop his head.

His five women followed beside him, moving in a loose formation as armed escorts led them down the corridor.

Their footsteps echoed.

Their guards whispered.

Because Kaiden looked like he was leaving a grocery store, not a high-security holding facility.

"Um," Aria leaned closer and whispered, "That was… unusually quick. Far too quick. How did you get them to let us go?"

"I talked to the President and the Chairman," Kaiden said, sounding as if he were mentioning a cashier and store manager.

One of the guards actually glanced at another. Another blinked a thousand times at the speed of light.

The third guard just mouthed, 'What the hell?'

Luna's brow rose. "They just agreed to let us go? After a conversation? You didn't have to trade them something important, did you?"

Kaiden shook his head. "No. This wasn't about deals. It was about saving face."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, tapped the screen, and held it so they could hear.

A broadcast was already happening.

"… My fellow Americans," the President's voice spoke clearly through the speakers, firm and professional. "After thorough review and counsel, I am granting a full presidential pardon to Kaiden Grey and the group known as Valhalla's Sinners, which includes Aria Levander, Nyx Cosmos, Luna Aster... And the two female monsters, Bastet and Calypso."

Luna slowed her steps.

Aria's eyes widened.

Nyx tilted her head.

The President continued:

"Their actions, though outside formal jurisdiction, directly prevented a catastrophic loss of lives. For that, this administration recognizes their efforts as acts of service, not rebellion."

Alice perked up on Kaiden's back like a proud kitten.

But the speech didn't stay soft for long.

"However, let me make this absolutely clear," the voice hardened. "The United States Government does not endorse vigilantism. This pardon is not permission for unregulated justice, nor will it ever be. This is a rare exception, granted under extraordinary circumstances, and should be seen as such."

A pause came.

"Kaiden Grey and his companions acted when others could not. For that, they deserve gratitude, not chains."

"The matter is concluded."

The broadcast shifted to reporters shouting questions before Kaiden locked the screen again.

Silence hung for a moment.

"So that's it?" Aria whispered.

"That's it," Kaiden said.

"It does make sense. By capturing us, he made it clear that he still holds the reins to the country; he does not allow anyone to walk over him without repercussions. By pardoning us, he made it clear that he is on the side of the American people, earning some brownie points for himself for the next election," Luna mused.

"My thoughts exactly," Nyx smiled.

And just like that, it was time to leave and return to the dungeon where Kaiden still had a lot of work to do. After all, he rushed out before even getting to check what happens when he summons the Abyssal Lord's Throne's interface.

He still had to deal with the native population as well, considering they pledged their loyalty to him. He had a great plan for them in mind.

After that, it would be time to return to the grind, now with the ability to farm Dungeon Master Points as well!

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