Morning Comes
As Renya pulled open the curtains, the soft morning light streamed into the room. The sunlight fell across Paul's face, stirring him from his sleep. He blinked slowly, eyes still heavy, and groggily rubbed them.
"Hoo... aaah... Morning," he mumbled, still half-asleep.
Renya, already up and tidying the room, glanced over her shoulder.
"Morning, Prince... Do you want to bathe first or change clothes right away?" she asked, her voice tired and sluggish.
"Bath..." Paul answered with a weary tone, his body still not fully awake.
"Alright, I'll prepare the water... and some food," Renya replied, yawning as she walked out of the room.
"Hoaa... aahh..." she added sleepily as the door shut behind her.
Paul suddenly sat up, as if something just clicked in his mind.
"WAIT!!" he called out. But it was too late—Renya had already walked off and didn't hear him. He sighed in frustration.
Later, after eating, bathing, dressing, and re-equipping his exo-armor, Paul turned to Renya with a confused expression.
"Why do you look so gloomy?" he asked.
Renya's face twitched with annoyance.
"Because of YOU!! Prince..." she snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him.
Still looking confused, Paul blinked.
Renya slapped her forehead in exasperation.
"You set the illusion magic for ONE YEAR! Of nonstop fighting!"
She plopped down onto a nearby chair, hugged her knees to her chest, and trembled as she spoke.
"Over and over again… Gunfire, tanks, artillery… bombs dropping from planes. We had to charge enemy trenches without any skills, just raw survival... For a whole year. Even if we died, we just respawned and had to keep going..."
Her voice quivered slightly, revealing traces of lingering trauma in her tone.
Hearing Renya's frustrated explanation, Paul scratched the back of his head awkwardly and let out a sheepish chuckle.
"Heh heh heh... well, what else can I do..." he said with a helpless smile.
"The illusion magic is already embedded in the magic core. If I try to modify it, I might damage the core..." he added with a resigned tone.
Renya continued to glare at him, her eyes burning with quiet fury.
Seeing her expression, Paul sighed and slapped his forehead.
"Alright, alright... I'm sorry, okay? Just go ahead and sleep for now..." he said, looking at her with hopeful eyes.
Renya didn't say a word. She simply nodded, turned around, and walked toward Paul's bed.
Seeing her heading that way, Paul opened his mouth as if to say,
"Wait, that's my be—"
But before he could finish, Renya flopped down onto the bed and immediately fell into a deep sleep, breathing softly within seconds.
Paul could only shake his head and let out a long sigh.
"...Guess she earned it."
Then he turned and quietly stepped out of the room.
On the first floor, as Paul descended the stairs, he was greeted by Liselotte and Alice, who were standing near the freshly set Illusion Magic Device No.1.
"Good morning, Prince," they said in unison, bowing respectfully.
Paul gave them a simple nod. In response, the two maids straightened up and returned to their positions, standing attentively by the device, ready to assist or await further orders.
When Paul saw Helena and Elsa connected to Device No.2—the one set with the World War II illusion—he turned to Liselotte and Alice with a doubtful expression.
"Those two... are they really sure about this?" he asked, his tone laced with concern.
Liselotte gently touched her cheek with one finger and shook her head slightly.
"I don't really understand either, Prince... but they seemed very eager. Apparently, they wanted to experience what Lady Renya described."
Paul nodded slowly, still unsure, then said,
"Okay..."
He walked toward the central table where Anna was monitoring the radio.
" Anna, anything suspicious?" he asked while glancing at the headset and equipment she was using.
Anna removed her headset and bowed respectfully.
" Prince .. " she acknowledged.
After he gave her a nod, she replied,
"Nothing unusual so far—just the usual morning activity sounds."
She slipped the headset back on and continued listening.
"Good. Keep at it," Paul said with a brief nod.
Anna smiled softly and nodded in return, refocusing on her task.
Turning his attention back to the house, Paul looked at Alice.
"Alice... has Gunther arrived yet?" he asked, still unsure.
Alice turned to him and replied with a faint grimace,
"He has, Prince... He's currently training the former bandits—alongside Krüger."
The word "bandits" left her lips with clear distaste.
Paul ignored the tone and simply said in a firm voice,
"Tell Gunther to come here. Let Krüger continue watching over them."
"Yes, Prince," Alice answered with a bow before heading outside to deliver the message.
A few minutes later, Gunther and Alice walked into the living room.
"Prince," Gunther said, giving a respectful knight's salute.
Alice, without a word, returned to her station beside Illusion Magic Device No.1.
Seeing them, Paul gave a short nod.
"Have you seen them?" he asked with interest, referring to the bandit recruits.
Gunther nodded while scratching the back of his head.
"Yes... Though many are lazy, there are some who show real enthusiasm," he replied with a note of approval in his voice.
Paul's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Then, pick the five best ones. The ones you think have real potential."
His tone was firm, leaving no room for question.
"Yes, Prince," Gunther responded without hesitation, saluting once more before turning to leave.
As Gunther exited, Paul turned toward Liselotte.
"Liselotte... I want those five to enter a simulation using Device No.2," he said seriously.
Liselotte placed a hand over her chest and bowed her head.
"Yes, Prince," she answered with equal seriousness.
Seeing that everything was going smoothly, Paul gave a satisfied nod and walked over to the table in the living room. He gathered some paper, a pen, and a small pot of ink, setting them down with a purposeful motion.
"I need the basement first," he muttered confidently as he dipped the pen and began sketching out a design—his mind already working through space, structure, and function.
Hours passed as Paul worked, his focus unbroken—until suddenly, Anna's urgent voice cut through the calm.
"Prince! There's a suspicious conversation!" she called out sharply, eyes wide as she adjusted her headset.
Paul immediately stood up, his expression hardening.
"Record it, and write everything down. Don't forget the time of the incident," he said in a sharp, commanding tone.
"Yes, Prince," Anna replied with a nod. She quickly pressed the red "record" button, her hands moving swiftly to write the details onto a log sheet beside her.