“Whew… you really made a lot of money for me today, Finn,” Evelyn said with a wry smile as the two walked on the streets together. “Everyone in the crowd had placed their bets on Nightmare, but you defeated him with such ease, fufu…”

The two walked under the tranquil moonlight, their footsteps echoing against the pavement. It was now nighttime, and they had just finished eating dinner at a nearby restaurant. Now, they were on their way back home.

Finn, being Finn, was silent most of the way, and only spoke when directly asked a question. Eventually, Evelyn gave up on trying to make conversation, and instead eased into the silence, appreciating the calm and quiet of night.

It didn’t take them long to reach the hotel, and Evelyn took him directly up with her into her private chamber. There, she sat down in her throne, and told Finn to grab a seat as well across from her. Finn, being blind once more, had to fumble around a bit before finding the chair, but found it in the end without any hitches.

“… I have to say, I’m surprised.”

Finn frowned. “What?”

“To think you would sacrifice your vision to that sword,” Evelyn explained. “That requires a strong will and a confident heart.”

“… Is that so?” Finn murmured. “I simply thought it was a worthy trade-off. The sword’s power will increase my overall strength by a lot.”

“Got that right, kiddo!” The sword chimed in—not that Evelyn knew. Finn ignored it.

“Well, even so… you truly are impressive, Finn. Unique, too, given how you possess powers of a Ghost yet are not a Sentient.”

“You are quite unique yourself,” Finn said. “The upstanding leader of a powerful Phantom Slayer Squadron by day, and a charming seductress of the underground by night… it will be difficult to mimic you.”

“Fufu, really? I feel you’ve done a great job so far, though. You’re starting to understand my personality.”

“Maybe so. But…” Finn took a deep breath. “… I can’t capture the emptiness inside you.”

At this, Evelyn seemed to stop all actions, even breathing. Her finger, originally coiled around a strand of her beautiful velvet hair, now stopped twirling around, and her eyes didn’t bat a single time.

“… Emptiness, you say?”

Finn nodded, then slowly removed his helmet. “Your alluring facade… your seductive, flirtatious personality… I’ve seen through it all. Deep down, you’re nothing but a lonely girl, seeking to love again.”

“My, my… and so what if I am?” Evelyn said with a soft laugh—but her heart wasn’t in it. It was… frail, almost sad. Finn knew he had hit the bullseye with this. “What are you going to do about it?”

Finn pondered for a moment, then replied.

“… Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

“… Eh? So you’re just going to leave a poor maiden like myself be, despite knowing my inner scars?”

“For the record, you have a daughter, and therefore are not a maiden. And second… your inner scars are up to yourself to heal. No one else can help you. Unless you get over your past on your own… you’ll never be able to truly love again.”

“…” Evelyn fell silent, then gave a soft laugh.

“… You know, for a mere university student… you are quite wise. But I thought your major was in the sciences, not psychology…?”

“I am merely observant,” Finn replied in his usual dispassionate voice. “Nothing more.”

“Hm… observant, huh?” Evelyn smiled. “Well then… since you are such a good observer… would you mind being my listener as well?”

Finn raised an eyebrow. “Listener? What for?”

Evelyn laughed sadly. “Hah… you know exactly what I’m talking about, but you’re still going to force me to say it? How cruel… fine. I need someone to lend an ear about my past, to get it off my chest. Would you care to be my guest?”

“… Very well.”

“… And that’s how I got to where I am today,” Evelyn finished with a deep sigh, closing her eyes and stretching her arms a bit.

“I see,” Finn replied, having been quiet for most of the story. He didn’t know how long had passed since the tale began, and he didn’t really care either. The most important part was that Evelyn had now opened herself to him, rendering her vulnerable to manipulation.

“I feel a lot better now, thanks to you,” Evelyn said, smiling wryly. “Do you think this means I’ve finally come to terms with my past, perhaps? All I needed was someone to listen silently?”

“That’s a question you should be asking yourself,” Finn said, rising from his chair. “If you can answer that question, then you’ve succeeded.”

“… Heh. Succeeded, huh?”

Without looking back, Finn exited her chambers and prepared to head to his own room. By the time he was there, Iris was already asleep—he could tell from the soft breathing coming from the beds. Quietly, he entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him. As soon as he did so, the sword, which he rested against the wall, perked up and gave a low-pitched snicker.

“So? How’d you like my little plan?”

“It worked,” Finn replied. “That’s all that matters.”

“Right, so… when are you going to let me kill some humans again? That was the deal, remember?”

“Relax,” Finn whispered as he finished undressing. “You’ll get your load of fun soon enough. Just hang in there for two days or so.”

“Oho… I’m looking forward to it.”

Indeed, exposing Evelyn’s weak inner self had been the sword’s idea. One way or another, it had accessed her heart and saw how fragile she truly was, and gave Finn the idea to exploit that.

Now, Evelyn may as well have stripped herself naked in front of him, figuratively speaking. She relied on Finn like no one else, and would perform any favor for him so long as he asked.

Subconsciously, Evelyn had allowed herself to enter Finn’s grasp and be manipulated by him—or rather, the sword. Still, the connection right now was weak. A little more time will firmly establish that connection, and Finn will have fulfilled his goal.