I stopped in front of the door to Olivia’s room and took a deep breath. I hadn’t seen my master on my way in, and that made me anxious. I mean, if I’d freed her, surely she would have left the dungeon already, wouldn’t she? I braced myself for whatever was inside and opened the door.
She was standing right in front of me—the chains that had bound her to the walls lying limp on the ground. The real Olivia Servant smiled back at me.
“Noir… I’m free.”
My mind took me back to the first time we’d met, while my chest filled with warmth. Before I realized it, tears were streaming down my face.
“Master!” I ran over and dove into her open arms.
She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me against her. “Thank you. For everything you’ve done.”
I was sobbing so hard that I couldn’t even answer her.
I couldn’t get over how wonderful it was to hear her voice coming out of her own mouth. How real and alive she suddenly felt.
“You’ve been in so much pain,” I sobbed. “For so long. Why didn’t you tell me? Didn’t you trust me?”
Olivia smiled. “That wasn’t it, Noir. You’re such a nice boy. I didn’t want you charging off and getting hurt. But in the end, you were much braver than silly old Olivia ever imagined. You know, I think I might just fall for you!”
Despite her teasing, I didn’t think she’d ever stop treating me like a kid. She stroked my hair until I’d calmed down again.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said.
“Hooray!” Olivia beamed. “My first taste of freedom in two hundred years!”
We headed up the stairs together. There were a bunch of golden slimes on the first floor that seemed to be waiting for us to attack them. Olivia seemed happy to oblige, defeating them in an instant with a spell I’d never seen before.
“That’s…fairly scary,” I said. “Are you sure we should be letting you out? You’re like some all-powerful dark lord who’s just awoken from a two-hundred-year slumber or something.”
“It’s all those skills I made over the years with Get Creative,” Olivia said brightly. “I could beat you too if I wanted to. Lickety-split!”
“Kn-knock it off!” I said, shoving her arm.
“Ah ha ha ha ha ha! All right.” She put on a sinister voice. “Then do as your dark lord commands! The first thing I wish when we get out of here is…food!”
“Ha ha! As you wish. I shall treat you to as much of my mother’s home cooking as you wish, my liege!”
As we emerged from the dungeon, the clear blue sky seemed to stretch out forever. How long had it been since we’d had weather this nice? Maybe the world had been waiting for Olivia’s return just as eagerly as I had.
We headed back into town, but getting home wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Thanks to the fake Olivia’s rampage, the guards had called for reinforcements. The streets were swarming with them, and soon dozens of them were swarming around my master. Fortunately, I managed to explain the situation without getting us both thrown in jail.
“That’s my boy!” Olivia grinned.
“I’ll have you know, I’ve learned a lot of things!” I said. “All right. Here we are.”
We were finally home. Olivia didn’t have anywhere else to go, so it made sense to let her stay with us, at least for a while.
“Welcome to the Stardia household! Please come in.”
“Don’t mind if I do!”
She pushed past me and waltzed inside before I could even open the door for her.
Some things never changed.