Octavia was actually enjoying herself.
Which honestly surprised her.
Most of the time she had been left alone, since Max respected her boundaries instead of constantly hovering around her trying to force conversation.
It was… nice.
Peaceful.
At the moment, she sat on one of the mansion balconies wrapped in a blanket while staring up at the night sky.
Real stars.
Not Hell's artificial glow.
Not crimson clouds or neon lights.
Actual stars.
Tiny points of light stretching endlessly across the darkness.
Octavia quietly sipped her drink while admiring them.
A few moments later, Max stepped onto the balcony carrying a tray.
Hot chocolate.
Cookies.
And surprisingly fancy-looking ones too.
Octavia blinked.
"…You really do cook constantly."
Max shrugged as he handed her the mug.
"It's therapeutic."
She accepted it carefully.
"…Thank you."
Max leaned against the railing nearby but didn't sit too close.
He had spent the last hour checking on everyone he cared about during the Extermination.
Thankfully—
Nobody else seemed to have been specifically targeted by Azazel.
At least not today.
That relieved him more than he expected.
Octavia quietly watched him for a moment before finally speaking.
"…Why are you so nice?"
Max blinked.
"What?"
"You're a sinner."
She looked genuinely confused.
"Most sinners are cruel. Violent. Selfish."
Her expression dimmed slightly.
"That's what they're supposed to be."
The comment stung a little.
Mostly because she wasn't entirely wrong.
Still, Max just sighed softly.
"I'm… more casual than most."
He smirked slightly.
"Besides, I've already got eight girlfriends in Hell doing their own thing."
That immediately caught Octavia off guard.
"…Eight?"
Max nodded proudly.
"Yep."
"How do you even manage that?"
Max grinned.
"I spend time with them."
"I cook for them."
"Turns out amazing food is basically a cheat code."
Octavia narrowed her eyes slightly.
"…Is that what you're trying to do with me?"
Max paused dramatically.
"…Maybe?"
Octavia stared at him flatly.
Max laughed lightly.
"I'm joking. Mostly."
Then he shrugged.
"At this point it's instinct more than anything."
"I don't force people."
"That always ends badly."
Octavia looked down at her drink quietly.
For some reason…
She believed him.
Max finished his own snack and stood up.
"You've still got a few hours left before the Extermination fully ends."
He stretched slightly.
"Feel free to take whatever you want from the mansion."
Then he reached into his coat and handed her a black card with a silver key symbol etched into it.
Octavia looked confused.
"…What's this?"
"It's a temporary access key."
She blinked.
"To here?"
Max nodded.
"It lets you return here for twenty-four hours one time."
Octavia stared at the card silently.
"…Why?"
Max shrugged casually.
"In case you need to get away for a while."
Then he pointed at her seriously.
"But only once until I make another card."
"Don't abuse it."
Octavia clutched the card carefully.
"…Right."
Max smiled faintly.
"Anyway."
"I'll leave you alone for a bit."
"Just yell if the mansion explodes or something."
Then he walked off, leaving her alone again.
Octavia stared down at the card quietly.
She honestly didn't know what to think anymore.
A sinner wasn't supposed to act like this.
He wasn't trying to manipulate her.
Wasn't threatening her.
Wasn't demanding anything.
He had simply… helped her.
Fed her.
Protected her.
And gave her a place to breathe.
The realization warmed her chest strangely.
A few hours later—
Octavia finally finished gathering some things.
Mostly books.
Snacks.
A couple blankets she liked.
Max pretended not to notice her practically raiding the library.
"Ready?" he asked.
Octavia nodded.
"…Yeah."
"Thank you."
Max smiled slightly and opened a portal near the front entrance of the mansion.
Being the gentleman he was pretending to be—
Or maybe actually was—
He walked her to the portal personally.
But just as they approached—
Every instinct Max had screamed danger.
His eyes widened slightly.
Then—
A massive burst of dark magic erupted from the portal.
Stolas flew through it aggressively.
"YOU—"
Max barely blocked the first attack.
The blast shattered part of the mansion wall behind him.
Stolas looked absolutely furious.
Max immediately realized what happened.
From Stolas' perspective—
His daughter disappeared during the Extermination and returned beside a random male sinner.
Yeah.
This looked really bad.
Max intentionally held back while defending himself, making it appear like he was struggling.
Stolas attacked again.
And again.
Powerful Goetia magic slammed into Max while he carefully avoided escalating the situation.
"Dad, STOP!"
Octavia's scream finally cut through the chaos.
Stolas froze immediately.
Octavia rushed between them protectively.
"Stop attacking him!"
Stolas looked shocked.
"…Via?"
Octavia quickly explained everything.
Well—
Almost everything.
She conveniently left out the part about visiting the human world and staying overnight alone with a male Overlord in a private mansion.
Instead she focused on the important parts.
Max protecting her.
Helping her escape the angels.
Keeping her safe through the Extermination.
By the time she finished—
Stolas looked genuinely embarrassed.
"…Ah."
He awkwardly adjusted his coat.
"…I may have overreacted slightly."
"You blasted a mansion wall apart," Max muttered.
Stolas ignored that.
He walked over and offered Max a respectful nod.
"Thank you for protecting my daughter."
"And… my apologies for attacking you."
Max brushed dust off his coat dramatically.
"It happens."
Octavia tried very hard not to laugh at that.
Stolas turned toward the portal back home.
"Come along, Via."
Octavia nodded.
But before stepping through, she looked back toward Max.
"…See you next time."
A very faint smile appeared on her face.
Small.
But genuine.
Max smiled back softly.
"See ya, owl girl."
Octavia rolled her eyes slightly at the nickname before disappearing through the portal with her father.
Once they were gone—
Max looked at the destroyed section of wall.
"…Worth it."