Chapter 54 : Love love

Later, deep within the Blue Flowers Dungeon, in the guild house of Novus Obris, night had fallen.

“What an exhausting day…” I murmured as I entered my room, closing the door behind me. I sighed, my muscles finally relaxing.

“I’m glad, happy to have met these people, and to have this home,” I said, collapsing onto the bed and staring at the ceiling with a satisfied smile.

“Happiness has to be earned, I suppose. I guess I’ve earned it.”

A silence settled in, then I resumed, murmuring into the night:

“And if that’s not enough, then I’ll just keep adventuring.”

A sound pulled me from my thoughts. Knock, knock, knock, someone was softly tapping at the door.

“Ah, Elvie, it’s you! Come in, it’s your room too, after all,” I said, my tone lazy and amused. The door slowly opened, revealing Elvaria in pajamas, her hair tousled, with an adorably weary expression.

“Aley… I’m exhausted, sad, happy… too many emotions, comfort me, cuddle me…” she murmured, yawning, before coming closer and collapsing onto me.

I let her lie down, placing my hand on her head to stroke her hair, trying to soothe her. “Does that feel better, Elvie?”

“Yes… eeeh… keep cuddling me…” She sighed, and each time I withdrew my hand, a small smile appeared, then faded just as quickly, like a pouty kitten.

“Aley… stop taking your hand away!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll leave it there.” She let out a relieved sigh and buried her face against my chest. A moment passed.

“Tell me… does it really feel that good to rest your head on me?”

“Yes…” she replied in a whisper.

“Why is that?” I asked, curious.

“Because it smells like you…” she replied, and my cheeks heated slightly. I tried to look away, but she spoke again before I could respond. “I’m not going to let Alfira have you, you know, Aley.”

“I’m not letting anyone else have you, either.”

She smiled, a little mischievously. “Good, as long as you understand. But, Aley… tonight, it’s your punishment day.” All of a sudden, she sat up, her thighs wrapped around my waist as she straddled me, pinning me to the bed.

The closeness was suddenly… way too close. I could feel her weight, her warmth, and it was getting… awkward.

“I’ve always thought your name was cute… Aley, Aley, Aley,” she said, singing my name with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Okay, alright, Elvie, but… could you maybe get down?” I whispered, grimacing.

“Don’t wanna,” she replied with a smile.

“Please?”

“Don’t wanna.”

“I’m begging you?”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Elvaria, it’s a bad idea to stay sitting like that on me…” At my words, she flashed a mischievous smile and pressed down even more.

“And why is that… A-l-e-y?” she asked in a soft voice.

“You’re playing with fire here…”

“I’m not sure it’s fire, given the position we’re in…” she murmured, a sly grin on her face.

“LET’S JUST CALM DOWN,” I said, more for myself than for her.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Mmmm… don’t wanna.”

“Elvaria, I wanted a story where I slay monsters, not one where you slay my monster.”

Elvie burst into laughter, leaning back and holding her stomach. Her body shook against me, and I shivered as well, far too aware of the closeness… too aware of everything.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

A pounding sounded from the neighboring wall. “KEEP IT DOWN, I’M TRYING TO SLEEP!” Githin yelled, his voice low and irritated. His words froze us, but Elvie didn’t seem ready to give up. She turned to me, her eyes full of mischief.

“Aley… you know, I can feel what you’re feeling, even if you don’t want to admit it…” she said sweetly, leaning down to whisper in my ear.

I felt disarmed, as if caught in a spell.

“I know what you really want… my dear f-i-a-n-c-é…”

Inside, I panicked. Me, Aleystria, a god who has never lost a single fight, here I was, losing this one! My honor at stake, I suddenly sat up, bringing my face close to hers.

“A-Aley?” she murmured, surprised. Without giving her a chance to protest, I kissed her. A long kiss, controlled, legendary. Just enough to make her pass out, a patented technique, certified, from my former life.

Her breathing steadied, and she finally drifted off, a peaceful smile on her lips.

I sighed and stretched, a victorious smile on my face. Tomorrow would be a busy day: we’d have to decide our next moves, investigate Voltruite, or split Novus Obris into two groups — one for investigation, the other for conquering the primordial dungeons.

“Mmmm… thinking so much tires me out,” I murmured, my eyelids heavy. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

Somewhere in Voltruite:

“Huh? We’ve been found out?” growled a female voice, slightly irritated. In the darkness of a vast church, bathed in the pale moonlight, a young woman stood at the center, her features hidden by the shadow of the towering stained glass, which cast a bluish glow. All that could be discerned of her was a silhouette with sharp, impatient eyes.

Kneeling at her feet was a man with dark hair, his face tense. His resemblance to Aley was striking… that is, if one were to imagine a less handsome, less “sexy” version of Aley, as Aley himself would surely put it with a smug smile.

“Ma’am, your sister used the divine blood from that strange alchemist to summon a god in Iveralmn—” began the man, his voice hesitant, but his mistress cut him off.

“I know all that! Get to the point, for god’s sake, you useless lackey!”

The servant gulped, visibly uneasy, choosing his words carefully. “Well… as you know, he was defeated. But… um… it seems those who defeated him suspect something.”

She paused, probably raising an eyebrow behind the veil of shadow. “How is that possible? No one should have known!”

The man looked as if he might dissolve under the pressure but continued, “To tell the truth… it seems that… your father, His Majesty the king, um… informed a group of warriors that a god was going to attack Iveralmn. He wanted, uh… to warn them, to make himself look… imposing.”

A heavy silence fell, then: “Huh? Huh? Huuuuh? AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! What a complete fool! Are all the kings of this world so hopelessly stupid?! WHY DID HE DO THAT?!”

The servant coughed, clearly embarrassed. “Ma’am… you know his… condition, the one that makes him say, for example, ‘Good night’ by reciting: ‘By all the saints, I hope the gods grant you the sleep you deserve, and if, heaven forbid, the midnight demons appear, forsooth! May grace protect you…’”

“SILENCE! I GET IT!” she snapped, pressing a hand to her forehead, clearly on the verge of mental exhaustion. She took a deep breath and continued, “So… he wanted to show off in front of King Almus by pretending to be the only one who knew something this serious… to look cool.”

A deep sigh escaped her, then a question troubled her: “And how exactly did my idiot sister get exposed?”

The servant hesitated, knowing each word could be a misstep. “Well… your sister is… how shall I put it, suicidal, ma’am. A tendency you are well aware of…”

“SILENCE!” she thundered.

The servant immediately bowed, trembling, then murmured in a cautious voice, “Sorry, ma’am. What I meant to say is that she only wanted to die… summon the god, destroy Iveralmn, and die in the process. For her, that was ideal, and for us, well…”

She clenched her fist. “You. Did you just imply that my sister’s death would have been perfect?”

The poor man gulped, shaking his head vehemently. “No! No, of course not! I… I meant that the destruction of Iveralmn would be beneficial to our cause. Their army is so powerful that it prevents our kingdom from going to war.”

She exhaled a long, exasperated breath. “Yes, yes, I get it… A single kingdom controlling an entire continent for centuries, what madness.” Her eyes narrowed, and her tone turned icy again. “But you’re saying that those responsible for her defeat are beginning to suspect something, is that it?”

“Yes, ma’am…”

“Very well, then… who are they?”

“The adventurer group from Novus Obris, ma’am. S-rank, five of them.”

“O-Oh…” the young woman stammered, a slight pinkish tint, surprisingly, coloring her cheeks despite the darkness. Her voice betrayed a little too much interest. She cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure. “Let me handle this matter,” she added in a tone that aimed to sound professional, though a hard-to-hide enthusiasm seeped through.

“Very well, ma’am, I will ensure that your mission is a success,” murmured the man, secretly wondering if this “enthusiasm” for a group of adventurers would truly serve the plans of their dark kingdom… or just bring about even more disasters.

But deep down, he knew that asking questions would, without a doubt, be his worst idea of the day.

Author's note : I lied, that's not the moment you've been waiting for