Two weeks have passed since the battle in the fortress in the forest and Edmund was walking around the town but today he had a hidden objective; he was just going to crowed places and eavesdropping, trying to know what people thought about Ariadne. As he was passing through the central square, a group of people caught his attention.

‘This was not what happened; Edmund has his white hair because she shared a part of her power with him and that contection made his love cure her pain. That is why she doesn’t feel pain.’ The young Chatzi lady pointed at a Shafran male in the group.

Edmund sat on a bench close to them; they were so invested in the conversation that they didn’t notice the young man; the words he heard took him back; it was completely fabricated and far from the truth.

‘No, he felt in love and offered himself as a slave for her and became the first devoted; that is why he was the first one to make the devices we use, but you are right in one thing: his love cured her.’ The Shafran male steps forward.

The young white-haired man covered his face with his two; he was concerned by those claims, and as he heard more of that they were talking, more concerned he became, not because of the stories by themselves, but because it was all a lie, but it made sense with reality.

He also noticed how they talked about her; the feeling was strange, even those that didn’t call her goddess but her highness said in a way that might as well have called her goddess; there was no real difference.

The group dispersed but some of them saw Edmund sitting on the bench, recognizing him by his signature white hair. As they walked close to him, they made a gesture for him that he interpreted as for him to give his all. His sighed in response.

‘All of this goddess thing is moving way too fast; they even have their own stories about what is happening, but what Ariadne said is right, they are behaving in a strange way when talking about her.’ Edmund thought to himself.

He got up and continued to walk around the city; he didn’t notice before how full of life it has become with kids running around, couples holding hands, and people in general coming in and out of shops.

Going to the outskirts of the city, the sight of new buildings rising made him smile, but what surprised him the most was the magic tools the workers were using. He decided to get closer and one of the workers waived to him.

‘Hey Edmund, there is something you need?’ The young Chatzi walked in Edmund’s direction.

‘Ethan? What are you doing here?’ Edmund looked at him confused.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

‘Those magic devices cost money; Ruth really wanted the device that washes clothes, so here I am.’ Ethan scratched the back of his head.

‘She is really perfect for you; I was just walking around the city to see what was going on. Did you hear about the stories that are circulating about Ariadne?.’ He looked at him crossing his arms.

‘Ruth told me about it; they are really interesting; she seemed so happy while telling them; is any of it true? They are kind of crazy if you ask me.’ Ethan chuckled.

‘It’s all true; all that I do is for Ariadne; it's not easy but one day she may recognize my love for her.’ Edmund looked way while covering his mouth with his hand.

‘Seriously? Well, you know I’m not good at this whole love thing; I never really noticed; it is really destiny, them, how you took her pain way and all; when I get home, I will tell Ruth about it, but now I need to go.’ He turned around and walked away.

Edmund looked at Ethan walking away and at the other workers that were looking at him; he smiled at them and continued to walk, observing the new buildings being constructed.

‘Might as well play into the story: an army or religious zelots against the demon lord army; it can work and they are not bad people, for now.’ He talked to himself.

He walked through a new street with brand new houses; there were simple but nothing to be ashamed about; the people that lived there paid a fraction of the wages they gained by working for the same company that funded the building effort, Arc and Socher; even if they were the same companies, they went with the same design of home.

‘I hope that by the time they finish these new buildings, we already have conquered the dungeon; all of this manpower will be needed to build the train line connecting the duchy.’ Edmund was kicking a rock while looking down, talking to himself.

As he was blableling to himself, he didn’t notice the eyes looking at him and hear the whispers of the people at the windows and walking in groups in the middle of the street. He kicked the rock forward and the street he was in ended, giving way to a more crowed one, the main street of the city that was called Duchess Street.

Edmund thought it was a really bad name but it was Burns that was renamed and there was even an opening. He shook his head, remembering what happened. What really filled his eyes with hope for the future was how fast everything was changing, especially the main street. Now there were even shops that sold the devices, the sighs bomming bright with colors and even drawings.

It filled him with happiness; he didn’t do anything for any of this to happen; it was built and thought out by the people of the duchy themselves; maybe in twenty years he won't be needed anymore.

He entered a shop that sold cakes; it was brand new; he just remembered eating it from the memories of the past lives, not himself. There was a small table with just one chair next to it; he chose that place to rest. After some time, an A-Dam with a black beard stood next to him with a tablet in his hands.

‘Ho, Edmund, what kind of cake would you like to eat and you want tea with it?’ The bearded man smiled and gave Edmund the tablet.

‘Wow, this is impressive; you guys made a menu with drawings and everything, nice.’ Edmund scrolled through the items.

‘Is thanks to you; my daughter did this for me; she learned at her classes; one of your students is the teacher, I believe.' He stroked his beard while chuckling.

‘Well, I want this and this one too with tea.’ Edmund touched the drawings and they were highlighted on the tablet.

‘For those, it will be just...’ The bearded man was interrupted by Edmund’s palm.

‘Wait, I thought it was free for me, like I’m a slave. How am I supposed to buy anything without money? Put it the duchess tab; she is going to give me some but I don’t really know when. Edmund scratches the back of his head while looking at the table.

‘Well, I’m going to give a slice and a cup of tea on the house for what you indirectly did for my daughter.’ The man turned around, shook his head, and smiled.

‘Thank god. Yeah, the treatment doesn’t apply to me at all, hum?' Edmund looked at his clothes.