Chapter
2 – The Value of a Fool
Memories of getting into fights and
failing to defend myself blur together. From getting into fights at bars to
fights during training seem all the same to me because they all end the same
with me being helpless on the ground and Umberto, Irsuto, or both having to
defend and pick me up. Certain memories stick out such as the one where Umberto
is sticking up for me to my parents for my dumb prank and one where Irsuto is
talking up my skills and personality to the instructors so I don’t get kicked
out of the army before I become a knight because of how I keep failing tests
and evaluations.
A kick to my side wakes me up from
my dream and I see Umberto standing above me. Around me are other soldiers and
citizens who are being woken up by their friends and family members as the
hotel we’re in is being cleaned up.
“Come on, Ludovico. We’re going to
be moving out soon,” Umberto says before giving me a hand.
“Thanks, Umberto. I didn’t do
anything too embarrassing last night, did I?” I ask.
“Thankfully, you didn’t this time.”
“I call that a good night then.”
After getting my things together,
we say our final goodbyes to the citizens of the city before heading out. As I
keep walking with the group, I can’t help but think about the dream I had last
night even though I shouldn’t. They were the same thoughts and memories that
tempted me during the battle yesterday to think of myself as lesser than and a
burden to everyone else. That’s not true. I still serve a purpose here even
though I’m not as great a knight as Umberto or Irsuto. Still, the thought
bothers me through the two-day journey to our next destination. I try to keep
the thought outside of my head by joking around with the guys, playing card
games, and sharing our experiences, but the memories continue to nag me in the
back of my head.
Finally, we reach a village near
the sea. Here, the artificial sun of the heretics shines from the sky aided by
their crosses. Again, the Pope gives one of his speeches, but all I care about
is getting into the action and getting this over with. That bartender I have my
sights on isn’t going to stay single forever. Once the battle cries are let
out, we charge towards our target. Black fog conjured by those who can
use it mask our advance and just as our forces are about to clash with theirs,
I am seemingly teleported to a light gold and white void with nothing and
nobody around me. Umberto and a few others told me that this happened to them
the other day so I stand guard with my short shield and sword raised.
In addition, I start silently
reciting prayers to keep my mind clear. I then begin to wonder why this
happened to me of all people. Sure, this spell seemed to have affected random
people and those who fell prey to it turned on their own, so I assume they’re
just targeting me randomly hoping they got a sucker in their grasp. Well, jokes
on them. I may not be the best soldier or a saint in the least bit, but I won’t
fall easily for their tricks.
“This isn’t intended to be a trick.
It’s meant for us to talk to one another without anyone getting in the way,” I
hear a feminine voice say.
“You may as well give up now
because you’re wasting your time on a guy like me, so unless you’re going to
admit your love for me, I say we get this fight over with,” I say.
“Ludovico, is it?”
“You know my name?”
“I can read your mind and see your
memories.”
“What are you some kind of mage
from Polypus?”
“No, but we use similar magic to
them. What I am is a friend to you because I know what it means to be a loser,
a good-for-nothing, and a burden to others.”
Again, they’re trying to get to me
by mentioning that. The area around me changes and I see that I’m back at
school. I remember this scene. I had to stay at school for extra lessons
because I was failing my classes. Ahead of me, I see a girl getting picked on,
so without thinking, I leap at the bullies and start throwing punches and then
get swiftly beaten afterward until Irsuto steps in and gets the bullies to back
off. He’d stay after school, the teacher’s pet, to help out for extra credit, and today he’s supposed to help tutor me. Once the bullies leave, he looks at
me with that stoic look of his and turns away. Even the girl walked away without
saying thank you and didn’t end up going out with me when I asked her later.
“Irsuto, a man above other men in
terms of intelligence and strength whose heights of success you’ll never
reach,” the woman says.
“I’d rather not be like him
anyways, otherwise, I’d be full of myself and pride is the root of all sins
after all,” I respond.
The scene around me changes. This
time I’m back at training camp sparring with another soldier. He’s been a jerk
to me so I’ve been trying to beat him at everything I could ranging from
drinking to card games to fighting. Today, I’ve managed to get the better of
him, but during the fight, I let my anger get the better of me and beat him a
bit too much leading to us having to be separated.
Umberto takes me aside and then
says, “You must really want to quit the army if you keep causing trouble like
this.”
“What can I say? It follows me
wherever I go,” I say only to be met with a slap in the face.
“Be serious for once! Irsuto says
you’re a razor’s edge from being kicked out and never being allowed in the army
again so you’d better clean up your act.”
At Umberto’s words, I can only
stare down in shame.
“Look, we both want what’s best for
you. Don’t you still remember our dream of being knights and fighting for God,
the Church, and our families?”
“I do.”
“Then don’t let us down. Irsuto and
I know you can be better. I’m sure he’s told you already.”
“He has.”
“Then come on. Wipe off that dumb
expression off your face and try to be better this next.”
“Umberto, a simple man, but a man
with seemingly no flaws. He’s better than he gives himself credit for. When he
falls, he picks himself up. When he wants something, he gets it. Oh, and he has
a wife too. He’s probably expecting a child soon,” the woman says.
“I figured,” I say. “Still, still!
It’s better to be unique no matter how awful I am at being that.”
“Come, sit with me.”
Yet again, the scene changes, this
time I see a woman sitting on a bench near a water fountain. She seems to be
friendly so I sit with her and once I do, she takes my hands.
“I was never good at anything
either,” she says. “I’m not a good merchant, farmer, or merchant. I mess up
constantly and my family only keeps me around in the hopes of one day marrying
me off or sending me away to be a consecrated virgin or a nun someplace far
away. From your memories, I can see that your parents scolded you a lot as
well. You think that they did so because they love you, but when they
constantly compare you to others and say that you never change, they’re hurting
you more than they think.”
“So…what do you think I should do?”
I ask.
“Exit the darkness and enter the
light with me, and together, we can give other bottom-feeders like us a chance
at a happy life where they can be the best people they can.”
I can feel my mind begin to lighten
even more as I can't but think of a better life where I’m a man of actual worth.
Where my friends don’t need to constantly pick up for me and I don’t disappoint
them every other day. It’s then that I remember their words of encouragement
that hit me like the loving and correcting chastisement of a parent.
Getting up from the park bench, I
say, “Sorry, babe, but I don’t need this false light of yours to make the world
into becoming what I want it to be and be who I want to be. I have my friends for
that.”
“So be it. I’ll be here if you need
me and you will need me sooner than you think,” the woman says as she fades
away.
Everything around me clears and
before I know it, I’m in some marketplace facing down some knight from Leo who
is wearing their signature greyish armor, skull helmet, and wielding a hammer
and shield.
“What’s a knight from Leo doing
here?” I ask while slightly lowering my shield.
“Huh? Oh, you’ve finally come to
your senses,” the man behind the armor says.
“What do you mean?”
“I thought you knights of Noctua
were tougher. You were fighting me presumably because you were under the
influence of the artificial sun like some of the others I’ve faced who’ve acted
strangely.”
I really fell for them, didn’t I?
No, no! There’s no time to feel bad about it.
“I’m sorry. My friends always call me an idiot. My name is Ludovico.”
“Oliver is mine.”
“It’s good to meet you, Oliver. So,
now that I’m back in my right mind, I’ll help you retake this town. Let’s get a
move on.”
“Okay, but if you turn on me, I
won’t hesitate to put you down.”
It’d be a good thing if you did. My
hands still feel the touch of the woman I talked to and her voice feels like
it’s in my head like that of a particularly bad dream.
“So, what’s a knight from Leo like
you doing here?” I ask again.
“Noctua isn’t the only place that’s
being affected by the Cult of the Sun and since the Pope is here on the
frontlines, we’d thought we lend a hand and maybe show you guys up,” Oliver
says.
“Well, I better step up my game
then.”
“That’s right, especially since
I’ve never seen a knight like you before. You look more like a squire. I
thought knights of Noctua wear heavier armor and don’t fall to temptations so
easily.”
“This chainmail and leather armor
allow me to move faster and fight better since that’s what I’m good at. Also,
others from Noctua have turned on us too because of the temptations of this
artificial light and the false promises whispered by its spellcasters. Don’t
you feel it?”
“I do, but all that’s done to me so
far is teleport me away from my fellow knights of Leo. Besides, that I only
feel an increasing haze in my head that I assume will go away once that
artificial sun is gone.”
“Then we better get rid of its
source soon. I bet I’ll take down more soldiers than you and get to it faster
than you can. It should be where the light shines the brightest since that’s
where it was at the last place we faced the cult.”
“You’re on, Squire.”
Oliver and I charge ahead towards
the light as it retreats to a center point, a good sign that we’re winning this
battle. We take down soldier after soldier and whoever raises a weapon against
us while counting aloud after every kill or knockout. While getting closer, we
come across ratmen and beastmen who we say count for two and three points
respectively. Right now, I’ve scored twenty while he’s at twenty-two.
“Come on, Squire of Noctua. I
thought you were supposed to be an elite knight better than most others,”
Oliver says.
“I’m not that far behind you!
Whoever takes down the most at the center gets the win and the loser has to
dance in his underwear and provide the winner all the drinks and food he wants
for the rest of the day,” I say.
“Get ready your dancing shoes
because I’m winning this competition for all of Leo!”
“Don’t speak too soon because I’m
right behind you!”
Above us, I can see that the light
from the sun is retreating. This leads us to a large gathering hall that is the
last place that the artificial light is shining on, however, as soon as we
enter it, I find myself surrounded by the same light gold and white void as
before. In it, the woman I saw appears with tears in her eyes and her arms wide
open while approaching me.
“Why must you destroy this
opportunity for a better life for everyone?” she asks.
“Because you’re forcing everyone
into it,” I say.
“Is there something truly wrong
with that if it means that everyone is happier as a result?” The woman hugs me.
“Listen. I’ll gladly marry and live the rest of my life with you if you help.
We both share a lot in common, being the fools and most useless in society.
Don’t you want to be more than a burden to those you love?”
As the woman holds me, I see her
life flash before my eyes and understand her pain. I see a life of attempts at
trying to be better that only end in failure, being looked down on, and feeling
as if it’d be better if I was dead.
“Our prayers are the ones never
answered,” she continues, “No matter how much we try, we make very little
progress in becoming better people. I’ve always been a nuisance to others.
There was never a role I had that wouldn’t have been better filled by someone
else. Anyone else. The artificial sun has given me a role that I can fill and
never mess up in and can create a life where I’m happy and can make others
happy. Please, help me make this better world filled with light a reality.”
I’m just realizing that I’ve been
crying and holding the woman close to me. I quickly let her go and my vision
shifts back to reality where I see that I’m about to stab Oliver as he lies
wounded on the floor.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” I say.
“You’re finally back to your senses,
but it doesn’t matter now, Squire. There’s no point in apologizing,” Oliver
says as he points to the horde of soldiers heading towards us.
This is it. I’ve messed up bad for
the last time and there’s nothing I can do to make it up. I’m sorry Umberto and
Irsuto for never being worthy of the friend you thought I was. Before the horde
descends upon me, they are driven back by the Pope, Irsuto, Umberto, and other
soldiers of Leo.
Looking over at me, Pope Tramonto
the Fifth says, “Do not let your fears freeze you! Keep fighting, knight of
Noctua!”
That’s right! I’m a knight of Noctua!
I fight until my body is beyond broken and keep trying to fight past that! As I
join in the fight, my friends and fellow knights manage to overwhelm our
enemies and the mages that have been keeping the artificial sun going. Soon
after, victory is ours. Once that’s done, I get Oliver help, and sit down and
think about what to do next. I make my decision and head over to where the Pope
is. Kneeling before his holiness, I offer my sword in both hands.
“I am not worthy of being called a
knight of Noctua. I have let the enemy get to my mind and a brother knight of
Leo was hurt because of it,” I say with my head bowed.
A few seconds pass by before I feel
the Pope’s presence above me staring me down. I then feel him push the sword back
at me so that I’m now holding it close to me.
“We have all fallen to sin and
made grievous mistakes. Only a true knight can admit his mistakes and say he is
unworthy of the honor he is given, but still fight on because that is his God-given
role and you are one of them,” Pope Tramonto says.
I can’t help but cry at this and
give him a big hug.
“Ah!” I say as I back off. “I’m
sorry, Your Holiness.”
Irsuto looks at me and shakes his
head.
“It’s quite alright. Ludovico, is
it? Your friend Irsuto speaks highly of you and Umberto.”
Speaking of which, Umberto makes it
to where we are and approaches us.
“What are you up to now, Ludovico?”
Umberto asks.
“He said a bunch of stupid stuff
and hugged the Pope,” Irsuto says.
“Tch. I’m sorry, Your Holiness.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Ludovico here
reminds me a lot of myself when I was a mere knight. It was refreshing to see
that there are humble knights such as him in our ranks,” Pope Tramonto says.
“He is a…special one, to say the
least,” Irsuto says.
“Our special one,” Umberto says. “Come
on, the town is holding a feast for us as thanks and I’m sure you want a part
in that.”
“I definitely do!” I say.
“Do you mind if I join you?” Pope
Tramonto says to our surprise.
“Uh. You don’t need to ask. It
would be an honor,” Irsuto says.
As we head to where the party is,
we come across Oliver who is bandaged up.
“Squire!” Oliver says as he approaches
us before seeing the Pope. “Ah, your holiness!”
“Be at ease. I am merely joining
these men in the celebration,” Pope Tramonto says.
“Yes, of course.”
“I’m sorry what I did to you,
Oliver. I’ll try to make it up to you somehow,” I say.
“You don’t have to bother. I know
you couldn’t control yourself while under that spell so there’s nothing to apologize
for, but I will take whatever reparations you have in mind.”
“Pfft. If you say, I don’t need to
bother then I won’t. Also, I have to say that I won our competition based on
the fact that I beat you in combat.”
“That was because you were
possessed.”
“Then how about a rematch? At the
party, we’ll see who can drink more.”
“You’re on!”
“Mind if I join that competition?”
Pope Tramonto asks.
Man, this guy is full of surprises.
Of course, we accept, and of course, I am the first to lose in the competition
and the Pope manages to win. While everyone celebrates and cheers for the Pope,
I lay happily on the ground as a loser. I’m fine with being this way as long as
those I care about are happy and I’ll keep getting up so that I can become the
man God made me to be. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even be the future Pope.
I’m finally back home. Thanks be to God
because Persephone has been sleeping on my shoulder while drooling and snoring.
When we get out of the carriage, Persephone
can’t help but stare up at the large buildings in the city. “Wow! Are these the
futuristic buildings from the past that I hear so much about? They seem like
they reach past the clouds!”
“There were ones that actually did, but since
we don’t have enough materials to repair them, we just keep them maintained as best
we can.”
“Oh! What about that church-like tower in the
center?”
“It’s the primary church and military base
and where we’re headed next.”
“Wow! I can’t wait to get a closer look at it
and see what’s inside.”
An idea hits me as get closer to the base. “Hey,
I have friends here who will give you a tour of the building and show you a
trick or two in how to be a better archer. It’ll really help you for next time
so we don’t repeat what happened last time.”
“Um, okay, I guess. Will you be coming with
me?”
“No, I have a friend I want to meet and talk
to. She’s a best friend of mine that I haven’t seen since I left here.”
“I’ll go with you to meet your friend.”
“Why do you have to come with me everywhere I
go?”
“Be…Because I love you!”
“I get it, but we can be apart from time to
time. We don’t have to be together all the time, okay? Now, leave me alone.”
“What’s wrong? Did I upset you somehow?”
“You could say that. Just let me talk to my
friend for a bit, I’ll come back down to you, and I’ll be fine.”
“Dominic, I’m sorry! I really do love you, so
tell me what I have to do to make up for whatever I did to you.”
I block Persephone’s kiss with the back of my
hand and push her away as I snap. “Stop it! Just stop it already! You can start
making it up to me by leaving me alone! You’re such an idiot who is always
getting on my nerves because of the stupid things you say and do, and you never
seem to stop to the point where I’m beginning to think that we’re not meant to be
together.”
“You don’t actually mean that, Dominic! What
about the things we’ve been through, managed to survive and your victory at
the stronghold? Weren’t they proof of the legitimacy of our relationship?”
“All flukes for all I know or God’s mercy
sparing my life from my stupid mistake. That’s probably all this was. I’m sorry
for making you think I was your husband-to-be. I must’ve been tempted by some demon to
make me think I was important enough to have God directly talk to me. Now, leave
me alone!”
I turn around and begin to walk away, but Persephone
grabs my arm. She looks like she’s on the verge of tears and is struggling to talk.
“Dom…Dominic. Please…I…love you…”
“What don’t you get about leaving me alone?!
Can you stop being such a moron for once?!” I push away Persephone and run into
the crowd to lose her. Thankfully, I’m able to make it past the gates of the
base and the guards don’t know Persephone so they won’t let her in. Even as I make
it to the entrance of the base, I can hear her calling out for me so I quickly head
inside the building. Part of me wants to go back to her for whatever reason,
but I won’t. My place is with Priscilla. Heading up the many stairs and to
where she should be. I storm into her office where she’s sitting at her desk
doing paperwork.
“Woah there, Dominic! Is everything okay? I’m
sorry that I didn’t send any messages back to the towns you were in since I assumed
you’d be here in no time. Where’s that wife-to-be of yours?”
After catching my breath, I muster up all the
courage I have, and say, “That was a mistake on my part. A delusion or a
temptation from a demon. You don’t have to worry about that woman because you’re
the only one I love! I want you to be my wife!”
“Huh? Do you mean it?”
“Of course I do! What I went through with
that other woman made me realize it even more! I’m sorry that I was such a
coward to not have told you earlier.”
“I…I must admit that I’ve been a coward too
because I feel the same way. I’ve been in love with you too ever since we first
met, Dominic, and I’m overjoyed to hear you return my feelings so we can officially
be together.” Priscilla and I embrace and look into each other’s eyes. Before I
can kiss her, she lets go. “We should spend a day together and kiss after that.
There’s something important happening today that I was hoping you’d be a part
of.”
I clear my throat and follow Priscilla as she
leads me out of her office. “Yes, of course. I’m sorry. So, what’s happening
today?”
“That elf boy I’ve been helping has revealed
his true powers that could help the city and maybe even the Church as a whole.
He’s told me that he’s actually a dark elf and can use magic that can manipulate
minds through his dark fog.”
“Go on. What are we planning to make him use
this magic? It seems like a strange power to use that could cause serious trouble.”
“Don’t you see? He can make dreams come true.
We can make Earth a paradise and convert hearts without fighting or having to
argue back and forth. I know it sounds too good to be true, so let me show you.”
While walking to the elf’s room, I can’t help
but feel relieved at Priscilla’s admission of love for me. I know she’s the
right choice for me because she’s a faithful and beautiful servant of God who
is more well-accomplished than I am and who can lead me on the right path. It’s at
this moment that I also feel bad for Persephone. I hope she finds someone who
can make her a better person because that person certainly isn’t me. She’ll
probably never talk to or even see me again because of what I said to her,
which is fine with me.
Once Priscilla leads me to the room where the
dark elf is, she tells him to show me his power. The boy looks deeply into
me for a minute before nodding. A dark fog spews from his mouth that covers
everything and everyone in the room. When it lifts, I see that I’m now in a
church in a suit. In front of me is a crowd of people and at the altar is a
priest and Priscilla dressed in a wedding dress. Before I can make it up to
her, the dark fog covers everything again. “No,” I hear a deep voice say, “She’s
my princess, my bride.”
Out of the fog, I see a gray creature composed
of many heads and on top of the center head, I see a pair of pointy ears. Is
this the same dark elf boy? “No one will take away my princess from me. She’s
integral to my plan for my paradise that will override this nightmarish world.”
Out of the dark fog, a monstrous version of
Priscilla appears. “I’m sorry but if getting rid of you means a better life for
everyone, then so be it.” Priscilla starts swiping at me with her claws that
can cut the stone walls around us. I do my best to dodge and find the dark elf
to put an end to this, but I can’t manage to find him.
“Stop it, Priscilla! Get a hold of yourself! I
thought you said you loved me?”
“I am in control of myself and I do still love
you so just make this easier for the both of us and let me kill you. It’s either
you or the world’s happiness and salvation and I choose the world.”
What she says breaks my heart and takes me
off my guard allowing her to get a couple of cuts on my legs and my arms.
Because of the black fog and the strange sensation in my head, I’m unable to
properly defend myself against her and think about allowing her to kill me.
There’s no point in continuing on because the love of my life has turned on me
and my mistake in leaving Persephone behind has put me in this predicament
where no one can save me. I really am an idiot and I pray that you forgive me,
God.
Before Priscilla strikes me down, a goatman
with wings on his back runs through a nearby wall and tackles her. “You shall
no longer do any harm to anyone’s mind!”
“What? Who are you?”
“I am nothing but filth that God has chosen
to spare and enlighten. Get away from here while I take care of these two!”
Seeing that he’s able to fight against Priscilla and make the dark elf appear,
I do as he says and run out of the room and make my way out of the building. As
I run out, I see that the dark fog is beginning to spread through the building
and infect the minds of many who start attacking me. I dodge my way past them
and am surprised to find Persephone on one of the mid-tier floors.
She’s firing explosive arrows at the
possessed, however, these arrows explode with a white smoke that knocks them
out. “Get out my way! My husband needs me.” I can’t believe how relieved I am to
see her. Her words also give me relief and a profound sense of guilt and shame
that makes me unable to hold back my tears as I approach her. “Dominic! Are you
okay? Are you hurt?”
“Persephone!” I say as I embrace her. “I’m so
sorry for what I said to you earlier! I lost my patience and didn’t want to
believe that God set us up together and wanted to be with a different woman instead
who I thought would be better for me.”
“I’m so relieved to hear you say that! I
thought that was the case that you just lost your patience with me so that’s
why I’m here. The guards were easy to get past probably because of this black fog.
So, this woman you’re talking about, is she okay? Does she have anything to do
with this fog?”
“She does and she almost killed me because of
it.”
“That’s horrible! Did she kiss you before she
tried to kill you? On the lips specifically?” Huh? What’s this sudden change in
topic for?
“Uh, no. Why?”
Persephone kisses me on the lips and keeps
her lips on mine for a few seconds before stepping away. “Because I realized
that I hadn’t kissed you there and didn’t want anyone else other than me taking
your first kiss on the lips.”
You and your silly concerns, Persephone. I
miss you so much despite only having been away from you for a while.
“Anyways, we’d better help her if she’s under
this dark fog’s mind control. It’s making me feel loppy too.”
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do. I’m
alive because a goatman saved me. He’s handling my friend and the elf that’s
causing this fog.”
“A goatman? He didn’t happen to have black
wings on his back, did he?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Then that’s the same goatman who led the
beastmen that took over the stronghold I was in. We better get up there before
he causes any trouble!”
“Really? He seemed to be a repentant man to
me because he saved me and called himself filth that God has enlightened.”
“Huh? That doesn’t sound like something he
would say. Let’s go up there and see if there’s anything we can do anyway.”
When Persephone and I go to the upper floors, we find roughly twenty knocked-out guards and see that the dark fog is receding.
Going to the source, we find the goatman
standing above Priscilla and the dark elf boy who are back to their normal
appearance and knocked out on the floor. He kneels down on the floor and then
says, “All praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ! Thank You for Your mercy and unending
forgiveness!” Turning to us, the goatman bows his head down in Persephone’s
particular direction. “Thank you two as well for giving me the defeat that
placed me here! In solitary confinement, God spoke to me and brought me back
from the brink of damnation and into the light of His love! I’m sorry and thankful
to you as well, Persephone. I hope you can forgive me for forcing you to serve
me.”
“Uh, I forgive you?”
“Thank you, thank you so much! You won’t
believe how overjoyed I am to hear that!” Once we get the goatman up after all
his praising and thanking, we explain what happened to the guards outside and get
them to help bring those who were knocked out to a hospital. The dark elf boy
is locked up with priests who can counter his magic while the goatman willingly
goes back to his cell with a willing and thankful heart and a lessened jail sentence.
Once Priscilla wakes up and is better, she
tells us how remorseful she is and that, “I’ll make it up to everyone by taking
the dark elf boy back home. What I did was inexcusable and I let my sympathy for
the boy get to me. I don’t blame you for choosing to stay with Persephone
instead of me, Dominic.”
I can’t believe I had to break the hearts of
two girls in the same week. “I’m sure you’ll find someone someday, Priscilla,
and don’t worry about what happened. I forgive you.”
“Thank you,” Priscilla says before hugging
me.
“Uh, you two are hugging for a bit too long.
Are you sure she’s okay?”
“Woah, woah, woah! Calm down, Persephone! Put
away the bow, she’s fine.”
“Haha! I’m sure you two will live happily
together. God really did bring you two together to be married.” After Priscilla
leaves with the dark elf boy and a squad of elite troops and diplomates,
Persephone pulls me aside.
I ask her what’s going on and she says, “So,
now that everything is sorted out, can we officially get married?”
“Okay, okay! We’ll start to arrange the
marriage today.”
“Yay!” Persephone says before showering my
face with kisses. She doesn’t stop until I kiss her back.
“Ah! You actually kissed me! I think this is the
first time you did.”
“Yeah, sorry about not doing so before.”
“Well…can I have some more? To make up for
all the times you didn’t, of course.”
“Of
course.”