“Hahaha!! If only I could have been there to see the look on his face.” (Magnus)
After the entire ordeal, Leona returned to the inn I was staying at and explained everything that happened.
“Mou, that was really hard to act like that and remember all that stuff you told me… did I do good, hubby?” (Leona)
“Yes. You’ve done well, Leona.”
“Than I demand head pats!”
“Umm… sure. There, there!”
I’m probably the only person in the world that can say that they touched the Sword Saintess’s ears and lived to tell the tale. Her hair is so soft, almost like fur. The feeling in my palm is so relaxing to the point that I feel like just stroking a cat. She really loves it, because she’s blushing and smiling. However…
“No fair! I don’t want you to hog master all to yourself! Master, please… my head too!”
“Umm… ok?”
With my other hand I started stroking Rusalka’s head as well. This sure is a weird picture but my heart feels so at ease. These two look incredibly cute like this, I could do this for hours.
“Oh, master, I just remembered! What are you going to do next? Are we still staying in this city? Scary lady mentioned something about eventually leaving.”
“True. That will eventually be the case. However we can still afford to stick around for a while. I need to think carefully about the future.”
“Master can do it! He’s super smart and can do anything!”
“Agreed. If you got no plans, hubby, how about we visit my clan? Although I ran away from it... if I have you by my side I feel safe and I’m sure dad would be happy to meet the man that bested me! And then you can crush him for the grief I had to endure, fufu.”
Ugh! No freaking way! That’s the worst possible scenario. Leona’s father, Esteban Ironwill is a battle maniac some describe as a raging bull. He’s amongst the strongest people in the world. Even the demons don’t mess with him. I seriously don’t want to deal with that guy. I can only imagine that he would break my back. Dads are scary after all.
“I will give that idea some thought.”
“Sure! Regardless, I’m happy with whatever you decide.”
Good. Because I did think it over and I won’t go there!
“That aside, Leona, can I ask you something?”
“Do you perhaps… want to mate?”
“Huh!? No! I mean… it’s not that you’re not attractive. I find you very attractive but please don’t mention words like those when I’m trying to be serious.”
“That’s right! If anyone is to accompany master in bed, that’s me!” (Rusalka)
“Knock it off, both of you!”
“Understood!” (x2)
“Now then. Leona, can you please teach Rusalka swordsmanship?”
“Errr… are you sure? I’m not exactly the best teacher out there. Or so I’ve been told multiple times.”
“That’s because you just don’t know how to express yourself. It will be a different kind of training. I want you to take Rusalka to the dungeon. Rusalka is a weiss goblin, so it’s in her blood to adapt by observing others. You just have to let her fight monsters and issue commands from the back. Like ‘Dodge left’, ‘Slash upwards’, ‘Kick behind you’ and that sort of stuff. By thoroughly repeating this process, Rusalka’s body will memorize the combat and the way she is supposed to fight and most likely she can tap into her Aura Core.”
“Eeeeh!? I have an Aura Core!?” (Rusalka)
Was she not aware of this herself? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, as the only way to tell if you possess a core is through the appraisal of the Church, or like my father did for me, paying an appraiser.
“Ok. I can do it! Yes. It actually makes sense!”
“Rusalka, can you please promise me to listen to Leona and get along with her?”
“Muuu! It’s going to be hard, but I promise. Anything for you, master.”
“Then it’s settled. The Old Knights’ Dungeon should be the best entry point for newbies so I’ll have you go there. But for now, try talking to each other and getting to know each other better.”
I got up from the bad and was heading for the door.
“Don’t you want to talk with us too? I don’t mind telling you everything about myself.” (Leona)
“I appreciate that. But I have all the time in the world to get to know all of you. And there are some things that should be said only between girls.”
“Fine. If you wanna play shy, I’ll accept it. But where are you going, anyway?”
“I have another appointment right now. And it’s something that can’t wait.”
And with that I left the room.
After I left the room and made sure nobody saw me, I teleported myself inside the dimensional storage. Believe it or not, the important meeting I had was taking place here. And the person I was supposed to meet was already present.
“You're late.”
An elegant yet muscular lady was sitting on a chair in front of a table. And on that table a chess board was set up, the white pieces on her side and the black towards the empty seat. However this chess board was rather different as it had more pieces than the traditional 16 I was used to. It had 24 pieces in total.
That aside, the woman was someone I knew all too well.
“Forgive me, lady Iseria, but you kinda gave me a short notice.”
“Be grateful that I didn't forcefully summon you.”
“Oh, I am. So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Sit down. We're going to play a game of chess.”
“This… doesn't look like your typical chess set.”
“We're going to play with the Ishen rules and variant. It's more exciting. Don't worry, I’ll explain the rules.”
“Umm… while I don't mind, why are we doing this?”
“Because I’m bored. That and all the other Gods are busy with their own stuff, so I have no other way to kill some time. Now come on. The time limit of how long you can stay in here still stands. So let's treat ourselves to a nice and fun game.”
Well what can I say. I guess even Gods can get bored. Well, a game of chess is more reasonable than killing boredom by unleashing a plague or calling forth storms like I read in various fiction novels.
“Very well. I will try to live up to your expectations. Thank you for considering me.”
“It's… not like I’m doing this for your sake. It's… because I have nobody else to kill time with!! So don't let it go to your head.”
Yup. She’s back in Tsundere mode. But I try to contain my laughter. Part of me is happy that she still remembers me. So for the next 10 minutes I did my best to learn these Ishen rules.
“Alright. That's about it. Let's start. Also, can you multitask?”
“I don't think I understand what you mean.”
“I mean can you hold a conversation and play at the same time?”
“Yes. That shouldn't be an issue.”
She smiled and made her first move. And as we started playing she also started to ask me an interesting question.
“You sure managed to make good use of the 2nd life I gave you. I’m all in for a good revenge, but if you don't watch your steps, the Church will notice you and through them you might draw the attention of the Goddess of Light herself. So what's your next move?”
“I’ll take your pawn with my rook.”
“That's obviously not what I meant! Sheesh. How can mortals make jokes like that?”
“Sorry. I couldn't help it. Despite being in the presence of a Goddess, I see you as a friend so that's why I took that liberty.”
Another slight blush on her face.
“That being said, I honestly don't know what to do. The way the world works… it's not to my liking. The influence of the Church is too big and the kingdom is not much better either. And obviously I don't want to just go crazy and defect to the demon faction. So I guess I am at an impasse.”
“Such shallow thinking… if there's something you don't like, why don't you do something about it?”
“Hmm? Excuse me but I don't quite understand what you mean?”
“Look, there are some things I can't say up front. So I’ll just tell you a little story. Let's take the goblins for example. You know why goblins form clans and nests instead of uniting together as a race? Difference of opinions.
If they don't like how someone leads they just go join someone else or form their own clan.”
Is she implying that if I don't like how the rulers are doing things I should just make my own place? Easier said than done. I don't have the backbone to be a leader. And territories are pretty much established at this point. If I were to do something foolish like establish my own nation that would spell war. Unless… could she mean…?
“You're not implying that…?”
“I'm not implying anything. I’m just trying to present you some options since you look lost like a puppy. Besides, you’re my toy. I won't let that stupid Goddess of Light get her hands on you.”
Should I feel happy that she cares for me or insulted for calling me a toy?
“Hey, keep focused. I just snatched your Frigate.”
“Aah. Pardon me. As expected, I’m no match for a Goddess.”
“We’ll be doing this on a regular basis, so I look forward to you improving.”
The game continued on like that for almost the entire time limit. And of course I was utterly crushed. But what I was more shocked about…
“Hey, one more thing. I’ve been watching you for a while and now that you have quite a few girls around you… when are you going to actually start having sex with them?”
“Whaa!?”
That question made me flop and I completely fell off the chair.
“What kind of question is that!? Sex should be something special, not just giving in to instincts. Moreover, are you some kind of pervert to suggest something like that?”
Iseria-chan blushed deeply this time.
“D-don’t misunderstand!! It's not like I'm peeking or anything! It's just… you should consider the feelings of those around you more!!”
And so… with that comical bickering that felt ripped off from a manga, my time limit has been reached and was forced to part ways with the Goddess. I’m not sure if I will be mentally prepared for these regular basis meetings at all…