WIEDERGEBURT Act II: Chapter 36

There were just short of 200 survivors in total. That wasn’t a lot when I took Vesperia’s 350,000 total population into account. In fact, it wasn’t even a tenth of a percent.

Felicia informed us about what happened during our absence, how the Sekbeists had continued to appear and open Warp Gates in ruins all across the continent, how they indiscriminately attacked cities without pause, and how several small to mid-sized cities had been ransacked. Midgard’s numerous sects had engaged in all-out war to protect the cities. Thanks to them, none of the larger cities had been taken since Vahn, but a lot of smaller cities had been wiped off the map. Sometimes a city would be destroyed and no one would learn of it until a month after the fact.

Out of all the shocking information she had given us, I think what hit the hardest was the news of Danivan’s death. We’d gone on numerous expeditions with him. It was Danivan who taught Kari and I the tricks of the trade. His passing hurt us all the more because we hadn’t been here at the time. If we had, then he probably wouldn’t have died.

However, there was no time for us to cry over this issue. We needed to leave Vesperia, which was nothing more than ruins now, and so Kari and I led the survivors away from the city, taking the mountain pass to reach Capistrania. We left the non-sect survivors there, then took the members of our sect and their families and booked passage with a caravan to Midgard.

It took us two months to reach Midgard, and during that time, Kari and I informed Felicia, Markus, and the survivors of our sect about the other world we had been sent to.

“That is the most far-fetched tale I’ve ever heard,” Markus grunted as he, Felicia, Axel, myself, and Kari sat in a carriage. The ride was bumpy, but none of us minded.

“Are you saying you don’t believe us?” asked Kari with a frown.

“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you.” Scratching his head, Markus released an irritated grunt as he looked away. “I’m just saying the idea of you guys traveling to another world is simply unbelievable… but I know you wouldn’t lie about something like this so…”

“Erica and Tungsten can confirm what happened since they went with us,” I said.

“Another world, huh?” Axel looked out the carriage. This was one of those types that had a Demon Beast hide tarp over it, so we could only stare at the scenery behind us. “I would have liked to visit it.”

“No, you wouldn’t. Trust us on this,” Kari and I said at the same time.

“Hmph! You only say that because you two got to travel to another world.” As he spoke, Axel glanced at the giant ruler resting on my lap. “By the way, what’s with the slab of metal?”

I never bothered to answer him.

There were many Demon Beasts prowling the roads as we traveled, more so than usual. We learned that the reason for this was because the sects who normally took care of Demon Beasts were all busy fighting against the Sekbeists. With the war in full-swing, they could not afford to spare even a single Spiritualist to the task they normally took up, making the roads more dangerous than ever.

Since Kari and I were the strongest people there, we were the ones who protected the caravan. Axel got to see exactly what my “slab of metal” could do when I used its ability to unlatch the multiple segments and swing them around like a tail. The term Dragon’s Tail Ruler was an extremely apt name for this weapon.

We eventually reached Midgard. The guards stationed around the city were even more paranoid than usual. There were also a lot more of them. As our caravan pulled up to the gate, we were stopped by a squadron of nearly 16 Midgard Spiritual Knights. We were forced to give them our identification papers, each of us, and then we had to undergo a thorough inspection of our cargo before they even opened the gates.

“It seems even the Midgard Spiritual Knights are on high-alert these days,” I muttered.

“Can you blame them?” asked Axel. “The situation has been real bad. We might have been able to retake Vahn, but that hasn’t stopped the Sekbeists from continuing to attack our cities, villages, and towns. I’m not even sure what they’re attempting to do anymore. It seems like they are just randomly slaughtering us all wholesale.”

“I get being paranoid,” Kari began, “but it’s not like the Sekbeists would enter the city through legal means. Having so much security just seems like a pointless waste of effort.” She sighed. “Though I suppose they need to be seen doing something.”

“Sounds like a bunch of political bullcrap,” I muttered.

“That’s exactly what it is,” Felicia said. “So many people are terrified by what’s happening that the Midgard Spiritual Knights need to be seen doing something. Otherwise they’ll be criticized for being useless.”

I grunted at her words.

With the inspection complete, the Midgard Spiritual Knights let us through the city gates. Our caravan rolled on in through the small crack in the gate, which shut behind us, leaving me to shake my head at their paranoia.

After entering, our group parted ways with the caravan we’d booked passage with. We rented out a couple of rooms at the Antiquity Inn… well, we tried.

“I’m terribly sorry.” The young receptionist gave us all a very apologetic smile. “We currently don’t have enough rooms for this many people. In fact, we only have two rooms currently available. The rest are all being used by refugees.”

“So even the inns of Midgard have been hit by the war,” Axel muttered.

“We understand,” Kari said. “In that case, would you mind giving us those two rooms. We’ll try to find more inns that have rooms available. I’m sure it will work out even if we have to spread everyone out.”

“We can do that,” the receptionist said.

It took us about four hours to find a room for everyone. We were fortunate that several people belonged to families, so they could all be grouped together. A few of our sect mates also offered to bunk with each other. That took the burden off a bit, but we still had one problem.

Kari and I still didn’t have a place to sleep.

That was why we ended up traveling to the Sect Tower of the Battling Valkyries, one of seven massive towers that stood tall over the city like silent sentinels. The material that composed them was unknown to me. However, each one looked just like a stake jutting into the sky in an attempt to pierce the heavens.

As we traveled down the street, our armored joints clicking together, we looked at the myriad of people crowding the streets. It wasn’t unusual to see so many people in Midgard. What was unusual was how many of them were huddled near buildings, looking behind their backs as they walked, and even sticking in large groups as though expecting to be attacked at any moment. I could sense the unrest, the tension.

“It’s like a completely different place,” Kari murmured.

“You said it,” I replied. “I guess if even the Midgard Spiritual Knights are paranoid, the people of the city would be too.”

“I guess.”

Despite the tower’s incredible size, there was only one entrance. It was guarded by a pair of young woman dressed in steel breastplates that showed off their stomachs, large shoulder pauldrons, gauntlets, and greaves. The two women frowned at us as we walked up to the large double doors.

“What business do you have here?” asked one of them.

Clasping her hands together, Kari smiled. “My name is Kari Astralia, and this is Eryk Veiger. We’re hoping to speak with Erica.”

“Ah!” The two women made a strangled gasp. “I had no idea you were Lady Kari! Please forgive my rudeness! You two can go inside! I’m sure Lady Erica would be delighted to see you.”

“Oh… okay. Thank you very much.”

Despite her obvious confusion, Kari and I entered the tower’s main entrance hall, which reminded me of the reception halls people could find at most inns—except several times bigger. It looked awfully empty at the moment, but I thought that was because the Battling Valkyries were no longer taking job requests. They had devoted themselves entirely to fighting the Sekbeists.

After informing the young woman at the front desk who we were and our purpose for visiting, we were taken to the sixth floor, which served Erica as both her office and suite. As the second-in-command of the entire Battling Valkyries, she had an extremely luxurious room inside of the tower.

“I believe Lady Erica is currently in the shower,” the young woman who guided us said. “Please wait here. She should be out to see you soon.”

“Thank you very much.” Kari bowed to the woman, who stuttered something in a hasty manner and made a swift retreat. This strange action made Kari frown. “Is it just me, or are people treating me strangely?”

“It’s not just you,” I muttered as I looked around the suite. “I noticed it as well.”

“Good to know it’s not my imagination then.” Kari glanced around as well and then whistled. “This place is nice.”

“I’ll say.”

This was our first time actually visiting Erica in her suite at the Battling Valkyries’ Sect Tower, so we’d never seen it before, but the high-vaulted ceiling, extravagant furnishings, and tasteful artwork hanging from the walls certainly told me how much our friend enjoyed living in the lap of luxury. Given how kind and friendly she acted, I never would have guessed she had this side to her.

We sat on a red couch as we waited. The couch was big, easily long enough to seat seven or eight people, but Kari and I sat close together—and by close, I mean she was resting with her legs across my lap as I hugged her. We’d been using each other as emotional pillars for some time now (since the Demon Beast Invasion of Nevaria), and I didn’t think either of us would stop anytime soon.

As we were cuddling on her couch, Erica strolled out of a door to our left in nothing but a towel. Her breasts weren’t as large as Kari’s. However, even I wouldn’t deny that the sight of this raven-haired beauty decked in basically nothing was a bewitching sight. Her cleavage was drawn together by the tightness of the towel. Water still trailed down her skin and her hair was glistening wet. I wouldn’t say I was entranced since nothing could beat Kari naked, but I could at least appreciate the view.

She paused upon catching sight of the two of us.

“Kari. Eryk.” She blinked several times. “I’m happy to see the two of you, but what are you doing here?”

“That’s going to take awhile to explain,” Kari said with a dry smile. “What’s more, I don’t think we should explain this while you’re wearing nothing but a towel.”

“Ah, yes. You are correct.” Erica glanced down at herself, looked back at us, and smiled. “Please excuse me for one moment while I get dressed.”

Erica wandered into another room, then came back out a few minutes later dressed in something that wasn’t much better than the towel. A red bathrobe. Of course, the robe was loosely tied around her waist, revealing an almost obscene amount of cleavage. However, the two of us understood that was just how Erica liked to dress. Even her battle outfit was skimpy.

“Sorry for the wait.” Erica sat down on a cushioned chair next to the couch we were cuddling on. She crossed one leg over the other and wiggled her toes. I noticed they were a little longer than normal, but there was a strange elegance to them. “Now then, I assume what you have to tell me is important. I believe we can skip the pleasantries for now.”

We nodded and went into an explanation of what happened to Vesperia. Erica didn’t respond with shock or surprise, leading us to believe she had been informed of Vesperia’s destruction upon returning to Midgard, which she confirmed with her next comment.

“I’m surprised there were survivors,” Erica muttered with a frown. “A group from the Paladin Sect had been sent to Vesperia after learning it had been destroyed, but they couldn’t find anyone. Still, if they had a secret hideout like you said, I guess it would make sense that they didn’t find anyone.”

“It was truly fortunate that Axel had the foresight to build that secret passage,” I said.

“Yes… Axel certainly is a thoughtful man. I will at least grant him that.” Erica flicked some black hair over her shoulder. “He’s still a pig, though.” Kari and I snickered at the woman’s words. She smiled briefly before leaning forward on her hands and knees. “What do the two of you plan to do now? Are you going to join another sect?”

“We’ve been thinking about that, but honestly, neither of us wants to join another sect,” Kari said with a shake of her head.

Erica frowned. “I hope that doesn’t mean you plan on becoming freelancers. You two have so much talent—far too much to waste on being independant mercenaries.”

“That isn’t what we are planning either,” I said. “What Kari meant was that rather than joining a sect, we believe it would be better if we created our own.”

“Oh!” Erica’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. She even went so far as to place a hand to her mouth, hiding the pretty O-shape that it had become. “So I see! Yes, I definitely agree that you two would make great Sect Leaders. I can even help you go through the process of registering your Sect. It will take awhile to go through… maybe even longer than normal, but I think I can push this matter through during the next Sect Meeting that’s coming up in two weeks.” She stared intently at us. “Do you two already have a name for your sect?”

Kari and I glanced at each other, confirming with each other that we both knew what name we were going to use, and then turned to her.

“We were thinking of calling our sect Brave Vesperia,” I told the woman, whose response to hearing the name Kari and I had chosen was to smile.

***

It was early in the morning, and I was walking down the hallway toward Kari’s room, dressed in black pants, boots, and a white collared shirt.

The quiet sounds of early morning came in the form of song birds. There were a number of large trees, whose branches reached all the way to this second story. If I looked out the window, I knew I’d see several colorful birds flitting around.

I reached Kari’s room before long and knocked on the door, then waited to see if anyone would answer.

“Hang on,” a voice came from the other side. I heard footsteps thumping against the floor, and then the door opened with a soft click.

The person who greeted me at the door was not Kari. Fay stood before the doorway, dressed in a simple sleeveless gown with two layers. The outer layer was a top with no sleeves that connected to a cloth around her neck, holding the diamond-shaped piece up. The bottom of the first layer flared around her hips, splitting into four separate pieces that made me think of tails. I could only see a trace of the second layer, which appeared to be a skirt underneath the first. Layer one was a light red color while the second layer was darker. Unlike usual, she was wearing slippers this time instead of boots, and I could see the magnificent curves of her muscular thighs.

“Oh, Eryk.” Fay greeted me with a smile. “Coming to get us?”

“Morning, Fay.” I leaned down and kissed her on the lips before she could do anything. I enjoyed the way her cheeks went red as I pulled back. “I figured you girls would be waking up soon, so I thought I’d come escort you all to breakfast.”

“O-oh… well, that’s good. Er… would you like to come in? We’re still getting ready.”

Fay opened the door to let me inside. I didn’t see Lin, which made me assume she was in the bathroom, but Kari was sitting over by her vanity dresser. She had a comb in one hand and was combing her long, luxurious golden hair. However…

“Is Kari okay?” I asked Fay.

Fay looked at Kari, then shook her head. “I’m not sure. She’s been a little out of it this morning. You know she’s normally the first one to wake up, but I had to wake her up this time.”

“Hmm…”

I walked up behind Kari. I wasn’t being particularly loud, but I wasn’t being silent either. The fact that Kari didn’t seem to notice me was a bit worrying. She had pretty good senses.

Now that I was behind her, I could see Kari staring at her reflection in the mirror with vacant eyes. She definitely wasn’t all there. Reaching out, I placed my hand on hers—the one she was using to comb her hair—and stopped her.

“I think you’ve combed it enough,” I said, gently taking the comb from her. “Anymore and your hair is liable to fall out.”

“Huh?” Kari blinked several times, and only then did she seem to realize I was there. “E-Eryk? How long have you been standing there?”

“Just a few seconds.” I leaned down, slid my arms underneath her armpits, and wrapped them around her waist. As I hugged her from behind, I gazed into her eyes through the reflection in the mirror. “Is everything okay? You are rather out of it today.”

Kari took several seconds to respond. “I am fine. I just had a really strange dream last night?”

“A strange dream? What about?”

“About how we first met.”

“Hmm… is that strange?”

“Well, I normally can’t remember my dreams,” Kari admitted. “But this one was surprisingly vivid and I can remember everything that happened even now with perfect clarity. Also… the way we met in my dream was a little different from how we met in real life.”

I listened to Kari speak, nodding several times and thinking about what I should say, or whether I even needed to say anything.

“I’m not expert on dreams,” I admitted. “But maybe you did something recently that’s giving you strangely vivid ones. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

“Yes. You are correct.” Kari flickered her eyes over to me and then smiled. “Thanks, Eryk.”

“You’re welcome.”

I put my lips to her cheek, greeting her with a simple kiss. Kari turned her head toward me and pursed her lips. I believed that was an invitation, and I was just about to accept—but then a loud squeak from somewhere to my left made me stop and swivel around.

The person who had caused the noise was Lin, our resident Lamia, who was currently frozen stiff as she stared at me with a mortified expression. Before I could even great the girl, she raced back into what I recognized as a bathroom and shut the door. Kari, Fay, and I stared at the closed door with confused frowns.

“What… was that about?” I asked.

“Beats me,” Fay said with a shrug.

“I don’t know either,” Kari admitted.

“Huh… well, okay.” I sighed and went over to the bathroom door, knocking on it once before speaking. “Lin? Are you okay?”

“D-Darling!” An embarrassed squeak. “E-everything is fine! It’s just, uh, this princess is… she’s dealing with some issues right now and will be skipping breakfast. She’s, um—yes! She’s shedding! Her skin sheds every so often and, um, it isn’t something she wants anyone to see! So just go on ahead to breakfast without her!”

“Uh-huh…”

I glanced at Kari and Fay, asking with my eyes if they had seen any sign that Lin was shedding. Lamia did shed the skin on their tails. I knew this because one of my sect mates in Brave Vesperia had been a Lamia. However, both Kari and Fay shook their head, revealing that Lin had not shown any signs of shedding.

Which meant she was avoiding me for another reason. I recalled what happened last night and assumed it had something to do with that.

“I understand,” I said at last. “We’ll go down and have breakfast. Please join us when you’re ready.”

“T-thank you.”

After I finished speaking with Lin, I helped Kari finish getting dressed and ushered her and Fay out. We walked down the hallway toward the dining hall. As we did, I tried to think about why Lin might be embarrassed. It wasn’t like last night was the first time she had snuck into my bed with the intention of seducing me, but then again, she had been acting differently last night. Was there something about how she acted that had embarrassed her?

I didn’t know, and that realization bothered me all the way through breakfast.

Lin didn’t join us.

***

Kari and Fay had school. The Spiritualist Academy was considered the premiere school in all of Nevaria. They were well-known for producing many strong Spiritualists, most of whom would go on to become Nevarian Spiritualists or even members of the Imperial Royal Guard.

Since they were attending school, that meant I could get some of my own work done. I wasn’t training today. My body was already as strong as I could make it through regular exercise, and a Spiritualist’s body did not suffer muscle atrophy thanks to our Spiritual Power. If I wanted to increase the strength of my body, then I would need to refine an alchemy pill more advanced than the Body Forging Pill that Kari, Fay, Lin, and I had been using. I didn’t have the ingredients for that, as those ingredients were quite hard to come by.

Currently, I was in a meeting with Dante.

We were at the Neveraian Spiritualist Headquarters stationed in the northern district of Nevaria. It was the headquarters closest to the mountain pass that led into the Demon Beast Mountain Range, which I suppose was why Dante worked out of it. If there was trouble coming from the Demon Beast Mountain Range, he would be able to respond more quickly than if he was at one of the other garrisons.

We were in the commander’s office. Dante sat behind his desk with his feet on the surface as he leaned back in his chair. I sat with my back straight.

“So, you needed to talk to me about something?” Dante asked.

“Yes.” I nodded once. “You already know about what happened to me in the Demon Beast Mountain Range. I believe I informed you about the A-rank Demon Beast I killed.”

“Which I still have trouble wrapping my head around,” Dante added.

I paused long enough to acknowledge his words, then pressed on. “The Demon Beast I killed was the A-rank Giant Rock Golem. I want to salvage it for parts, but that would be hard to do on my own, so I am planning to hire some people who can help me. I was wondering if I could procure the aid of the Nevarian Spiritualists for protection.”

“Hmm…” Dante mused over my words, rubbing his chin and expressing his thoughtfulness with several humming sounds. After a minute of this, he removed his boots from the desk, put them on the floor, and leaned forward. “I kinda thought it would be something like this. Truth be told, I am really curious to see this Demon Beast myself. So yeah, sure. I’ll get a team together, you hire the people you want to help you, and we’ll plan a date to head out and salvage what we can from this A-rank Demon Beast.”

“That was a lot easier than I thought it would be,” I muttered.

Dante laughed. “Did you think I’d deny you, or that you would have to convince me somehow? Sorry to disappoint.”

“I’m not disappointed in the least. Just a little surprised.”

I spoke with Dante for a few more minutes, but since I didn’t have all the details for this expedition worked out, I left about ten minutes after I arrived.

A Neveraian Spiritualist escorted me out. As I stood on the street before the Nevarian Spiritualist Headquarters, I wondered what I should do. I was sure Lin would be at the library by this point in time, and while Kari had said I should give the girl some space, another part of me just couldn’t leave things as they were.

Without any conscious thought on my part, I turned in the direction of the Nadine Library and headed off.

***

Lin was so embarrassed she couldn’t even pay attention to her studies. She kept replaying the scene from last night in her mind over and over again, and each time she did, mortification would turn her cheeks scarlet and make the tip of her tail smack against the floor.

She was at the library. It wasn’t that crowded right now, but that was probably because it was still a little early. Most people didn’t arrive until around midday. That said, there were a few people present. A group of young boys were sitting at a table several meters away, and there was a small gaggle of girls two tables from her. They would occasionally glance in her direction, but Lin had grown used to being stared at. She ignored them.

Sitting in front of her was the notebook that contained what she was currently studying. She had been practicing writing full sentences. The first few pages were simple sentences that used no more than 4 to 6 syllables like “How do you do?” and “What is your name?”, but the sentences got longer and more complex in her latest pages. Lin didn’t think it would be long now before she had fully grasped humanity’s language.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t concentrate today.

“Valis for your thoughts?” a voice said beside her.

Lin would have groaned if doing so wasn’t considered impolite. She turned just her head to look at the person sitting beside her, Marko Kriger, who was dressed in white shirt with a high collar that was laced together, a dark brown Demon Beast hide vest, and brown pants and boots. It was pretty simple compared to some of the clothes she had seen.

“You always seem to come to this library when this princess is here.” Lin was trying to keep a polite attitude toward this human, who she knew came from a powerful family, but it was harder than it seemed.

“Not at all.” Marko replied with a ready smile. “I just happen to like this library.”

“And yet you never once came here before this princess started showing up.” Lin knew this because she’d gone to this library with Eryk several times back when her body had been forced into a snake form.

“Let us not worry about the small details.” Marko waved a hand through the air as though to ward away a bug. “It looks like something is troubling you. Would you care to talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“Are you sure? I may be able to offer some useful insight that could help you.”

Lin frowned as she tried to think of a polite way to turn this man’s offer down. She knew he wasn’t a bad person, but she also recognized that he was trying to court her, which she couldn’t abide by. Darling was the only person she wanted courting her. She had already given him the Ring of Marji, the Mark of Marriage. Even if she were inclined to give this man a chance, it wouldn’t matter now.

Just as she was thinking of ways to politely turn Marko down, a flash of irritation shot through her mind, but it hadn’t come from her. She glanced down at her right hand. There, a glowing orange ring of thorn-like patterns had appeared around her ring finger. She realized what this meant.

Her darling was irritated.

He was also close by.

Lin looked up as Eryk came marching up to the table she and Marko were sitting at. His face retained a cool calm, but she could feel the irritation he felt bubbling underneath the surface. Because she couldn’t look him in the face without feeling embarrassed, Lin could only look away when he glanced at her.

“Marko,” Eryk said with a somewhat tired sigh. “Are you really still pining after Lin? I’ve ignored it up to this point, but don’t you think your time would be better spent… I don’t know, finding a woman who is actually interested in you?”

“Eryk Veiger.” Marko stood up from the bench and squared his shoulders as he glared at Eryk. “I was hoping we would get a chance to meet soon. Now we can finally settle this.” He pointed at Eryk. “I challenge you to a duel! The winner will have the right to court Lin, while the loser has to give up on her!”

A silence that seemed somehow loud fell over the library. Lin could see everyone else looking at them, but most of her attention was focused on Eryk, who seemed incredibly annoyed. Her darling stared at Marko with half-lidded eyes like he’d just heard the stupidest suggestion ever.

Finally…

“Yeah… no,” Eryk said. “I refuse to duel with you.”

“Wha—?!” Marko reeled back for a moment in shock, but then he recovered his wits and glared at Eryk. “Are you afraid of challenging me? Afraid you’re going to lose?”

“Uh, no.” Eryk’s tone was decidedly dismissive as he shook his head, the end of his long green hair wrapped in a leather band swaying behind him. “The problem isn’t that you’re challenging me. I’m willing to take you on any time.”

“And yet you are refusing to accept my challenge now,” Marko said with a snort. “Sounds like cowardice to me.”

Eryk sighed as he reached up and toyed with one of his bangs before sweeping his hair back. “It’s not the challenge that’s the problem. It’s why you are challenging me. You seem to think that you can challenge me for the right to court Lin. You don’t seem to understand that the right to court Lin is not up to you or me. The only person who has the right to decide who Lin can be with is Lin herself, and she made her choice several months ago.”

Eryk shook his head.

“Also, doesn’t the idea of challenging someone for the right to court another person seem wrong to you? By accepting this idea that you can challenge me for Lin’s affection, you are assuming she would willingly give her affection to whoever wins. You aren’t even taking how she feels into account. It’s like you believe Lin is an object or some kind of trophy that you can win just by defeating me, but she isn’t either of those. Lin is a person.” Finally narrowing his eyes, Eryk raised a hand and pointed at Marko, who bumped into the table when he took a step back. “I would never accept the challenge from someone who would so blatantly disregard the thoughts and feelings of the person he claims to love!”

“That… that… uh…” Marko didn’t seem able to speak. His mouth flapped, but the only thing coming out were monosyllables and simple words.

Eryk looked at me. “Lin… do you want this man to court you?”

“No,” Lin admitted.

Marko paled.

“I see. And do you appreciate his attempts at courting you?”

“Of course not. It’s annoying.”

He went paler still.

“Lin… what am I to you?” asked Eryk.

“You are…” Lin paused as she recalled what happened last night. Oh, no. Her cheeks were turning red again! Doing her best to shove aside her embarrassment, she coughed into her hand and spoke again. “You are this princess’ darling. Her husband. She bound herself to you through the Ring of Marji of her own free will. There is no one else in the world who this princess wants to be with but you.”

Eryk nodded several times as he turned to look back at the now pale and shaking Marko. He wasn’t exuding an aura of arrogance or condescension, but there was definitely a hint of finality in her darling’s stare and demeanor. It was as if he was telling the other man to back off with nothing more than eye contact.

“There you have it,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what you do, or how hard you try. Lin made her choice to be with me long before you ever came into the picture. I’d like to ask that you respect her wishes and stop bothering her.”

Marko shivered for several seconds, face pale, shoulders shaking, but then he seemed to suck all those emotions back into himself. The haughty exterior returned, though it seemed more like a broken facade than a true reflection of his feelings.

“W-well met!” he thundered. “It seems I have underestimated you! Ha! Ha ha ha ha! However, d-do not think I have given up! I will train myself even harder to become a more suitable husband for Lin than you! Then I will come back and challenge you again, so just wait for me!!”

After shouting all that, Marko raced out of the library at neck-breaking speed. She and Eryk watched him go. Her ears twitched a little when several of the people inside of the library began talking about what they had just witnessed, but all those conversations meant nothing when Eryk turned his gaze on her.

“Lin.” He extended his hand. “Would you like to get lunch with me?”

“Ah.”

Lin was hesitant to reach out. She still remembered last night, and it made her cheeks feel all kinds of warm, but then she thought about what had just happened, and about her answers to Eryk’s questions. If she couldn’t overcome this little issue, then how could she expect to be a good wife?

“O-okay,” Lin said, placing her hand in Eryk’s.

“Great.” Eryk’s smile made her cheeks grow even warmer. “Let’s get some food, and then find a quiet place where we can talk.”