Astope Quarter. Friday morning.
As the first rays of sunlight hit the curtains in his room, Adryan opened his eyes.
The redhead took his time getting up, enjoying just how comfortable he was.
Bored, he tightened his embrace around the smaller body pressed against his.
He buried his face in the white head beneath his chin. He inhaled, the soft scent of lavender and honey filling his sensitive nose.
"Mhm…"
A short groan reached his ears, along with increased pressure from the arms around his waist.
Pressing his cheek against the soft, cloud-like white hair, Adryan murmured a few short words without haste.
"Dabrio has already made contact with his family"
"Urgh"
This time the groan was louder and accompanied by clear disgust.
A pair of gray eyes opened with a sigh; their owner was clearly not happy.
Pulling away slightly from the warm body to face her possession, she cupped his face with both hands and squeezed his cheeks firmly.
"It's 5 in the morning, princess," Flora growled.
She didn't need to check her pocket watch to know the time; the feeling that it was far too early was all she needed to know she should be sleeping.
At those words, with his cheeks pinched, Adryan nodded in understanding.
"I know. My Lord notified me at 2 a.m."
The woman's hands stopped playing with his face. For seven seconds, Flora stared at him with an expressionless gaze.
"Did you go back to sleep?"
"Nope," the redhead was honest.
"Cuddlebug," she said, shaking her head at the princess's attitude.
The Jacob smoothed her hair slightly, brushing a strand from her eyes. Having done that, she turned around and let her back rest against the man's chest, who naturally wrapped his arms around her waist.
Unfazed by this, Flora twisted her wrist, and a silver coin appeared between her fingers.
Running her thumb over the symbol of her family's organization, the woman's gaze grew deep.
Lifting her eyes, she looked at him seriously.
Understanding what she wanted, the redhead nodded.
From the shadow beneath the pillow, a human-skin glove floated out.
Slipping it onto his left hand, the glove's appearance shifted to one of red leather with black straps. Creeping Hunger's Nightmare Mode.
Pulling his dear worm and himself into a dream, their surroundings suddenly became blurry and difficult to make out in detail, a light mist covering the area.
Taking a deep breath, Flora closed her eyes and assessed the situation.
"The Tamara Family is in a more stable position without their pursuers; the Hermits of Fate will no longer have such a significant advantage in the negotiations they had planned.
"Their numbers may be low, but they make up for it with their two Grade 0 artifacts, one of which is exactly what we're looking for. Right now, the Tamara Family has the upper hand. And now that they're under the Scarlet Monarch's protection, that advantage is even greater."
"Andre will want to know all about that," Adryan added to the last point, earning a nod from the woman.
During their conversation with the leaders of the Hermits of Fate, Andre Zoroast expressed some interest in supporting the Scarlet Monarch. But he was holding back at the possibility that it might be the resurrected Blood Emperor.
Once Andre Zoroast learned from Dabrio Tamara that the Scarlet Monarch was a separate entity and showed clear rejection of the Blood Emperor, it was possible that his interest in showing support would be even greater.
That was what Adryan believed, but Flora had a different point of view.
The white-haired woman shook her head.
"Andre won't be tempted so easily. He's always been the type to take his time. Too much so, even.
"That guy might take years before deciding to do something risky. It's part of how he's remained head of the Zoroast family for several centuries.
"And considering he has a 'Grandfather' to consult, he'll be even slower." At the end of her words, Flora clicked her tongue.
While she respected that guy for his patience, it was that very trait that had cost them several business opportunities and the chance to obtain powerful artifacts that would help them in these situations.
Knowing just how risky doing business with the Tamara Family could be, there was no way he wouldn't consult Pallez Zoroast.
The Archangel had been alive since the Fourth Epoch, having faced the Blood Emperor while serving in the Solomon Empire.
With Him around, things were going to get pretty troublesome.
Adryan rested his chin on his worm's head, the corners of his lips curving slightly.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that last part. That Grandfather will end up helping us rush Andre."
The Marauder frowned before her eyes lit up.
The Scarlet Monarch didn't work alone; another great being accompanied and acted with Him.
It was always in the back of her mind, so she had never forgotten it.
His actions might not be as prominent as the Monarch's, but the name of that being still lingered around that salted fish.
Without wasting a second, the name slipped from her lips with great interest, "The Fool?"
Adryan's smile turned into a smirk, "Soon, Pallez will find himself very interested in Him. Whether he likes it or not, he'll have to get that old butt of his moving so he doesn't fall behind."
A similar expression blossomed on Flora's face as she laughed a little, "Oh, this is going to be entertaining~"
Behind the scenes, two great and mysterious beings were maneuvering to make the Hermits of Fate react as They wished.
In that moment of joy, a question from the Princess immediately soured Flora's happiness.
"We're talking a lot about Andre, but what about Fiorella? She's also a Demigod of the Marauder Pathway."
Suppressing a grimace, the Jacob replied without much emotion.
"They may both be the heads of the organization, but my cousin doesn't take much part in decision-making. She prefers to focus more on the Jacob family, which is her priority.
"She might be more involved with the Tamara family issue, but Andre has always been in charge of decisions regarding the Hermits of Fate, with Fiorella backing him up.
"Within the organization, she deals more with intelligence-gathering operations.
Pausing briefly, the woman's face furrowed a bit more.
"…I even have to admit she's talented at that."
"If you don't want to praise her, you don't have to force yourself" Laughing softly, the redhead shook his head.
That had been quite cute.
"You're thinking about annoying things again" Sighing, Flora closed her eyes and held out her hand.
They had finished talking, so it was time to leave and go back to sleep.
With a snap of her fingers, the dream they were in shattered with a loud crack. The surroundings brightened, and the faint mist that had been there vanished.
Back in her real bed, Flora twisted her wrist one last time. Having done that, she covered herself again with the thick blanket and buried her face in the warm pillows behind her.
'Honestly, I deserve this for waking her up so early.' Adryan chuckled softly to himself; once again, his voice had been taken away by his own foolishness.
His dear worm really hated mornings~
He was sure he wouldn't get his voice back anytime soon, so he'd be mute for a while.
Luckily, he'd never planned to go to the Aurora Order meeting in his true body.
The redhead allowed his spirituality to flow through his body, warming it and fulfilling his noble purpose of being a personal heater for his wife. With that, he embraced the woman more tightly and closed his eyes.
The sphere of light was already halfway formed in his mind.
Upon reappearing on the outskirts of the City of Calamities, he reached out toward one of the scattered flames.
He didn't touch the one belonging to Serena, judging that the woman needed a rest after what had happened last night.
His target was the second most capable person for what he wanted to do.
'Charlotte is going to be upset~'
…
Oldeah District. Lumea Forest.
Thud!
The sound of the wind being cut, as well as the heavy impact of one body against another, echoed among the trees.
The sunlight in the sky pierced through the leaves of the large trees, striking the metallic gray and reflecting for a moment before it descended again with speed and precision.
Thud!
Next, one of the trees fell to the ground with a sharp thud.
"Phew!" Wiping the sweat from her forehead with her shirt sleeve, her trusty axe rested against her right shoulder.
Wearing thick brown pants to avoid fallen branches and animal bites, along with a jacket and gloves to keep out the cold, Planter Opera exhaled in awe.
In Backlund, she hadn't had the chance to experience firsthand the increase in her physical abilities when she became a beyonder; all her time was devoted to the Harvest Church.
With the time she now had, she couldn't help but be a little surprised every time she cut down a tree that, at first, didn't seem like she could handle, only for it to finally fall with just a few swings of her axe.
Gripping the wooden handle of the tool, Opera smiled slightly.
How to hold the axe. How to position her legs and rotate her hips with each swing to maximize strength and synergy using the most effective technique. All that knowledge came with the Planters' potion, along with a considerable number of ways to use different farming tools. It wasn't combat knowledge, just the best way to use the tool at hand.
She might not have flashy powers yet, but the ones she already had were a lot of fun to use.
"I'm done on my side, Miss Opera! How are you doing with yours?"
The woman's crimson gaze shifted to the right, where the voice came from.
A few meters ahead, her teammate was approaching with calm steps. Swaying as she whistled a tune.
Sasha Strauss was dressed just like her, though the large woman had opted to wear a bandana as well to keep her orange-blonde hair from getting in her eyes.
An axe also rested on her shoulders, though hers was much larger. Father Utravsky's parting gift was strapped to her waist in its sheath, the gold on the hilt of the blade glinting slightly.
Her green eyes looked at her with a raised eyebrow, noting her shortness of breath and hunched back.
"Why don't you take a break? I can handle it from here," the tall woman offered, lowering her axe and waving it a little.
At a glance, it was clear she still had plenty of energy to spare. She wasn't even sweating.
A sweet smile spread across Opera's lips as she gently shook her head: "It's not necessary, Miss Sasha. This is the last one."
"Really?" Glancing around, Sasha lifted her eyebrow a bit more: "Are you sure?"
They had already cleared away the worst of the trees, but a few black skeletons of them still lay scattered about, along with some exposed roots.
Opera laughed a little, nodding calmly, "I'm sure."
Raising a hand, she pointed to the black trees that still stood upright.
"Those trees are still alive; if we leave them like this, they'll recover over time. The ones we cut down were already dead; that will speed up the soil's recovery, which in turn will help the living trees grow faster."
"Oh," Sasha scratched her neck with three fingers before rolling her shoulders. "Okay"
Opera was the one who was part of the Planter's path, after all. Who was she to argue with her? If she said there was no problem, then everything was fine.
"Hihi," laughing a little at her friend's attitude, the woman with crimson eyes turned around and started walking, "Come on, we just have to plant the seeds, and we'll be done."
The tall woman simply nodded in response. She came up beside her and, to the rhythm of the whistle from before, moved forward.
Ashes covered the ground like a gray blanket; every step they took revealed the black earth beneath. And with every step, Opera stopped and, from a small leather pouch she carried, buried a few seeds in the black earth.
Making sure to bury them deep enough, the black-haired woman covered the hole with her hands and moved on to the next one.
As the process repeated, her gaze would wander around her from time to time—to the place where they were and the task she had been given.
They were in what had once been a clearing, but after a fire, it had become nothing more than a wasteland of black earth, exposed roots, and skeletal black trees. This was one of several they had already passed in previous days, when Sasha had free time and could accompany her here.
Sasha knelt down beside her and scooped up a handful of black earth, examining it with a slight frown.
Of all the places they had passed through, this was the one that had been hit hardest by the fire.
The culprit behind all this destruction was known to both of them. After all, every burnt tree, ruined clearing, and crack was the result of a demigod's successful hunt a few weeks ago.
"The boss doesn't do anything halfway, huh." Sighing, Sasha let the soil fall through her fingers.
Noticing the gray residue left on the palm of her glove, she looked at Opera doubtfully: "Will the seeds be able to grow in soil like this?"
"Ash can also be used as fertilizer. This is the best soil they can grow in." Opera didn't look away from her work as she replied; all her attention was focused on the task at hand.
"This entire clearing is fertilized with the ashes of the plants that burned here. Nourishing the soil and improving its structure. Once the seeds sprout, they'll be the fastest to grow thanks to the abundance of fertilizer and the constant rains in this area."
Covering the hole she'd been working on, the Planter took off her gloves with a sigh.
"Honestly, it wasn't necessary for us to come here. The forest would repair the damage pretty quickly with everything that burned that night.
"The only thing we're really doing is speeding up that process a little."
Sasha remained silent for a few seconds at those words, before breaking the silence with a soft whisper: "Maybe the Church was upset with the boss for not letting them participate and made this ridiculous request to annoy him?"
"Are they really that spiteful?" Opera had no experience whatsoever with how the Other Orthodox Churches operated, aside from the Earth Mother's, so she was pretty much in the dark on the subject.
Shaking her head, the black-haired woman stood up from the ground. Patting her knees to brush off some of the dirt, she looked up at the sky.
Part of the sky was still blue, but the wind was quite strong, and some clouds had already formed.
"It'll rain in a few hours. We'd better head back."
Another of her abilities was to predict, to a certain extent, the weather by observing the clouds, the wind, and other natural phenomena, so she was quite certain of her forecast.
Sasha had no complaints; they'd been in the Oldeah district for two days. She already wanted to return home and sleep in her own bed.
She walked beneath the sky toward the branch of one of the trees that hadn't been touched by the fire. There, a bird was perched. It was whitish with featherless patches on its face and throat; its skin was a greenish-blue color.
The bird's black eyes watched her intently, with an intelligence not typical of an animal.
Seeing it, the corners of the woman's lips curved slightly. "Is there no place left to fix?"
The bird crossed its wings in an X.
"Pff—" Covering her mouth with her fist, Sasha looked to the side, her shoulders shaking.
No matter how many times she saw it, it never stopped being funny.