After that night, I had return back to the herb house, I also officially announced that I won't be staying with them in the mansion any more. Darkness, whom seems to be the only one with a head on her shoulder in that situation said. "That's fine. No one is holding you here."
Still, the others were confused at my sudden departure. I simply said it's more convenient for me, because I literally live among my contraptions.
"But why, we had so much together, if you leave, who am I going to ask for wine?!" Aqua would say dramatically.
"Not me."
"Whom am I going to share my passion for creation?!" Megumin chimed in.
"Yourself." I replied.
"Eh, you do you." Kazuma said, unbothered by my announcement.
Two out of four - not bad.
I also managed to get his permission to make the factory, because
Anyways, back to the present.
I was walking to the florist's shop, because for the grape farm I would, of course, need grapes.
As I neared the shop, I saw him sitting out like usual, with a bowl of tiny red fruits in front of him on the table - those were cherries. When he spot me, he lifted his hand and smiled warmly.
I raised my own in return. "It's been a while."
He chuckle was as round as his belly. "So, how's the hero title treating you?"
I tilted my head. "What?"
"The hero title," he repeated, leaning forward. "You and your bunch of friends - everybody's bee talking. Whole town can't shut up about you."
I sighed, scratching my cheek... I looked down at my hand. I have caught Her mannerisms.
I returned to the situation at hand. "Oh, that. Honestly? I don't care for their praise."
His eyes narrowed, kind but probing. "Hah. A man who saves people but doesn't care to be saved by their admiration. Strange breed, you are."
I shrugged. "Guess so."
"So then, what brings you here today?"
"I want grape seeds."
"Ah," He shook his head slowly, folding his hands across his stomach. "Those, I don't have."
"Not even at home?"
"Not even at home."
My shoulders slumped a little.
"Now, now, don't look so down." He chuckled again, reaching for the small bowl of glossy red cherries, plucking one up and popped it into his mouth, chewing with relish. "Sometimes what you're after isn't what you need."
He picked another and held it out towards me. "Here. Take one."
I nodded in appreciation and took it.
"This lovely fruit," he said, holding up his own, "means everything good - sweetness, love. Yet not all is good. Too many at once, and your stomach will punish you. Life's like that." He leaned closer, eyes twinkling. "And you... I sense it. You are anticipating someone."
I froze a little, cherry still in my hand. "...What makes you say that?"
He only grinned. "Ha! Same look I had, once upon a time. Come - sit with me."
I sat next to him, I was comparably small compared to him. He pointed at the cherry. "When the time is right... plant it."
I looked at the fruit. Inspiration stirred in me.
He leaned back, crossing his arms. "Name's Argos, by the way. Guess I never told you proper."
I gave a not. "Svetislav."
"I know, I have ears, boy."
And then he began, voice dipping into a tone half nostalgic, half proud. "Back in my day, I was nothing more than a scrappy adventurer. Not much coin, not much reputation. But sharp. Sharp enough to land myself a job guarding a noble household."
His eyes softened, gaze drifting far away. "That's where I met her. A noble's daughter—graceful, untouchable. Should've been worlds apart from me. But fate's funny. One night, a demon wormed its way into their halls. Nearly had her under its spell when I found them. If not for me—she'd have been lost."
I stayed quiet, listening intently.
"After that," he continued, "something bloomed between us. A dangerous, impossible thing. We resisted—oh, we resisted. She was promised to another, and me? Just a commoner with scars and calluses. But every day it grew harder. Every night we saw clearer."
His smile turned boyish. "Until one day, she stopped resisting. She stood against her father, against all of it. And she chose me." He chuckled, shaking his head. "We ran. We built a life. Had a daughter. Then grandkids. Now look at me—an old man in a shop, surrounded by flowers."
I squinted at him. "Are you a psychic?"
Argos barked out a laugh, belly shaking. "Ha! Hardly. If I were, I'd have bet on dice games instead of chasing monsters. I'd be rich and lazy by now."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, smile tugging at his lips. "No, lad. I'm just an old man who knows the look of someone carrying love like a sword on their back. Heavy, dangerous, but never something you regret."
I exhaled through my nose, giving the faintest smirk. "…Maybe you're onto something."
His eyes softened. "Don't think too hard on it. Love's not a puzzle to solve—it's a seed. You don't force it to grow. You wait, you water it, you trust it'll break the soil when it's ready. That's what that cherry's for. Plant it when the time feels right. Until then…" He patted my shoulder, warm and steady. "Keep walking."
I sat there, looking down at the cherry... I trust Eris, I love her, and I'm willing to wait for her... I will hold onto it, I don't plan on making this into a farm... It will be a symbol which would stand in my heaven.
Argos sat back with a satisfied sigh, as if he'd passed something important on. "Now, go on. Heroes have bigger things to do than humor an old man's rambling."
After a moment, I stand up with a nod. "Thank you... Have a great day."
"You too."
I summoned Acat and drove off to go back home. I need some rest.
Once there, I rested in the kitchen, looking out of the window, hesitating before calling. "Eris, my love, wanna chat for a bit?"
Quite the weird prayer, but hey - if it works, it works.
I leaned back on the couch. Moment later she materialized from a radiant light. She tilted her head. "Sure." She said with a small smile, even though there was a tinge of worry.
My eyes locked with her briefly, before I looked back out. "Today is quite a wonderful day. Lovely weather, lovely people. But it's not this I called you for... I want to admit something to you, about the purpose I gained during the fight with Sylvia..."
Her gaze was soft but uncertain. "Purpose?" she repeated, voice cautious.
"Yes." I leaned forward, resting my elbow on my knees. "I will defeat the devil king. And when I do, I'll use that wish not for glory, not for riches, but to give you the freedom of choice you deserve."
Her lips parted slightly, a breath caught in her throat. "...Svetislav... you'd carry something like that... for me?"
I gave a small smile, locking eyes with her. "I've carried heavier things. And besides..." My eyes softened, catching the faint glimmer in hers. "What's the point of victory, if I can't share it with the one I love?"
She lowered her gaze, fingers clasping together on her lap. "You don't understand... even if you wish it, my duties-"
I stood up, reaching for her hand and taking it gently. "Then let me be selfish, just this once. Let me believe a goddess deserves a choice, and a life she chooses for herself... That Is my most greatest wish... You."
Her eyes flickered up to me again, shimmering with something between hope and fear. "...You're reckless."
I chuckled. "Maybe. But isn't that what drew you to me? If it weren't for my recklessness... We won't be having this conversation, and I wouldn't be more in love with you."
I reached into my pocket, pulling the cherry Argos gave me. "You know... someone told m love is like a seed. You wait, water it, trust it'll grow, and when the time is right."
Her gaze followed my movements, curious.
I placed the cherry in my mouth, my teeth cutting it in half and holding it by the pit. Then, with deliberate slowness, I leaned forward across the small gap between us.
Her eyes widened, realizing - but she didn't pull away.
"...Svetislav..." shee whispered, her voice trembling.
I didn't move any closer, didn't push her. I simply waited, holding the moment out for her. The choice was hers alone.
Her lips parted, almost brushing mine, then stopped. I could see the war flickering behind her eyes - the goddess who had bound herself to her duties, and the woman who longed for something more.
Slowly, painfully, she leaned in that last centimeter. Her lips met the cherry first, then just briefly, her mouth brushed mine as she drew her part of the fruit.
The sweetness lingered between us.
"When we are ready... just tell me, and I will plant this seed," I said softly, my thumb brushing the edge of her cheek, the pit transforming into information for the astral storage. "Until then, I'm always here for you - your man, your provider, your comforter." My hand stayed against her face, steady and warm. My gaze softened as I gazed deep in her eyes. "I adore you..." I whispered, leaning in again.
She flinched, then closed her eyes as if deciding where she stood. The goddess in her quivered between duty and desire, but the woman in her answered in a voice barely louder than a breath: "I... feel the same for you." She reached gently and held onto my sleeve.
Her lips met mine this time with a little more certainty - timid, then firmer - carrying all the sky promise she'd withheld. For a long slow moment the world narrowed to our shared warmth, and the faint, sweet aftertaste of cherry.
When we finally parted, her forehead rested against mine. She was still trembling, conflicted but nearer than before. "Not yet," she murmured, "but soon..."
I smiled into her hair and pressed one last gentle kiss to her forehead. "Soon."
We sat down on the couch, I held her gracefully.
After a bit she asked. "Is there anything else?" her voice soft but edged with curiosity. Not accusation, but a gentle tug, like she was hoping there was more.
I chuckled. "Yeah... I kind of just wanted to tell you that. Or - no, if I'm being honest - I just really wanted to see you."
Her lips quirked into a small smile. "That's all it takes to summon me? You'll spoil me at this rate."
"You deserve it. You've given up so much of yourself... the least I can do is make you feel wanted."
She looked away, her cheeks tinged pink. She leaned just a fraction closer. "...You really mean it?"
"Every word." My gaze softened as I studied her profile. "Eris... sometimes I think I could sit here forever just looking at you. Like this."
Her hand squeezed mine, almost desperately, as though the confession struck something deep. "...Don't say things like that so easily."
"Why not? It's the truth," I teased gently, though there was no mockery in my tone.
Her eyes finally met mine again, shimmering with a mixture of longing and restraint. She was beautiful, achingly so... Too beautiful.
And that was when I sighed, leaning back, forcing myself to break thee spell. "Alright," I said, voice heavier than intended. "I should let you go. Before I get too greedy."
She looked disappointed, lips parting as if to argue, but she stopped herself and nodded slowly. "You're right... but I wish you wouldn't."
I smiled faintly. "Trust me... I wish I wouldn't too."
And with that quiet tenderness hanging between us, I finally released her hand. Oh, that was difficult...
"Dinner tonight?" I ask gently, inviting.
She nodded with a small, tender smile. "Yes." After which, she disappeared how she appeared.