I let her go, holding onto the door so none of my friends barges in. "Thank you, my dear." I whisper.
She smiled softly at me. "Don't thank me... It's the least I can do." And so she faded away.
I came out of my room, my old clothes on, and headed to the living room where I witnessed Darkness pulling Aqua.
My focus wasn't there yet, I just went before everyone. Too many people, and they were cheering for me. I gave them all an empty look and said nothing. I was starting to lose connection with reality. My body felt like it was moving on it's own while my mind was focused on maintaining my peace, even though it feels empty.
I didn't over perform in the battle, actually I just hung from the drone and shot my steam-pistol at some kobolds, goblins and even the big creatures which looking like... Actually I don't know how to describe it.
In the end Kazuma has died and had to revived.
And so after this, we were welcomed back into the castle for a victory celebration.
These people let adventurer's come in and out at a whim, why is it so easy to get in?
I didn't partake of this celebration and just went in the quarters which were dedicated to me, I needed some rest. To take refuge in the kingdom of dreams... But no, even my dreams weren't safe, destruction followed me and so did a bit of a beat down on Kazuma's silhouete.
My rest wasn't great, I woke up, still tired of my own rage, still tired of this feeling of helplessness.
I didn't interact with anyone - it wasn't like they would understand me. I simply laid in the garden, coat underneath me, to keep my shirt from turning green because of the grass...
Keeping one's mind empty is a viable option to stop the pain of thoughts. I took an afternoon nap and dug into my mind for music to support this condition, maybe reinforce this empty bliss.
The sun kissed my face, my eyes closed, the sound of the wind keeping me company, singing me a lullaby. The clouds drifted lazily across the sky.
And so the end of the day came, I laid in bed and whispered, "Eris."
But she didn't came, which worried me. I couldn't sleep, so I went out for a walk.
In one of those long halls I looked out to look at the moon, but something else caught my eye. Two silhouettes in the dark, hiding behind a pillar as two guards passed them by. I enhanced my vision, by multiplying the information, or in other words copying and pasting it along with the base information.
Those were Chris and Kazuma. The issue was, he got too close to her. I copied the little bit of vibration that reached me to copy and paste it over and over again, in term, hearing what they are speaking about.
"Hey, assistant. Since you have the lurk skill, do we really need to stick so close together like this?" I could hear and see just how uncomfortable she was from this.
"This is no time to be careless, boss. We can't afford to take up much space, get closer." He said, rubbing more against her and moaning weirdly.
"No, that's too close." She said.
"This is to maintain the world peace and, uh, other stuff. Hang in there, please, all you have to-" He said desperately.
"If you don't stop what you are doing right now, you are going to bring Eris's divine wrath." Her patience snapped and she yelled.
Her raised voice broke their cover. Guards shouted, boots clattering. They bolted off.
I shook my head... Kazuma put her in danger because of his nature... How do I make it up to him...
I took a deep breathe, letting the fire burn through me, letting it settle into something sharper. This wasn't jealousy, I didn't have a reason to fear. It was righteous anger. He wasn't just a fool anymore. He was a stain.
I strode slowly through the halls, seeing them running up the stairs and guards after them. After a moment a lot of bodies fell down. I walked up the stairs and saw the ice. "Where are they going?" I asked the soldiers who were on the ground.
One groaned, pointing weakly. "The princess... Protect her!"
I nodded once and leapt above them, by passing the frozen mess in a single vault off the wall. My advance was calm. Absolute.
Kazuma... a coward, hiding behind tricks, slime, dirt. He already threatened her once. I had spared him before, tolerated his existence because she calmed me. But tonight... I don't see Her saving me.
Another staircase later and I saw lots of soldiers on the ground, Claire, Rain, Mitsurugi and the guards who weren't on the ground running towards an open area... I could tell this is the end game. So I put on the exo-suit and rushed them down.
And there I saw them. Masked. Chris, clutching something radiant, and Kazuma - who clutched something too little and hidden in his hand.
They shattered a window very high in the room, glass spraying out into the night.
I didn't hesitate. I leapt.
The night air bit cold, rushing past as we descended. My eyes locked on Kazuma. My fury materializing into action. I reared back, and with precision, I drove my first into him midair.
The impact cracked like thunder. His body bent, and he plummeted into the lake below - the water feeling like concrete from this acceleration.
Chris gasped, eyes wide.
I grinned widely and blew her a kiss, before diving into the water like a professional.
I sat at the bottom of the lake, forcing oxygen in my lung via conversion, this way I was able to stay in the water for longer. After a minute or so I go to the shore and emerge. No one was there.
I whistled and my drone came down. I grabbed onto the handle, letting it tow me up, higher and higher, until it dropped me in front of Iris's quarters.
"Sorry." I said flatly. "They swam away."
Iris's lips pressed into a thin line. "It's alright... You did your best."
I glanced at her more closely, ignoring Claire's glare at my familiarity. "You alright, Iris?"
She hesitated, then lowered her gaze. "They stole my ring."
I crouched in front of her, eye-level. "Don't worry. I can make you a new one."
Her voice wavered, softer now. "It's not that... It has sentimental value. It was meant for the one whom I will love."
I exhaled slowly, a sigh heavy enough to bow my shoulders. "I can't replace your heart... But if you want I can still try to find them."
She shook her head. "No, it's alright."
I nodded once and rose to my feet. Without another word I left.
On my way, I dried myself off, turning every drop of water that didn't belong to my body into mana.
My mind was rushing once more, and I couldn't sleep because of that, so I simply sat down and played music on the gramophone. But there was more to this meaningless act... I felt pain, it wasn't guilt for punching Kazuma, it wasn't rage even... Even I were unable to say what exactly is happening to me.
The pain within held onto the flow of me, my thoughts felt stuck, my peace felt distant... It hurt me more than anything else, I felt still in all the wrong ways.
My heart beat fast as I tried to control it, but that brought me more pain...
Eris appeared, her steps light, but her gaze heavy with concern. I sat there, hunched forward on the bed, hand pressed against my chest like I could hold whatever was breaking inside me.
"Are you doing okay?" she asked softly, walking closer.
I forced a smile, tired and false. "I'm fine."
Her head tilted, eyes narrowing. "You're not."
"I said I'm fine." The words came sharper, more desperate than I meant.
But she didn't flinch. She sat beside me, her presence calm, steady. "I know when you're lying to me."
The silence that followed was thick. I stared at the floor, jaw tight. "I don't know what it is… I feel like… just leave me alone." My voice cracked at the end, low and unsteady.
"No." Her answer was firm. "I won't."
I shut my eyes, retreating inward. And that's when it hit me. The weight I couldn't shake. The gnawing pain. It wasn't just anger anymore - it was shame.
I had failed Her. Failed to punish Kazuma, failed to be the man She deserved. A man should protect. Should act. And I-
The thought burned, and suddenly the tears were there, blurring my vision. I bit my lip, trying to force them back, but then her hands cupped my face, tilting it up.
"Look at me," she whispered.
My eyes met hers, and the dam broke. The tears spilled freely, hot and shameful. "I… I failed you," I choked out. "I'm not worthy of you, not worthy of your love. I couldn't protect what mattered. I couldn't even—"
Her thumbs brushed my cheeks, gentle against the torrent. "Stop," she said, her voice firm but kind. "You are worthy. You always will be. Do you know why?"
I shook my head, trembling under her touch.
"Because I chose you." Her eyes shone, steady and unwavering. "Not for your victories. Not for your strength. I chose you because you love with your whole heart. Even when it hurts." She leaned closer, holding me. "So even if you don't believe you're worthy, I do. And that's enough. Accept my love, even when you feel unworthy. Please."
She held me close, my head resting against her bosom. Her heartbeat was a slow drum, steady and warm, echoing through my skull like the rhythm of the earth itself. My hands, trembling at first, found stillness against her sides. I let myself go - no masks, no shields, no iron walls. Just the quiet, the warmth, and her.
Her presence wrapped around me like a shawl of sunlight after winter rain. The river I'd been damming inside me for days finally broke. The flood rolled out of me, sweeping away every shard of bitterness, every jagged edge of guilt and rage. All the noise of my mind dulled into silence, leaving only the two of us suspended in the kind of stillness that belongs to temples and mountaintops.
I drew in a breath that wasn't heavy anymore. It felt clean. It felt free.
"Thank you," I whispered, my voice a raw confession, an offering. The adoration in it wasn't forced; it poured out like water slipping past stones.
She didn't speak at first. Her arms tightened instead, fingers curling into my shirt. When her voice did come, it trembled with the same release that was washing over me.
"I love you," she whispered against my hair. The words were warm, fragile, but unshakably real.
I lifted my head, tired but light, and looked into her eyes. They were soft, human, overflowing. I leaned in and kissed her, brief but full, a quiet promise. Against her lips, I breathed, "I love you too."
Her arms began to fall from my shoulders but I caught them mid-fall, holding them close to my chest as if they were something delicate. "Rest with me?" I asked, softly - not as a lord, not as a fighter, not as a man trying to control the storm - but as someone asking for nothing but presence.
There was no answer, no hesitation. She followed my pull without a word. We laid down together, side by side.
Her gaze met mine in the dim light. Tender. Unguarded. I reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. Her warmth pressed against me, soul brushing against soul. The room felt suspended in amber; the night outside muted itself as if the world understood this was not a moment to intrude on.
I closed my eyes. Her presence didn't just lull me - it wrapped around me, a soft current pulling me down into sleep. The last thing I felt was her hand sliding into mine, fingers interlacing as if to anchor me in this quiet. Tears dried on my cheeks as I drifted off, not from despair but from release.
For the first time in a long time, my dreams were not fire, not violence - but light.