"....."
"...."
In the small dusty pathway, both Akamir and Zaina walked quietly.
Neither of them spoke anything after they ca out of the chamber.
Zaina bashfully played with her hair, keeping her eyes low on the ground.
Akamir rubbed his temples in frustration.
’What’s up with this stupid body?’
The thing that happened back in the cave was nothing but a stab in his heart.
’How can I get hard just because she laid on ?’
He was still finding it hard to believe, the thing he knew was just a normal reaction.
"Are you still thinking about it?" Nayomi’s voice echoed, making him look up. "Just let it go."
"Shut up." He grumbled softly. "I don’t like it."
Nayomi grinned. "Oh, now we both know what you like."
"I don’t like little girls, goddamnit!" He snapped, glaring at her.
Zaina was quick to intervene as she looked at him.
"Are you still calling a child?" She grumbled. "We are of the sa age, you know."
"....."
Akamir sighed in response,
keeping his eyes at the path leading out of the forest.
Zaina opened her mouth, then quickly closed it, fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve.
"I’m... sorry," she finally mumbled.
Akamir looked at her, blinking. "Huh?"
"For attacking you," she clarified, voice barely above a whisper. "Back there, I— I didn’t know what I was doing."
"It’s fine." he said simply. "You weren’t in your right mind back there."
Zaina winced. "I know. I really didn’t an to... I just—."
"What happened to you anyway?" Akamir asked, changing the topic. "I an, when you got close to the statue."
"I saw soone." She whispered. "She looked like . She said horrible things and... I couldn’t control my body."
Akamir chuckled. "What did she say for you to swing a scythe on my face?"
Zaina didn’t smile as she stared at his back.
"She told that you are the reason for everything bad that will happen to ." She winced softly. "Like you are so bad on."
Akamir slowed down his step as he glanced back at her.
He mumbled. "Do you believe that?"
"I don’t know you enough." She replied quietly. "I can’t be sure."
"...I see." Akamir mumbled with a sigh.
’Well, I can’t bla her.’
For better or worse, he was her nesis in the novel.
’Wait, did she see sothing from the novel?’
He wondered, stealing a glance at Nayomi but didn’t ask anything.
"Akamir." Zaina called, making him glance back at her.
"Yes?"
"Do you know what a ’Seraphic Tablet’ is?" She asked softly.
Both Akamir and Nayomi turned back to look at her.
Akamir walked closer to her. "Why do you ask?"
Zaina hesitated, her fingers tightening around the hem of her sleeve.
"The woman in my dreams talked about it." She whispered, uneasiness clear on her face. "She said it was the only way to break my curse."
Akamir frowned. "What curse?"
"The curse of being Goddess Morana’s apostle."
Both Zaina and Nayomi said at the sa ti.
Akamir blinked twice before he sighed and turned around.
"I have heard of it before." He said. "They say it’s an all-knowing tablet... akin to a god."
Zaina nodded as she touched the mask hanging on her side.
"I think I am going to keep it a secret." She said softly. "That I am an apostle."
"Can you do that?" He asked, glancing back at her. "I an, hiding your powers."
"...Yes." She nodded quietly.
"You can’t always run from it." Akamir said as the forest began to thin down. "So, better be prepared."
Zaina just nodded in response.
"By the way, what are the powers of being an apostle?" Akamir asked, glancing back at her. "Except glowing in the dark."
"Well, I need practice to use it." She said softly. "But, I think it’s the ability to create seals over anything."
Akamir tilted his head. "Just that?"
"I..I think so?"
’It’s pretty underwhelming.’
Akamir thought, nodding his head.
"Don’t its simplicity fool you." Nayomi warned, floating closely. "She can seal anything."
"Anything?"
"Anything." She said. "Even concepts like death itself."
Akamir raised his brows, clearly impressed.
’Now that’s sothing.’
They quickly moved out of the forest, finding themselves in an open field.
At the edge of it was a teleportation portal that would lead them back.
Akamir began to walk towards it, but Zaina quickly grabbed his sleeve.
"Hm?"
He looked back at her.
Zaina didn’t et his gaze as she slowly opened her mouth.
"Thank you." She whispered softly. "For...being with ."
Akamir sighed and turned towards her.
"It’s fine." He patted her head. "I am your fiancé after all."
"....About that." She said, straightening her back. "I want to talk with Princess Inara."
Akamir frowned. "Why?"
Zaina looked into his eyes.
"There can only be one fiancée." She said. "Either her or ."
"...."
Akamir remained silent as she walked past him without any other words.
Nayomi floated in front of his face with a smile.
"You weren’t thinking of having both of them, right?"
Akamir scoffed as he turned around, resuming his walk.
"I don’t care enough." He said. "I don’t even know what or why I am in this world in the first place."
"Because so greater power wants it." She replied, floating beside him. "To use you for its benefit."
Akamir’s face morphed into disgust. "I don’t like it."
"I have been through it." She said quietly. "And I don’t like it either."
Akamir rubbed the back of his neck as he walked inside the portal.
The world shifted around him as he reached the other side.
"Fifth place." A voice bood.
Akamir looked around, not finding Zaina in the training ground.
"Asher."
Professor Danyal called him.
Akamir looked at him.
"Lady Inara was here." He said. "She asked you to et her as soon as you co back."
"...."
Akamir sighed once again.
---
"Why would she call now?"
Akamir wondered aloud as he walked towards the teacher’s building.
It was already evening, and the entire place was already emptied out.
’Is there sothing important going on?’ He thought, walking up the spiral staircase.
Akamir stopped at the first floor where Professor Velyrian’s office was.
’Should I visit him?’
He hesitated for a mont before he thought against it.
’Maybe next ti.’
He quickly glanced at Nayomi as he resud walking. "Was there really no ntion of him in the novel?"
"There wasn’t." She shook her head. "I would rember if there was."
"What about Ven then?" He asked. "I can’t believe sothing so groundbreaking wasn’t ntioned."
Nayomi fell into a state of deep thought.
"Well..." She whispered. "There was soone who actually opened the gate to the world of mana."
"Who?"
"He is from a different race." She replied. "I have t him before."
Akamir stopped and looked at her. "....What?"
"He should be over a thousand years old now." She said, looking into his eyes. "If he is alive, that is."
"No, wait, wait." Akamir closed his eyes to calm himself down.
"You knew you are in a ga since you were summoned?"
"Only I was the one who noticed it." She replied, floating away. "And I was foolish enough to inform others."
"It backfired?" He said, skipping a few steps. "Wait, that’s not important, after all that how is this world still the sa from the ga?"
"There are a few things even I don’t understand." She replied cryptically.
Akamir sighed as he reached the top floor where Inara’s office was present.
He walked towards the end of the hall and opened the door without permission.
Inara glanced up at him from her desk.
"Knock before you enter next ti." She muttered. "It’s bad manners."
"You called?" He asked before his gaze turned to his side.
There, at the corner of the room, was a machine that had a dark blue texture.
The thing looked like sothing high-tech that doesn’t belong in this world.
It let out a faint pulse of mana that filled the room.
Akamir pointed at it. "What’s that?"
"A mana core potential detector." She replied, gesturing towards the seat. "Please."
Akamir frowned but sat down opposite to her.
She passed him a paper with an official sign of Polmona dukedom.
Akamir read the paper in a few monts before he looked back at her.
"What should I do?" She asked, leaning back on the chair. "They are asking for a hefty sum."
"When are they going into the core dungeon?" Akamir asked, leaning back as well.
"Next week." She said softly. "We won’t see them for at least six months."
Akamir nodded as he picked up the paper.
It was an official statent asking for money from the princess to support the expedition of the core dungeon.
In return, they promised to consider helping her with the throne.
"Let guess." Akamir mumbled, rubbing his chin. "They gave the sa offer to Lucien?"
"Yes." She nodded in agreent. "And he accepted it."
’Why are they so desperate for money anyway?’
Akamir wondered, placing the paper down.
’Unless there is sothing else going on.’
Inara drumd her fingers on the table. "What should I do?"
"Reject it." He replied simply. "The word ’consider’ is enough to tell they won’t help."
Inara nodded in response.
"I thought so too." She whispered, then looked into his eyes. "Do you think they will make it?"
Akamir shrugged. "Hard to say when we don’t know what they are up against."
Inara humd softly.
"Anyway." Akamir leaned forward. "Why do you call?"
Inara took a mont to look at his face as if considering sothing.
"Your father Darvin contacted ." She said softly. "He expressed his desire to support ."
Akamir’s expression hardened as a thought crossed his mind. "What’s the catch?"
"To get pregnant." She pointed at him. "With your child."
Akamir scoffed. "That’s ridiculous—."
"I said the sa." She cut in, her crimson eyes on him.
"Until he told it’s your wish."
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