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Over the course of the next few days, Godou realized something had changed.
"Hey Ryuu." He turned to the Elf, who had just come into the kitchen. "Is it me, or are there a lot more Gods in the Hostess than before?"
Fix, six, seven Gods. He could count that many power signatures that were too powerful to be adventurers. He could identify Loki, but he did not recognize the rest.
"Yes, there are," the waitress replied evenly. "Guess whose fault it is."
"It's me, isn't it," Godou replied sullenly. "Now that everyone knows that I work here, they all want to get a closer look, don't they?"
"Correct." Then Ryuu shrugged. "But Mama Mia says that it is good for business. The Gods bring their Familias here, and that means they buy more food and drinks. Mama Mia is doing her best to stop them from barging in. She tells them that you'll only come out if they eat enough of your food."
"Clever," Godou admitted. Still, being reduced to some kind of mascot for the Hostess of Fertility felt kind of...cheap.
He caught Ryuu staring at him, as if there was something else on her mind she wanted to say.
"Yes, Ryuu?"
"Godou, do you know about the rumors circulating around you?" Ryuu asked.
Godou groaned. He thought he'd cleared things up. It had taken a lot of explaining, even with Loki's assistance, but the girls in the tavern no longer thought of him as a sexual predator, which was a huge relief. The tension had almost become unbearable.
"They say that you are secretly Level Six."
Godou felt his eyes widening in surprise. "It must be a very well-kept secret then, if even I didn't know." But inwardly, he cursed. He knew that fighting Bete hadn't been a good idea. If there was anything he'd come to learn about Orario, it was that gossip here spread faster than wildfire.
He felt glad when he saw Ryuu's lips twitch slightly to form a small smile. Sometimes talking to the Elf was a bit like talking to a robot, and that little display had humanized her a great deal.
"What do you think, Ryuu? Do you believe in that rumor?"
Even if he couldn't sense the latent power buried in her, Godou would have naturally assumed she was some kind of warrior. He'd fought enough people over the years to recognize the tells. Sharp eyes that seemed to analyze everything now bore into him, and Godou felt slightly uncomfortable under her calculative gaze.
"I think you cannot be quantified by a number," the Elf finally concluded. "You are...an anomaly."
Reluctantly, Godou found himself silently agreeing. That was certainly one way of describing Campiones. They were people who defied Fate, exceptions to the rule, uncategorizably unique. To defeat a God, they had to be.
"You are much older than you look," Ryuu continued, surprising Godou. "I thought you were around Syr's age when you first came in. Now that I have observed you, I know that is not the case. You put up a very good act, but you cannot fool the eyes of a race that frequently has people living until the age of five hundred. You are way past eighteen years old."
Godou stopped what he was doing. "A very fascinating theory. What if I told you you were wrong?"
"You are a bad liar."
Godou resisted the urge to wince. He'd heard that enough times from Liliana in the past to know that it was true.
"Godou, what happened?" Concern drips out of Liliana's voice as she rushes over, a tissue already in hand which she uses to gently dab at the wound.
It is a deep gash on his forearm, one cursed by ancient magic, and no amount of tissues will stop its bleeding. He ignores the stinging sensation, and chooses not to tell Liliana that her efforts are in vain. She is the last person he wants to learn the truth.
"A training accident," he says with a lighthearted smile. "I was sparring with Lancelot, and things got a little intense."
"Liar," Liliana says immediately, and he winces at the hurt in her voice.
"It's my eyes, isn't it?" he said to Ryuu, knowing it was a lost battle. "They always told me that my eyes give everything away."
"I'm not lying." He tries to act natural. "I can call for her and she will tell you the truth." They made an agreement after all. It is for Liliana's own good.
She meets his eyes for a moment.
"Ow!" Godou grimaces in agony when Liliana jams her tissue-clad fingers into the cut, her fingers digging around in his flesh.
"Sorry," she says, completely insincere. "My hand slipped."
"Liar," Godou retorts once the pain subsides.
Liliana smiles forlornly. "I will admit to that. Now will you admit to yours?"
Godou lets out a deep breath. "How did you know?"
He stares at the white-haired girl while waiting for a response, knowing that there is a possibility that this might be the last time he sees her. His heart is gripped with pain when he notices the small wrinkle above her brow. It is her first one, and it wasn't there last week when they made love. He knows Liliana is aware of it, for the girl who secretly spends an hour every morning in front of the mirror adjusting her looks will never miss such a flaw. The revelation that even their combined magic isn't enough to halt the effects of time is more than enough to dump onto Liliana's plate. She does not need more weight on her shoulders.
"They say that the eyes are the window to a person's soul," Liliana says gently. "I never believed in that saying until I met you. You can move your lips and smile, but your eyes betray your worry. You are an innately honest person Godou, and don't let anyone change that about you. It is why I fell in love with you after all."
"I don't want you to get hurt," Godou says, hoping his slight blush isn't seen by her.
Liliana puts the tissue away, realizing that it is useless. Instead, her blood-soaked hand reaches out and she laces her fingers around his. "It is most unbecoming and hurtful of a King to not trust the knight that has sworn to remain by his side for the rest of her life."
There is no choice now. He inhales deeply.
"Voban is dying. He wants to leave a
n heir. He has challanged me for custody of you, Liliana. His life for yours."
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🚨 Want to read more?
The next 10+ chapters are already available on my Patreon!
By joining, you'll get:
📖 Early access to future chapters
🗳️ Polls to shape the story
🎁 Exclusive content for Patrons
🔥 Bonus adult-themed pictures & scenes you won't find anywhere else(adult only 😉)
Don't fall behind—others are already ahead! 👀
👉 Patreon.com/c/FanfictionTakashi
( please search this link on Google Chrome)