Chapter 79 Rewrite (Patreon)

I don't feel like writing a huge changelog for this one, but as to what changed, a lot? It all follows the same structure, but everything is rewritten and rephrased. Lot of the jokes have been altered to work better, added some new ones, added more foreshadowing to Opal's dialogue, those are the main ones.

Went from a 3,000 word chapter to 3 chapters totalling 5,100 words.

Old Version 

---

I spent some time taking care of Zutiria’s needs until Opalina arrived and took over the job for me. It was difficult seeing her like that... given how Zutiria reacted, it’s a safe guess that Fleetfoot was telling the truth about the unsettling facts they spouted. I have no idea how I’m supposed to process any of that information. Hopefully, once she’s feeling better, then Zutiria will want to talk about it, but even if she doesn’t, that’s ok, too.

Maybe it makes me a fool for doing so, but I don’t care about what happened in her past. My love for the little lady isn’t so weak that it falters over a revelation such as this. I’ve always given Zutiria the space she requests, and despite how much I’d like to know what happened to her all those years ago, I’m going to continue respecting her right to privacy. Especially after seeing what looked to be a full-on mental breakdown.

Before coming back to the Guild, Nikita caught up with Sam and the others. Her Highness and Meri were sent out to fetch all the other pinemen Nikita had killed because we suddenly need all the wood we can get. I felt nervous about the two being out on their own, but we can’t just stop all Guild activity just because we were attacked. That would be letting them think they won.

While the others worked on refilling our wood supply, Gwin stayed at the Guild. With Nikita’s help, she patched up both the battle damage and the hole the mercenary made earlier. Luckily, the adventurers sent back more than enough wood for the repairs and then some. After they finished up, Nikita even volunteered to clean up the giant mess her impromptu attack caused, too. She swept up all the remains of the unlucky pineman, putting the Guild back to more or less where it was this morning, albeit with a few pine needles scattered about the place.

For a while now, I’ve been in the office focusing on preparing that team meeting I wanted to have. I’ve been a whirlwind of thoughts as I put pen to paper and journaling out plans, strategies, methods of attack, as well as reference documents for my own use. I’m sure that my writing makes me look like a madman, but it’s helped me sharpen my spiraling mind during what would otherwise be an awful day.

Right as I near the end of my obsessive scrawling, I hear Sam and Meri come home. They’re both led upstairs by Nikita, and after visiting the unstable Mage for a while, Sam comes in to see me. She’s wearing a brand new set of armor, which I assume was what the 5,000G was for. It looks very nice and strong. If Sam really did manage to get that for such a low price, I’d consider it a steal.

I decide to set the mood lightly. Looking up from my desk after a sip of coffee, I say to Sam, “I see my favorite Princess has got herself a new gown,”

Despite Sam looking dreadfully concerned, her expression eases a bit as soon as she comes up with a follow-up joke. “Play your cards right, and I’ll wear it for you when we go to the Royal Ball, Daddy.” Her smile is soon wiped away, replaced once again by the telltale signs of guilt. “I heard about everything that happened... I’m sorry I wasn’t here to-”

“No, no, no,” I put my foot down pre-emptively. “I will not have you droning on about not being here to protect us. This wasn’t your fault, and that’s that.”

Sam takes a sharp breath through her nose and nods. “Okay...” Her calm fades, “But-”

“No buts.” I knew that Sam would try and play the self-defeatist hero, but I must dissuade her before it starts corroding her mind with self-doubt.

Her Highness gets mad but ultimately doesn’t argue with me. “Are you almost ready?” She asks, leaning her back against the door. “Everyone’s waiting for you to start the team meeting. Zutiria, too.”

“Yes, I just need another few minutes. Is the little lady doing alright?”

Sam shrugs. “She’s not talking much... but you’ll have to see for yourself, I guess. She doesn’t look good, Boss.”

“I see,” I finish off my coffee with a sigh, my thoughts spiraling even further as I dwell on Zutiria’s unsettling condition. “I’ll be out in a moment. Clear out all the papers on the quest board and have everyone take a seat in front of it.”

“Kay,” Sam nods her head dismissively and turns around to leave.

“Sam.”

She turns back at me and tilts her head.

“Your new armor makes you look like a sexy, sexy bitch.” I tease.

Her Highness perks right up, a smile and a blush growing wide on her face. “...Damn straight it does, Daddy.” She slaps her ass on the way out, leaving me to the rest of my work.

I finish it all in just under ten minutes. Then, after gathering all the papers, infographics, notes, and other such things, I move out to the entrance hall. All six girls on my side are there waiting for me, sitting at the table I specified. Sam, Zutiria, Meri, Opalina, Nikita, and Gwin are all present. Each of them is an indispensable member of my team in their own right.

I walk over to join them, and my eyes briefly fall on Zutiria. She’s sitting on top of Opalina’s lap, her head firmly squished between the Doctor’s massive mounds. This paints a very odd picture given how the little lady’s expression is even more dour, dead and depressing than ever before. On both sides of the Doctor are Sam and Meri, who are each doting on Zutiria in their own way.

All eyes turn to me as I start pinning a truly unhinged number of my notes on the board. For now, I only pin up the files related to the Duke of Dewhurst and leave the ones about Luxy and the Demon Lord on the table. “There are two things I want to discuss with you all tonight, ladies. The first of which is more pressing. As you’re well aware by now, the Guild was invaded by an...” I pause, choosing my next word carefully. Fleetfoot might’ve been inept, but they’re still dangerous. “Eccentric would-be assassin. It goes without saying that-”

Nikita cuts me off as she stands dramatically and knees on one knee. “I’m sorry, Chief. I didn’t think you were in any danger, or else I never would have left town for even a second, I-”

“Simmer down, Nikita. I don’t want anyone blaming themselves. We aren’t going to get anywhere like that, and I’d actually like to progress with the meeting.”

“He said the same thing to me,” Sam pats the Grekkan on the back. “Boss, why don’t you tell us about the intruder?” The Princess’s anger is still barely contained, but at least she’s trying.

“Of course. It was a... very surreal experience. They were definitely a threat, yet, they absolutely bungled their chance to actually attack. They were a Halfling who went by the name ‘Fleetfoot’. On top of being the leader of those rogues we’ve seen snooping around, Fleetfoot also claims they’re a God. Needless to say, I’m far from convinced toward the veracity of that claim.”

Opalina speaks up as she strokes Zutiria’s hair like a pet. “Fleetfoot is a real God, to be sure, but it’s also a common moniker taken by Halfling neer-do-wells throughout the Realms. It’s a rather fascinating story.”

“Can you tell us a short version?” Meri blushes. She’s interested in the topic but worried about derailing the meeting.

“It might be important to know the background about this specific God, so go ahead, Opalina.”

“Well, there are many legends across the realms of mortals ascending to Godhood, but in truth, there are very few cases of it happening. Fleetfoot is one verifiable example. It’s said that in their time, Fleetfoot was the greatest thief to ever live. They stole every last treasure under the sun and the stars, and when they ran out of things to steal, he stole the Godliness itself from one of the Gods of Merryburrow’s pantheon. Make of the legend’s details what you will, but Fleetfoot plays an active role in Merryburrow to this day, so they’re definitely real.”

“Oh... that was a good story!” Meri smiles somewhat absently.

“I couldn’t agree more. Lovely lore dump, my dear. Very thrilling.” I tease, earning a chuckle out of most of the audience.

Opalina rolls her eyes and giggles. “Yes, yes. My apologies. We old ladies just love to ramble.”

“Indeed. Let’s not let there be any pretensions- the Halfling who broke into the Guild was not a God. I should know. I had an afternoon beer with one earlier today.”

“Yeah, nope. I’ve met more than one God, Chief, and this ain’t it.” Nikita folds her arms and looks off while recalling memories of the adventures she had in her homerealm.

I point towards a crude sketch I made earlier that’s now pinned on the conspiratorial-looking quest board. “There were three items of note, this mask, this knife, and this magic ring,” I saw while pointing at each illustration. “The mask had a magical effect that made it impossible to make eye contact out of fear, the knife made flying copies of itself, and the ring granted invisibility.”

“Ah. Got ya. Yer sayin’ a God would’n need none o’ those things, righ’?” Gwin asks.

“Precisely.”

The Dwarf raises an eyebrow before getting something off her chest. “Ya know, ah thought all this Gods n’ Goddess shite was just these bitches playin’ a prank on ol’ Gwinnie, but... ya really did meet with one, huh Laddie?”

“Yes, I’m going to cover that in the other part of the meeting, but...”

‘Things will only get weirder the more you stick around,’ Zutiria hangs her head, prompting Opalina to hug her tighter.

“Ah’m startin’ ta figure out that fer myself...” Gwin leans over the table and grunts. “Can someone bring me th’ fuck up to speed on any o’ this? Fuckin’ Granmahr’s beard, ah just gave th’ Lad a handy an’ told him he was cute... didn’ know ah was signin’ up fer this kinda gobsmack.”

I like the feisty Dwarf lass a whole lot. If Gwin wants to be a part of my Guild life and assuming our relationship escalates past ‘handys’ and kissing, she deserves to know more about me. So, I tell Gwin briefly about the weird stuff in my life thus far. The eyes, the sudden increase in penis size, the pull of destiny towards certain girls, the strange dreams, and the voice in my head. All along, the green-eyed Dwarf just sits there listening in silence.

To my total surprise, I’m met with mostly quiet acceptance. “Fuck it, sure,” Gwin shrugs with indifference. “Ah already went an’ decided ah’m tossin’ mah lot in with ya fer the long haul, so it ain’t like this bullshite changes all that much.”

I smile at the Dwarf, who blushes and turns away. Despite the severe mood of the room, almost everyone gives Gwin teasing looks. Especially Sam.

“Don’t say nothin’, you,” Gwin grumbles.

“I wasn’t gonna, but...” Sam giggles and narrows her eyes.

As much as I adore the bantering, I draw the attention back to myself by saying, “That’s enough, Sam. We have many more important things to talk about. For now, let’s finish up discussing Fleetfoot.”

--- Chapter Break ---

For several minutes, my speech goes on as I recount every last detail of Fleetfoot’s break-in and botched assassination attempt. Everyone’s faces, aside from Zutiria’s, grow more confused by the moment when I tell them how Fleetfoot voluntarily revealed themselves and all of the other amateurish mistakes they made.

Opalina is the first to speak. “They claim they acted alone and that they were trying to attack you preemptively, so this means that the Duke of Dewhurst has yet to actually make an effort to start pressuring you, correct?”

“One would assume,” I nod my head and lean against the quest board. “Meaning we have a new goal for the time being.”

“I hope you’re about to say what I want you to say,” Sam leans over the table as her optimism grows. Her face contorts into a battle-ready glare accentuated by her new armor.

“I think I am. We need to start pressuring the Duke and cleaning up this town ourselves before their forces really start cracking down on the Guild. This’ll be hard considering Fleetfoot implied we aren’t going to have local quests to build funds anymore, and I imagine some of the shops in town will start rejecting us.”

“This is getting so complicated...” Meri whines as she looks down at the table. “Last night was so wonderful, too... not to mention we were supposed to go and see the Beastfolk today.”

“Yeah, things have gotten pretty fucked...” Sam sighs and leans back, “But Boss is right. We gotta bring the fight to these fuckers if we ever wanna have a normal Guild life.”

“Exactly. The Dewhurst Adventurer’s Guild’s fall from grace was one of the many factors that turned this city into the shithole it is today, so it stands to reason that we should be the ones to fix it.”

My audience looks at each other for a moment before muttering agreements, save for two. Opalina and Nikita each have something on their mind, and I ask them as much.

Nikita says, “Chief... I admire your grit. You’ve got more determination than Odysseus trying to get home to his wife, but I hope you know that my position hasn’t changed on anything. I am not a sword you can point at your enemies. Even if you want to clean up this town, the most you can expect from me is a bodyguard.”

All throughout her words, I give Nikita a resolute stare. I knew she was going to say this, so it doesn’t upset me that much. “I’m aware.”

“Niki...” Opalina frowns, squeezing Zutiria tight for support like a doll.

The Grekkan stares back at me with an equally severe gaze of her own. “Take off your glasses for a sec, Chief,” She commands, so I do. Nikita looks into the cloudy, pinkish, pupilless depths of my eyes and says, “Well. You’re determined to actually win, that’s for sure. I can see it in your eyes. I respect that. I’ll keep a closer eye on you while this is all happening and live in one of the spare rooms if you want. Just remember. I’ll keep you safe, sure, but don’t include me in your battle plans, and don’t count on me to save everyone at the last second if things go wrong.”

Nikita’s words are harsh, yet strangely, I don’t feel any ill intention behind them. She looks conflicted. There’s a distant pain in her eyes that speaks of betrayal, loss, and loneliness. As strong as Nikita is, she’s got baggage just like everyone else in this room. Maybe more. I know very little about Nikita’s past beyond what she’s mentioned here and there. Still, whatever the truth is, I get the impression that actually fighting again would hurt the strong, proud woman more than I could imagine.

“I wouldn’t dream of asking more than what you already do for us, Nikita. You’ve done a great deal for me already, and I consider you a true friend.” I bow formally out of respect, which prompts Nikita to start laughing and even blushing slightly.

“C’mon, Chief, that’s not necessary. I’m just doing what I can.” After the laughter fades, she smiles distantly.

Now that that’s settled, I turn my gaze words the Doctor after returning my glasses to my face.

“What did you have on your mind, Doc?” Sam asks Opalina.

“I have my own reasons for not contributing to this little war front, at least as far as fighting... but I’ll still help as I have until now, Dear.”

Meri turns to Opalina and twiddles her thumbs. “I-Is it because you’re a Doctor and don’t like hurting people?”

Opalina smiles what appears to be a half-sincere smile. “Yes, that’s part of it. Just like Niki, I reached a point in life where I questioned everything I’d done. Ever since that day, I’ve tried to use my magic for good rather than to do harm onto others.”

The Doctor sighs and brushes Zutiria’s hair to keep her hands from idling. The expressionless lady doesn’t seem to care one way or the other. “Magic is funny like that, you see? It’s comparable to medicine. Use it correctly, and you’ll save lives, misuse it, and... it might as well be poison.” For a moment, Opalina’s eyes flutter with a forlorn sense of disappointment.

I can’t help remembering Fleetfoot absentmindedly saying that they couldn’t uncover anything about Opalina’s past despite doing some digging on the rest of us. At the time, I didn’t pay it any mind because I was prioritized with survival, but now... hmm.

“The other part is if I used my magic on a large enough scale, then... I might draw some attention I would rather avoid.” Opalina says. I pick up Zutiria’s body languages tensing for a split second as she weighs the

Sam laughs before blatantly asking the thing on everyone’s mind. “What, are you a wanted criminal or something?”

Opalina blinks during a moment of awkward silence and then laughs. “No, not exactly. Silly Samantha.” The old witch pinches Sam’s cheek, causing the Princess to blush, swat her hand away, and scoot over.

Zutiria looks at me, and although she doesn’t say a word, we both notice that Opalina is using evasive words. I have a hard time reading Opalina’s body language and facial cues, sure, but I recognize a half-truth when I hear one.

“That being said,” Opalina playfully adjusts her glasses. “I plan on helping you in other ways. That’s all I’ll say on the matter, for now, but I promise it will be well worth the wait.”

“Lady, are ya intentionally tryin’ to make yerself look like yer made o’ red flags, or what?” The Dwarf asks bluntly, as Dwarves are known to do.

Opalina laughs it off, despite it being a valid question. “No, But I’m aware of how suspicious I must sound...”

“At least you admit it,” I sigh and shake my head. But, unfortunately, there are too many other things going on for me to spend time dwelling over Opalina’s mysterious past, so I’m just going to file this all away for later.

Sensing the group’s desire to get back to talking about strategy, Sam asks, “So, if we’re really gonna be taking the fight to the Duke of Dewhurst, Boss... I take it you got a plan?”

“No, Sam. I-”

“W-Wait a second! We can’t fight a crimelord without a plan, Master!” Meri starts shaking in her boots. “What are we going to do?! Oh, Goddess...!”

“MERI!” I yell to grab her attention, but I do it much louder than I actually meant to, causing Meri’s fear to rise.

“UWAA!” She shirks back and pulls her shield out in front of her to hide.

“I was going to say that no, I don’t have a plan. I have many.”

Meri meekly returns from behind her favorite hiding spot and bites her lower lip. “Oh... I-I’m sorry. Pressure must be getting to my nerves, I think...” She blushes, which only worsens as Sam and a few others laugh at the Shield Maiden’s embarrassment.

“I want everyone to know that this attack on the Guild changes very, very little,” I clear my throat and take a stern look at each of my adventurers. “We were already on a collision course toward open conflict with the Duke of Dewhurst. Sooner or later, something would have tipped them off, or we would have offended them in some way. Guilds exist to help people; This simple fact runs antithetical to criminality. This means that the last thing a crimelord would want running around in their territory is a thriving Guild that can solve the citizen’s problems using force. It didn’t use to be this bad five years ago, but it seems things have changed for the worse during my darkest years... now, a Guild cannot exist in Dewhurst until it’s been cleaned up.”

“Hell. Yes.” Sam smirks and stands up from her seat. “This is the kinda shit I’m talking about! Nicely put, Boss!”

Zutiria nods her head, disinterested but still trying to remain part of the conversation.

Meri, far from fired up, raises her hand. “U-Um... quick question?”

“Meri, you’re adorable, but this isn’t school. No need to raise your hand. You can freely speak your mind.”

The Shield Maiden’s face grows bright red as she uneasily lowers her hand. “O-Oh, right. Um. Sorry... I was just wondering... did you ever find out why the Duke of Dewhurst suddenly started viewing you as a threat?”

“Actually, yes. Or at the very least... I have a good idea as to why. Let me explain.” Thanks to Fleetfoot gabbing about something unnecessary, I think I have almost all the pieces. Now, I just need to put it all together.

--- Chapter Break ---

“First off, according to Fleetfoot, Abner- the town Mayor- is dead.”

“No shit? That’s just about the best news I’ve heard all week!” Sam tilts her head from confusion before busting out and smiling. News of the old man’s death clearly perked the Princess up. No wonder why, considering our awkward encounter with the old bastard shortly after Sam and I first met. Her Highness isn’t the only one happy at Abner’s unfortunate and sudden demise, though.

“Fucking FINALLY,” Opalina says with a long and satisfied groan, almost sounding like a colossal weight was lifted from shoulders. Everyone stares at the old witch who only moments before just got done telling us how she doesn’t want to use violence ever again. “...What? He was an awful, perverted old lecher of a man. A true blight upon the Realm if ever I saw one.”

Moving on from Opalina’s sternly worded celebration, I say, “Yes, well... they mentioned that the Butcher got his hands on Abner. The Duke of Dewhurst apparently dislikes how the Guild has started solving people’s problems. I threatened Abner into giving us local quests again, and he was likely punished because of it... huh...”

“Ya doin’ ok there, Lad?” Gwin tilts her head.

“It just hit me that a man is dead because of me...”

“That’s... so sad...!” Meri sniffles, despite how much we were all just talking about how the man in question was a total piece of shit while he still walked this Realm.

“Actually, no. It’s odd to say this out loud, but this decrepit bastard really, really had it coming.” I shrug my shoulders. My reaction is likely more indifferent than it should be, but ah well.

“Oh.” The awkward girl withdraws once more in a charming, embarrassed manner.

‘Hold up a moment,’ Zutiria speaks suddenly. ‘You said it was the butcher who killed Abner? Does that mean he’s on the Duke’s payroll?’

“That’s what I was getting to, actually. Meri, a brief bit of history...” I run over Sam, Zutiria, and I’s dealings with the mad butcher and explain the sort of man he is. Meri is horrified as I tell her about the exploits of this deranged, catboy-obsessed pervert. “The long story short is that when you came home that night, Sam, you told mentioned him saying something that struck me as odd. I speculated from it that Bludman intended to go and kill our client at the time- a man by the name of Spliffert-”

“Fuckin’ hated that stinkin’ cunt...” Gwin grumbles and narrows her thick eyebrows out of anger. “Fucker hit on me an’ tries ta sell me his junk-arse steezweed a few times.” The Dwarf’s expression sours the more she thinks about the annoying drug farmer.

“He was indeed a character, alright...” I’m not too fond of the man myself, but I couldn’t stand by and just let him get killed even after what he did. He was a desperate man, in more ways than one it sounds like.

“Unfortunately for Bludman, by the time he left to go ‘visit’ Spliffert, I had already advised the client to skip town. Spliffert owed a large sum of money, and in exchange for completing his quest, I agreed to let him keep his gold and pay us with his fully grown steezweed field, which we would harvest and sell for ourselves.”

“Ah...” Opalina nods her head in confirmation. She’s already figured out where this is going.

“Awful nice of you, Chief. Not sure I would’ve done the same.” Nikita gives me a severe glare as she raises her eyebrow.

I adjust my glasses and look away, slightly embarrassed but mostly just not wanting to dwell on the moral choice I made that day. “I have my moments. But, putting that aside, the next day, I was out on the town with the lovely Miss Hart. By chance, I saw Bludman, who was now very roughed up and downright miserable-looking. I think the implications are obvious, but is everyone on the same page now?”

“Oh, I get it! I think...” Meri strains her face.

Sam stands up, slamming her gauntleted fist on the table. “Bludman was going to kill Spliffert over his debt and sell the weed! But... not only did Spliffert make it out of town, but we also already cleaned the field out! So Bludman musta got beaten up by the Duke or whoever for failing his mission, and then that damned butcher told him all about us! Gods, it’s all so obvious now!”

Everyone else grows silent as we look at the blonde, typically dim-witted Princess. Finally, I start mockingly giving her a slow clap, and the rest of the room follows suit soon after. After it starts to stretch on a bit too long, though, Sam realizes she’s being made fun of.

“Damn it! I’m not that dumb, alright? You’re all fuckers, each and every last one of you!” Her Highness grumpily plops back down on the bench, folds her arms, and begins to pout. “I can be smart sometimes, too...”

I shoot Sam a warm smile to perk her up. “You certainly can be, Sam. You figured it out. To answer your question, Meri, that’s how I believe that the Dewhurst Adventurer’s Guild became a target.”

“W-We’re going to have to fight this crazy butcher at some point, aren’t we...?” Meri’s main takeaway from this was the knowledge that yet another vile Dewhurstian walks these streets that until now she was living in blissful ignorance of.

“Some of ya are,” Gwin laughs, happy to be part of the support camp. While the Dwarf could indeed hold her own in a fight, I understand why she would be thrilled to not have to deal with Bludman of all people.

“I sometimes wonder about what happened to that boy...” Opalina tilts her head and sighs wistfully.

“Oh? I wasn’t aware you knew Bludman.” I suppose it’s not that odd, considering Opaline is one of the few healers in this town, but it’s still surprising to hear.

“He’s not that much older than you, you know. I saw him a few times in his adolescence for medical reasons. He was an odd child, for sure, but his mother was kind, and we got on well enough. Then, when he turned eighteen, he left Dewhurst to become an adventurer for a few years. I don’t know what changed him out there, but... when he returned, all of the lights were off upstairs.”

I stare at Opalina, slightly confused. Bludman used to be an adventurer? Not only that, but he left Dewhurst to become one instead of coming to my Guild? I don’t know whether to be upset or thankful. I’m going to

From between the comfort of the Doctor’s breasts, Zutiria apathetically says, ‘Are we just about done with all this Duke talk?’ She stares off, distant and cold, with placid eyes hidden behind her thick, cloudy glasses. ‘I’m tired of it and would prefer we move on.’

“Yes, Zutiria. If you need to, feel free to head back up to bed. We can catch you up tomorrow if this is too much for you to handle. There’s still a lot to cover besides the Duke of Dewhurst.”

‘I’ll stay,’ Zutiria continues to stare emotionlessly into empty space to the point where seeing her in such a state starts wearing on my heart.

I try to speed things up to make Zutiria more comfortable. “In summary, we’re going to be looking for chances to attack the Duke’s forces directly from here on out. I’ll have to look into getting more defenses around here, but with our current funding, we can only do so much. Regardless, there’s now no longer any other option but to fight for our chance at a proper Guild life.”

“Don’t worry about funding, Dear. I already told you I would do something nice for you, didn’t I...?” Opalina’s lips turn upwards into a devious smile. Before I can even attempt to tell her I don’t want her to spoil me with charity, the old woman cuts me off, “It’s not going to be charity, you stubborn boy. You’ll have to earn it. It won’t be coming from me, either. Just be patient.”

“Ominous as always!” Nikita laughs uproariously while the Doctor smirks.

“It’s how I keep him coming back for more,” She says in a low, husky voice.

“Ah didn’ know ya had a sugar mum, Lad. Good on ya.” Gwin gives me a robust Dwarven thumbs-up, and Sam joins Nikita in laughter.

“Mysterious promises of help aside, I’ve nothing more to say on our current situation.” I start unpinning the many notes I had posted to the quest board and then replace them with the ones on Luxy. I omit the notes I made about the Demon Lord, as that topic is best left for me to reveal during the conversation. “The next part of our team meeting is going to revolve around the afternoon I spent with the Goddess. I learned a great many things, but that isn’t all we have to discuss.... as well as... a personal secret that I’ve never told anyone before.”

Everyone waits on the edge of their seats, even Zutiria, who, despite her foul mood, can’t suppress her typical interest in personal drama. Not even when it comes to her beloved Sir, I suppose...