Chapter 80 Rewrite (Patreon)

What changed: a lot. 

Old ver 

-

We had a short break before the second half of the team meeting. Tensions were high, so Opalina took the time to make everyone some of her favorite herbal tea, which we all welcomed gratefully. The taste was superb, the smell sobering.

Once I had taken my last sip and cleared my throat, I retake my position at the quest board. “I’m going to get through the rest of this as efficiently as possible. But, while I’ve already steeled my resolve, it’s still a sore subject.”

Sam is the first to offer me support, raising her fist. “We’re with you, Boss. Just get through it and do your best.” The rest of the girls all offer similar sentiments to calm my nerves except for Zutiria, who meekly nods her head in agreement.

“Right. As you all know, I made an offering to the Goddess who has been supporting me behind the scenes. Thanks to Nikita, the offering was accepted, and in return, she granted me an audience. Is anyone here all that devout? I’m not sure how this is going to go, and I’m likely going to reveal a lot of things that would qualify as heresy in certain circles.”

Meri sheepishly tilts her head, “Um. We worshipped the Goddess of Light pretty religiously back home, but I wasn’t too crazy about it or anything... I don’t think I’d be offended...”

“Far from it,” Opalina adjusts her glasses coldly.

‘No,’ The shaken Mage predictably confirms.

Sam rolls her eyes before snorting. “I went to church like a good little Princess... sometimes. Just look at me, though. Does it look like any of it stuck, Boss?”

“Th’ only Gods ah worship are Dwarven bad-arses like Thraldrad th’ Metalmaker or Skolmouth Forgejaw. We ain’t got no need fer pansy ass bitches in our pantheon.”

“I’ve got no stake in the Gods of this Realm, obviously.” Nikita rounds out the discussion, causing me to breathe a sigh of relief.

“I’ll get straight into it, then. For a while now, we’ve been uncertain about which one of Karnalle’s twin deities was whispering to me and improving my life. I can now confirm completely without a shadow of a doubt that my patron deity is Lux Ultima, Goddess of the Last Light.”

Reactions are subdued, so I run the room through an abridged version of the crucial parts of my audience with Luxy. First, I told them of the Supernal Skies of Serenity and the heavenly sights I saw there, and I described the Goddess in detail. Then, without getting into the subject of destiny and Demon Lords, I explain that I was more or less made to be a Guild Master and that I was supposed to be sexually active from a younger age. Beyond that, I even go into detail regarding the bizarre ‘app’ which Luxy uses to pick out adventurers for me, and I teach Sam, Zutiria, and Meri how it was used to send them to Dewhurst.

Opalina is more than pleased to hear that a healer is on her way, but just like me, she’s very skeptical of the one Luxy picked. We all agree that we’ll need to approach our upcoming Guild member with great caution whenever she arrives.

One positive takeaway that most of the girls have is that Luxy was kind enough to grant me infinite sexual stamina when I asked for it. Sam makes no effort to hide how incredibly eager to test this out she is.

Everyone responds to my account of the Goddess’s behavior differently. Meri is a little shell-shocked due to her religious upbringing, and Sam doesn’t get it either. On the other hand, Gwin finds it entertaining, Zutiria is silent, Opal analyzes the facts, and Nikita is as unsurprised as expected.

“Spoiled, bratty, out of touch with mortals... yup, that sounds about right to me.” The Grekkan shrugs.

“I am... SO confused...” Meri’s poor little head spins as she sips some tea to calm her nerves. “Why did the Goddess give you magic s-sex powers, and is she giving you all this help in general?”

“Yes, Dear,” Opal says in an interested yet mysterious tone, “I would very much like to know the same...”

“That’s more or less all that I can say without going into our next topic, which is a bit of a doozy...” Now that the easy part is over and done with, I grab the stack of papers that I haven’t yet put on display. This is the big moment where I accept what lies ahead of me in my future. I take in a deep breath and steel myself because I need to just say it.

“I think I’ve told most of you about my grandpa at one point or another, but if I haven’t, he was the man who raised me as well as this Guild’s former Guild Master. He died of a heart attack when I was only ten years old, and... I’ve always viewed it as my fault, in a way. We were arguing over something important, but I kept defying his wishes, and his anger only grew until... it was too much for his old, old body to bear.”

Sam and Meri try to console me, though I assure them it isn’t necessary, and I continue to speak. “I’ve never told anyone what we were arguing about, not even the woman who helped to raise me,” My eyes glance at Opalina, who is weighing my every word. “He wanted me to become an adventurer, while I wanted to become a Guild Master.”

“Why was he so hung up on that?” Sam narrows her eyes, a vein on her forehead twitching with anger.

“Because when my father abandoned my infant self to my grandpa, he passed along a certain revelation that a certain Goddess told him. Namely that this child- me- was going to be the next...” I pause and close my eyes. One more step, and I’ll have said it. Almost there. “The next Hero of Light. I am the chosen one who is supposed to defeat the current Demon Lord.”

The room grows silent as a long winter’s night. Then, one by one, the different girls all start experiencing their own conflicted reactions to the bomb I just dropped on them. There’s confusion, excitement, shock, as well as a bit of tension. Noticeably, Nikita looks like she was just struck by divine inspiration, and Zutiria looks off to the side and yawns.

“Give him a handy, Gwin. He’s cute. It’ll be fun an’ naughty...” Gwin laughs at the unforeseen consequences her literally life-changing handjob led to.

“N-No... it can’t be...” Meri hangs her head and trembles before predictably hiding behind her shield.

‘I thought your reaction to hearing Sammy’s dream was suspicious, Sir. I’m not surprised.’ Zutiria calmly states with a sigh as she sinks further into Opalina’s chest.

Sam is torn. She looks on the verge of joy and a sad sort of confusion. The Princess takes time to craft her response, but all that comes out is, “What the fuck, Boss? Why didn’t you tell me...? You knew that defeating the Demon Lord is my dream, and you... you were just sitting there the whole time... Gods, you weren’t laughing at me, were you?”

“Sam! You know I would never-”

‘Sammy-’ Zutiria pulls herself out of her depression enough to grab the Princess by her hand and squeeze it tight. Sam bites her lip.

Sam’s upset, emerald eyes meet mine while flickering with uncertainty and doubt. “I didn’t tell you because I was afraid that it would change things between us, and... because... for a long time I wanted to avoid the inconvenient truth, alright? I didn’t even know if my Grandpa’s words have any merit until today. For most of my life, I thought it was just the ramblings of an old man. I pushed it away, thinking ‘there’s no way’ or ‘I can’t possibly be the Hero of Light’ while avoiding it as much as I could. Sam, please...”

My first lover closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and slaps her cheek so hard that it turns red. Her eye tears up from the stinging pain, and she grits her teeth. “FUCK,” she spits out a tiny bit of blood.

“S-SAM!?” Meri’s anxiety skyrockets.

Opalina reacts with motherly horror at Her Highness’s sudden self-harm. “Samantha! What in the Realms do you-”

“I’m good, I’m good...” The Princess shakes her head and puts a hand between her and Opalina. “I had to calm myself down enough to think straight...” Sam admits through hysterical breaths until she finally stabilizes. “I know better than to doubt you, Boss. We both know I’m young and... naive,” She struggles with the word, “But just cause I don’t understand why you’d hide from it from me doesn’t mean you don’t have valid reasons for doing it. I’m sorry.”

Such an emotional and mature response takes me entirely by surprise. Sam is disappointed but understanding and willing to try seeing things from outside her point of view. “Sam...” I was about to tell her that I forgive her, but the Princess has other plans.

She stands up, taking all the attention in the room along with her. “But don’t you dare hide anything else from me ever again, Boss...” Her cheeks redden, and her eyes angrily tear into mine. “Or I won’t forgive you, damn it!”

“Speaking of forgiveness,” Opalina says sharply, her motherly eyes contorted into a disappointed expression. “You really should have told me. Unlike Samantha, I understand why you kept it hidden- especially from me- but you shouldn’t have. Honestly...” The older woman shakes her head back and forth.

“Opal-”

“Silence. I’m chastising you.” She folds her arms around Zutiria like she were a pet. “Do you think I wouldn’t have supported your choice to be a Guild Master? If anything, all I would have done is track down that good for nothing father of yours and beaten some legitimate answers out of that worthless sack of dicks.”

The feeling of disappointing the closest thing I’ve ever had to a mother is crushing, but if I lost myself to it, then it would only lead to depression. So I simply hold my tongue and allow Opalina to say what she needs to. Her wording makes it seem like she knows my father, though, which she’s never brought up.

Eventually, Opalina stops staring so harshly and starts petting Zutiria’s head. “Oh, look at me. I’m such a hypocrite...” The Doctor sighs softly and laughs just a little. “I’m the last person in the Realm who should criticize someone for keeping secrets.”

“Nice. ‘Nother red flag.” Gwin raises an eyebrow.

“Shush, little Dwarf.” Opalina throws Gwin a teasing glare in response.

“I’m sorry, Opal. For what it’s worth.” I frown and wipe some sweat off my brow. The Doctor smiles and assures me that I have nothing to be sorry about. Although I still feel a pang of guilt, this does help to soothe it.

The subsequent reaction I get is surprising. Nikita stands up and walks toward me until we stand face to face. I look up at the tall, muscular woman who is both blushing and staring at me intently. She opens her mouth to speak, pauses, blushes even harder, then walks away with her chin cupped in her hand. The Grekkan stands there, everyone in the room awkwardly watching as the intimidating warrior tries to figure out whatever it is she wants to say.

Having never seen Nikita’s behavior become this eccentric, I give her all the silence she needs to sort her thoughts. But, of course, it takes her a while...

--- Chapter Break ---

After thirty seconds of uncomfortable pause, the Warrior re-approaches me with an even bigger blush and an even more confused expression. “So,” Nikita awkwardly coughs. “You’re not bullshitting us, are you, Chief? You’re... the Hero of Light, and you have to go on a big ol’ quest to defeat the greatest evil known across the Realms?”

“Pardon th’ interruption, Lad, but ya don’t exactly look like yer traditional hero type if ya catch mah meanin’.” Gwin leans over on the table with her elbows.

“It’s as you say, Gwin,” I scratch the back of my head. “Lux Ultima told me that there was a need to do things differently this time around, and my powers are different from other Heroes of Light who’ve come before.”

“Hold on just a sec, Boss.” Sam narrows her eyes. “We aren’t, like, distantly related or something... are we? I’m still learning about my family tree, but even I know that the first Hero of Light was Rhoivandis Lundreame... the first King of Karnalle.” The Princess sweats, saying, “I just don’t want it to be weird between us, Boss. We moved away from the whole blood purity thing for a reason...”

‘Well, most of you, anyway.’ Zutiria says coldly.

“Don’t remind me!” Sam groans.

“I don’t think it works like that,” I laugh. “Lux Ultima made it clear that I was chosen and that bloodline had little to do with it.”

The Princess sighs a long, deep sigh of sweet relief.

“Circle back for a sec, Chief. Even if you aren’t an old-fashioned Hero of Light, you still are one, yeah?” Nikita grabs me by the shoulders, excitement ringing in her voice. “So... does this mean you really are planning on fighting against the Demon Lord?”

“No,” I look back up at the tall Grekkan mercenary as confidently as I can. “Just like the Duke of Dewhurst, I plan to defeat him.”

Sam smirks proudly at that.

Nikita’s blush grows stronger, prompting much confusion from me. Finally, she turns tail and goes back to her seat like nothing ever happened. “I... see. Carry on then, Chief.”

“S-So, um, when you said you were different from other Heroes of Light... does that mean...” Meri’s cheeks redden. “Uh... what I’m trying to ask about... is... how does the s-sex stuff factor into it...?”

I let out a deep sigh, wishing I had a drink.

‘I’m willing to wager this is where things get stupid,’ The troubled Mage offers.

“Imagine that,” the Dwarf has herself another laugh.

“You aren’t wrong. To start off small, when a woman takes my semen into their body, they are imbued with my Hero of Light essence. That’s why it has so many magical benefits that more or less just makes girls stronger for a time after consuming it in some way. This means that the goal is for me to build my ranks by amassing heroic young women who I will one day lead into battle against the Demon Lord, allegedly. Although... the Goddess hinted that if things aren’t working out, then we may need to rely on... other heroes.”

‘So I take it that’s why your semen has the strongest effect when applied vaginally. It’s an incentive for unprotected sex.’ Zutiria sighs, looking disinterested.

“Sounds that way,” Opalina cups her chin. “Good heavens, this is convoluted...”

Meri tilts her head, letting slip that it hasn’t quite registered for her yet. “What? Oh, no... how are we supposed to find all these other heroes when it comes down to it?”

“...Sweetheart,” I sigh and cradle my forehead.

“Master?” Meri blinks, naive as ever.

“We’re supposed to make the heroes, Meri.”

The innocent, backwater country girl stares at me until it hits her- and it hits her hard. Meri’s jaw drops, her face turns beet red, and she stammers, “W-W-We were chosen by the Goddess as breeding stock?!”

‘I suppose that’s all I’m good for,’ Zutiria says drearily, looking off into the distance.

Sam, not one to usually get embarrassed, blushes too. Hers is more out of anger. “What, so I’m supposed to do my best and give up if it doesn’t work just so that our kid can finish the job? Fuck that! I want to finish this shit in OUR generation! That’s just... just... fucking DEGRADING!”

Meri stands up, trembling and distant. She sniffles and balls her hands into fists. “I... I think so too, Sam...” The anxious girl grabs her beloved shield and stares at it deeply before dropping it to the floor. “My mom died just because two Goddesses are having a fight, and now... now I-I’m just supposed to pop out babies? Is this what my mom earned for her sacrifice?”

“Meri!” Nikita stands and grabs the troubled Shield Maiden by her wrist. “Calm down. We can talk this out.” The Grekkan takes on a protective big sister role as she strokes Meri’s short, curly brown locks. Meri frowns but leans into it.

“Hold on just a moment...” Things suddenly start piecing together in place.

“Ah!” Sam stands up, shocked. She must have figured it out, too.

Her mom, a powerful adventurer, died a couple of years ago. She’s from a small farming village up in the Echora Province. Why did I never notice it before? “Meri... what is the name of the village you’re from?”

With her head held low, she utters, “...Bridgebury.”

I knew it.

Sam gasps. “Your mom was the adventurer who beat back the Demon Lord’s army single-handedly?” The Princess is hardly able to believe it. “She was my hero! I asked about her all the time, but no one ever told me her name or her class...” If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say they never told Sam the details out of fear it’d inspire the young firebrand of a Princess to leave her home and go out adventuring. Lot of good that did.

“Her name was Marienne Tillot...” Meri turns to her friend, frowning. “I guess I didn’t think about it too hard, but since you’re the Crown Princess, then that means... that man who came to see us after it happened was your father. The King who praised Mom’s bravery and then didn’t lift a single finger to actually help us in the aftermath...”

“Meri...?” Sam grows concerned, deeply terrified of losing her newest friend. “I’m not like him, Meri. I left home because I was so sick of no one doing anything about the Demon Lord! Please...” The Princess fights back a few tears. “You gotta believe me!”

“Children, children... that’s enough,” Opal grabs Zutiria and places her on the table like a doll, then stands up to cut in between Sam and Meri. “Samantha, you don’t need to crowd her. You’ll only make things worse. Meri, you’re justified in being upset, but don’t take it out on the wrong person.”

“Sounds like you should take it out on that God if anyone...” Nikita crosses her arms and then looks my way. “Are you really going to keep dancing to the beat of her drum, Chief?”

“To an extent, yes. The popping-out babies thing is only a backup plan- a fail-safe, she called it. If we win... which we will... making dozens of super-powered heroes will be a fun bonus and nothing more. First and foremost, the Goddess chose the three of you by hand because of the enormous potential you possess.”

I can see this answer doesn’t impress Nikita, who sighs in response. But, as far as Meri goes, it perks her up a bit. “Do you really think so, Master?” Meri asks.

“Of course I do. I’ll be the one to unlock all of that hidden power you have inside you.”

“Alright,” Nikita throws up her arms and starts walking away. Her expression wavers with conflicting thoughts, “I’ve had enough for one night. There’s a lot on my mind, and I’m gonna go hit up a bar or three. Don’t worry, Chief. I won’t be far...” The Grekkan waves over her shoulder on her way out the front door.

No one stops Nikita as she leaves, but we’re all a little confused about her sudden decision to hightail it out of here in the middle of such a critical discussion.

“Fuck’s tall, dark an’ sexy’s problem?” Gwin asks as soon as Nikita is out of sight.

“I’d love to that know, myself...”

Opalina is the only one here who’s known Nikita long enough to have any clue, so she speaks up. “I don’t think she likes the idea of playing along with a God’s plans, even if Lux Ultima is ‘one of the good ones’. I can’t say I fault Niki for that. Best to just give her the space she needs.”

“Fair enough,” I sigh, hoping Nikita is alright.

Speaking of space, Sam and Meri sit down next to each other after sharing a small hug. “I’m sorry, Sam... I just got a little emotional...”

“You’re ok, Meri.” Sam smiles before taking the opportunity to steal a kiss from the ironically unguarded Shield Maiden. Meri blushes and jumps backward, but Sam holds her tight. “Hey... can you tell me more about your mom sometime? I’d just love to hear all about her!”

“O-Ok...” Meri stammers as a small smile creeps across her nervous face. “I’d like that.” She giggles.

As cute as these two are, the meeting isn’t complete, and we have some more serious things to discuss. “I want to go on to say that I’m sincere when I tell you that I want to one day defeat the Demon Lord. However, I also want to reaffirm that this doesn’t change too much of our day-to-day lives. Our goal was already to improve the Guild and turn you all into legendary adventurers.”

Meri bites her lower lip and holds her hands in her lap.

Zutiria sits idly on Opalina’s lap, remaining as unreadable as ever.

Sam sits at the edge of her seat, looking fired up and packed with nothing but raw, unfiltered determination.

“We’ll take baby steps towards greatness, knowing that every step will lead us towards the ultimate goal of vanquishing Karnalle’s greatest evil. Whether or not this helps a Goddess irrelevant- I’m pledging myself to this goal for my own sake. That being said... if anyone wants out of my eventual war versus the forces of darkness, this is your time to speak.”

--- Chapter Break ---

I let my words simmer for a moment and watch each girl process what I had to say. It doesn’t take long at all for Sam to make up her mind. Her Highness grunts and stands up off the table before walking right up to me in front of everyone else. “Boss?”

“Yes, Sam?”

“I oughta hit you for even asking something so dumb!” She stomps her foot, leans into my face, and puts her hands on her hips. “When I first found out about your magic jizz, I was already thinking about trying to pull something like this off. Look at what you’ve already done with Zuzu, Meri, and me. You draw out the best in us, Boss. No one else in Karnalle can groom girls into heroes like you can!”

“Let’s maybe not use that word, Sam-”

“Grooming, raising, whatever!” The Princess shrugs her shoulders. “My point is that thanks to you and everything you’ve done for me, I’m starting to actually make something of myself. I’m dumb. I’ve got no training. I got anger problems. But somehow, none of that shit matters when I’m with you- I just get stronger and stronger when I’m by your side. My father isn’t gonna save this Realm, so I gotta do it myself... and the only way that’ll happen is if I stay right here!”

“Sam, I-”

“No!” She shouts, her face growing red. Sam punches me in the arm hard enough to bruise. “L-Let me talk, damn you!”

I remain quiet, giving Sam all the time in the world to say whatever’s on her mind. It turns out that that was just an excuse, and she has nothing else to say. The Princess is just embarrassed about what I might say back but can’t admit it. “I... I...” She looks into my eyes, then looks away.

“Jus’ fuckin’ tell th’ man,” Gwin groans. “Ya dumbarse lass...”

“Shut up! I’ll tell him I love him when I’m good and ready!” The flustered blonde whips her head at Gwin and points menacingly at her. Gwin smirks as soon as Sam realizes that she just told me she loves me for the first time. Zutiria’s lips show a tiny smile for a moment, Meri gasps, and Opalina giggles at Sam’s reddening cheeks. “Fucking... damn it...”

“Would you like a do-over?” I lean down and smile lovingly at my nervous Princess.

“Yes!” She growls before taking a deep breath and crossing her arms. Then, after regaining composure, she stands up tall and says, “I love you, Boss... please keep taking good care of me from here on out.”

My heart kicks into overdrive at the Princess’s sheer cuteness, and I pull her in for a hug and kiss her on the forehead. “I love you too, Samilda,”

“Oh, FUCK. OFF!” She laughs before pushing me away and punching me in the shoulder. No one else gets the joke, but that’s ok. It’s for us.

“Personally,” Opal speaks up, a devious grin manifesting itself on her face. “I think that if you really are the Hero of Light, then it’s a good thing you already have an ‘in’ with the Royal Family. It would be wise to ‘cash in’ this relationship at some point and reap the political benefits it would bring you, Dear.”

Sam doesn’t get it. “How would we do that?”

Meri blushes and clasps her hands, saying in a soft, dreamy voice, “Wedding bells, Sam...”

Sam has a vast array of emotions when she envisions this. Her blush grows more profound, she sweats out of panic, her smile and eyes go wide, almost to the point of looking vacant. The thought of marrying me makes Sam look like nothing would make her happier and more terrified at the same time.

“HAH!” The Princess stumbles backward in a wobbly fashion, prompting me to try and reach out to her and hold her, but she steadies herself. “Uh, y-yeah, maybe someday...! I-I-It’s not you, Boss, I just... um... I’m nowhere near ready to see my family any time soon...” She brushes some of her sweat off her brow.

“There’s no rush,” I reach out to tenderly stroke Sam’s hair while she makes flustered, grumpy noises. “Honestly, Gods only know how large my harem will grow, so waiting to do some sort of group marriage might be best...”

Gwin snorts and bangs the table with her fist. “Th’ absolute balls on this Lad,”

“I guess that did sound more egotistical than I meant it to... regardless, Zutiria, Meri? Can I take it that you intend to stay by my side just as Sam does?”

‘Yes,’ Zutiria nods her head almost imperceptibly. ‘You’ll forgive that I don’t feel up to making a long-winded emotional speech about how much I love you and how much you’ve done for me. I’d never leave you. I can’t.’ The little lady sighs. Opalina tries to pet again, but Zutiria shakes her head and doesn’t allow it. ‘Sammy is right, nonetheless. I’m broken. When I’m with you, I feel like making an effort to try and pretend I’m not...’

“Dear,” Opaline grows more concerned, “I think you should spend some time alone with this one tonight...”

‘I’ll be fine,’ Zutiria responds in a very unconvincing manner. ‘But if you insist on it, Sir...’

“I think it would be best if I saw to your needs, Zutiria. Sam, would you mind sleeping in the spare room with Meri for the night?”

Meri blushes. She’s clearly a little upset we can’t have our second night together, but a night with Sam doesn’t sound all that bad either. “Y-Yes, of course, Master. Are you ok with that, Sam?”

Sam slinks into her seat and folds her arms. “Yeah, long as you tell me about your mom like you promised you would!”

“I would love to!” Meri smiles sincerely as her gaze turns towards the floor, and she twiddles her thumbs. “Oh, but... um... Master, can I say something too while we’re at it?”

“Yes, Meri?”

She takes in a deep breath and fights to maintain eye contact, but during her speech, her eyes dart back and forth out of embarrassment. “I know that I haven’t been around for very long, and... it might sound weird when I say it, but... m-my feelings for you are just as strong as everyone else’s. I’ve been an adventurer for two years now, and until I met you, I was a total loser... and I-I still am a loser, compared to my Mom. But... you actually help me, Master. You make me feel good about myself, make me thinking that... maybe I can really make something out of this life that my mom died to protect. For a long time, I...” She closes her crimson eyes as tears begin to fall. “I always asked myself... why her? It should have been me...”

My heart lurches at hearing how intense this young girl’s survivor’s guilt was this entire time. “Meri-”

She shakes her head and wipes the tears. “No, it’s ok, Master. I haven’t had any of those thoughts since coming here, now that I have people who I want to protect... and a-after what happened last night...” Meri blushes and holds her cheeks in her hands. “I don’t think I ever will again.”

I feel my cheeks redden, and I step closer to Meri’s seat. She takes my hands in hers once I offer them to her, and we stare into one another’s eyes. “Please,” Meri’s eyes flicker, “Keep grooming me from now on, Master!”

Gods, damn it. She was so close, too...

Gwin, Opalina, and Sam all hold back laughs at the naive Shield Maiden’s unintended slip-up. No one wants to ruin her moment, especially me. “...Of course, Meri.” I cough and avert my eyes, embarrassed over what I just agreed to. I’m sure someone will tell her what that means later, but for now, I just want this adorable lover of mine to be as happy as she can.

Opalina lets out a wistful sigh. “If only I were younger... nowadays, all I’m good for is a supporting role. Maybe that will change in the future? Who knows.” She giggles, “You seem to have a habit of helping women through their problems... regardless, you already know I plan on aiding you to the best of my ability. I won’t let you drift away from me ever again, Dear.”

“Thank you, Opal. That means the world to me.”

All eyes turn on Gwin, who at this point feels comically out of place. She reads the room and shrugs. “Ah said it before an’ ah’ll say it again. Ah’m just a fuckin’ carpenter who wants ta be a smith. Ah give ya a single fuckin’ handy- just one- an’ ya try an’ draft me into yer Gods damned holy war?”

“To be fair,” I lean down to look level at the fiery lass. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to defeat the Demon Lord if I don’t acquire a more stable supply of Dwarven handjobs. They’re key to the war effort.”

Gwin cracks up at that, her cheeks growing flushed as she looks away from me abrasively. “Men. Fuckin’ typical. Ah s’pose ah’m in if ya ever get yerself a forge an’ can convince mah family ta let me go mah own way, Lad. Ah’ll have a lot ta learn, but you’ll need someone around ta fix up armor an weapons, won’t ya?”

“I certainly will,” I extend my hand to the Dwarven girl as a sign of solidarity, which she takes and clasps tight. Her grip is much, much stronger than mine, and she’s very enthusiastic.

Once I let go, I realize that that’s it, then.

I’ve told everyone my greatest secret, and not only did no one reject me over it, I feel closer to each of the girls than ever before. Just like that, the weight that’s been dragging me down for twenty-two years dissipates into nothing.

I know what the future holds, and for the first time, I’m looking forward to meeting it head-on.

The team meeting is adjourned, and to celebrate, I make everyone a personalized cocktail. Then, we toast to defeating the Demon Lord, the Duke of Dewhurst, and any other force which stands in the way of the Dewhurst Adventurer’s Guild becoming the greatest Guild in all the Realms.