Back at earth, my friends always stick together no matter what happens. We’re so close that we do a lot of good and stupid things together. We also protect one another from others if they needed one. But no matter how close we are, we still have to separate, especially if someone farts.

***

I immediately got home after the fight. I hid the armor I stripped off from the knight to the armory without telling the people inside the house except Petal.

After that, I immediately went to my room and finally, relaxed myself.

I suddenly dropped on the floor after thinking about how I almost got killed again.

“Shit, my legs won’t stop shaking.”

Not just my leg. My arms also won’t properly respond to me, and my heart beats louder than before that it seemed audible inside my room.

My nervousness came to me late after my adrenaline stopped.

But—

“The will of wanting to kill him… was that mine?”

--I got scared of myself thinking about it.

Why did I want to kill him? That was not like me.

--But I wanted to.

My subconscious created a spell to kill him.

--I wanted to use it.

I rejected that thought.

--It felt so wrong.

If I used that spell, I’ll turn into a murderer.

I feel like I’m just arguing with myself pointlessly after the fact.

Just when I was about to fall asleep from tiredness, the door of my room slammed open.

“Key, are you alright!?”

Cherry cried out from the door and rushed to my bed. Since my strength was drained from all that nervousness, I couldn’t get up quickly and looking weak.

“I’m alright. What’s the problem?”

I know I’m smiling wryly, but why does she look so anxious?

“I felt a strange wave of magic power a while ago. It felt something like [Light] magic.”

“Is that so? Then someone must’ve been using to heal someone.”

“It’s a different type. It was more like someone was trying to kill someone. Then the thought of you came to me. Since if you die, I will die too. I scared.”

“Don’t be a paranoid. It must’ve been your imagination.”

Huh? Did I just, lie?

I can’t see any reason why I need to lie. Weird…

After that, I lie down back to by bed and tried to rest.

However, Cherry isn’t leaving.

“Uh… do you need something?”

For some reason, Cherry’s face is slowly turning red. Is she sick or something?

“Did…..”

The rest of her words were in small voice that I couldn’t hear it properly. So I sat straight and went closer to her.

“What did you say again?”

“Uhm… Did you two, do it here?”

And her face is bright red. Not sick, but embarrassed huh, so innocent.

“I don’t have an obligation to answer that do I?”

“I’m your fiancée you know! I do need to know!”

Ah, she got angry. So annoying!

“Now’s probably not the best time. I have something important to do.”

“What’s more important than this?”

“Sleep…”

I dropped my back again on the soft cushion of my bed and closed my eyes. I’m already mentally tired after what happened at noon. I’ll just drain my energy empty if I argue with Cherry.

“I won’t allow it!”

Since I had my eyes closed, I didn’t know what she was doing. Not until—

“Gah, you’re heavy!”

“This is your punishment for being shameless!”

“You’re the one who’s ‘shameless’.”

-She jumped on me while carrying her body weight. Moreover, she’s not just putting her whole body on mine. She’s also using her elbows to hard-massage my chest which hurts a lot.

But those are just trivial matters because now, the two continents are pushing against my stomach, depriving me from gaining energy. If she won’t leave right now, she might witness a bad mountain.

“H-hey, get off me! If you don’t, something bad might happen.”

“That ‘something bad’ is you! Don’t just ignore me and sleep! I’m asking you something important!”

This girl’s got no self-awareness does she? She doesn’t realize that her continents are stroking my stomach erotically. It’s too stimulating. I think it won’t end up just being a mountain.

“Seriously, get off or it won’t end up pretty for both of us.”

Then she finally stopped hard-massaging my chest and looked at me with a half-crying face.

“Then why did you lie?”

“Lie?”

Huh? She wasn’t talking about me and Matt, but that?

“Why did you not tell me that you were attacked by someone of my fraction?”

“Cherry…”

I see, she must felt betrayed by her masters, and my lying made it worse. I can understand that. I can also feel that she doesn’t want to die yet.

“Did you really think that I wouldn’t know? I have the > ability. I can feel and tell what kind of magic or spells are casted a mile off. And judging from that magic wave earlier, someone was using > to separate you from the crowd and you got attacked by a Temple Knight with >. I tried to go and help you, but everything suddenly disappeared. The last thing I felt was a burning essence.”

I see… she got worried that something might happen to me. She’s unexpectedly a worrywart. I find that cute.

“What are you smiling about?”

Was I smiling? I guess I am. I mean, who wouldn’t? She looks so cute when she’s on a verge of crying while looking up from my chest. I want to pat her head.

“It’s nothing. It’s just, I find you cute all of a sudden.”

“C-cute? Me?”

“If you make a face like that every time, I might have fallen in love with you the first time we met.”

Her face that turned blue a while ago suddenly reverted back to bright crimson.

“D-don’t get too full of yourself!”

She suddenly attacked me again. Since she noticed that her elbows we’re not effective anymore, she suddenly bit me on the neck. It doesn’t hurt that much. It didn’t since my thought was on a different area.

“C-cherry, STOP!!!”

She didn’t listen.

More importantly, her chest is on my chest and is highly too stimulating for me. The size, the softness, the elasticity, it’s too much!!!!

Then all of a sudden, she stopped.

“Something is poking me.”

“Well… uh… it’s your fault.”

I was trying my best to hold back, but I’m a straight man. It’s normal right?

But, she lifted up her body and looked below.

She turned her gaze back towards me and—

“I’m sorry! I wasn’t trying to!”

“It’s a natural phenomenon, and it moved by its own so there’s no reason for you to be sorry.”

The former was her line and the later was mine. She apologized to me since she thought that I was seduced by her, although I did, but I won’t tell a word of it.

Now, she and I don’t know what to do but stare at each other. Her red face is making this awkward, so I need to avert the topic.

“Ahem, can you uh… move aside?”

“S-sure, I will.”

After sitting straight beside me, I also sat straight. Her fidgeting figure sure is adorable.

“Cherry… I’ve been calling you ‘Cherry’, is that fine to you?”

“Its fine, someone told me that my name was hard to pronounce and is too long—”

--I see. She’s already aware of it.

“-and, the name ‘Cherry’ sounds cute for me. I appreciate the thought.”

I will never say that I gave her that nickname with bad intentions, never! Although her happy face is making me feel guilty, I’ll take it to the grave.

“Then, Cherry, it might be rude of me to ask, but why are you so attached to me?”

After asking her that, she looked at me directly in the eyes. The area around her eyes is still red from a while ago, but I feel that it has a different meaning than before. She averted her gaze from mine before 3 seconds though.

“It’s something my mother told me a long time ago.”

“I’m all ears, besides this world’s time is long anyway.”

She giggled after I made a joke. No, it wasn’t a joke.

“Then, I’ll tell you.”

After finally calming down, she started talking about it.

“My mother, always tell me since I was still young is that, the first man who will take my first kiss is my fated person, race nor standing does not matter. She said that this man will never harbour hatred towards me when we meet for the first time.”

--Ah… now I feel bad.

“She also said that this man would protect me from harm even if it harms him instead. And the most important thing she said that I must do is to repay his kindness, by loving him back. Those were her last words she said to me before she passed away.”

…now I feel terrible. Someone kill me.

“Although I—no, we met on bad terms, you didn’t show any hatred nor grudge towards me despite me being rude towards you.”

--Please someone?

“Even though I was being unreasonable during our duel, you didn’t try to hurt me.”

--Somebody got a gun?

“Even now, you lied to me just because you don’t want me to lose faith in the god that branded you a heretic.”

Her misunderstanding is on a different level. I feel like a total shit here.

“I didn’t like you at first, but now, I don’t know.”

She looked again at me with her big blue eyes. For some reason, her face is getting closer towards me. No, it might be me who’s getting closer to her.

“You might be a heretic my god hated, but I feel that you’re not bad.”

“Cherry…”

She grabbed my hand that I used to lean on the bed. She locked her eyes on mine as our faces get closer to each other. I don’t know what should I say, or it might be right to not say anything.

“I’m not sure what I feel right now, but I feel that this is not wrong.”

She closed her eyes and locked her lips with mine. She clenched my hand and pushed herself towards me. I put strength on my back to prevent us from falling over and pushed myself towards her instead.

While our lips were locked together, a bright yellow light got my attention.

Cherry’s golden hair is glowing brightly like a star in front of me. And then, I feel a wrapping sensation around my finger on my left hand.

As Cherry slowly parted from me while breathing hot air, she looked at me again and mischievously smiled happily.

“I guess I’m officially the wife of Key Godfre Chardelier.”

N-no way! Did--

“You--”

She showed her left hand to me.

To my surprise, a tattoo of an infinity symbol is on her ring finger which wasn’t there before.

I looked at my hand to see if my mind is playing tricks on me, but it wasn’t. A similar tattoo is on my ring finger is there.

“We met the conditions for the contract. This tattoo is a proof of our connection.”

While we were looking at each other, we suddenly heard gasps from the door.

There, Matilda is standing with her arms crossed while smiling at us. But her eyes weren’t.

Behind her, the five maids were peeking on the door with blushing expressions.

“Care to tell me what happened?”

*So we skip the nasty part.*

“I see, so the Helius Temple has received the word from God Helius himself and started moving their forces.”

“Yes.”

We are currently in the living room and are having our afternoon snack.

On the other hand, Cherry and Matt are hugging each of my arms and kept glaring daggers at each other. I’d like to ask questions about something else, I won’t speak since the continents of two worlds are giving blissful feeling to my arms. PEACE!

“So, what will you do now Cherry? Your God is the source of your power right? Doesn’t that make you his rebel?”

“I don’t know about that, but I do know that I won’t become powerless. The [Light] magic I’m able to use is something permanently granted to me after I received the blessing. But since I’m in his domain, I might become less powerful than before. There would be a chance that my [Saint Form] would disappear.”

“I see, and what about you Matt? Aren’t you a Helius too?”

“No, no I’m not.”

“Huh?”

Before continuing her words, she silently pulled my arm deeper in her chest. Although it’s slightly inferior to Cherry’s, I won’t complain.

“I’m only wearing a white uniform for formality. I’m not allowed to get the blessing since I’m cursed with [Phantom’s Crystal] which is in God Galdius’ domain.”

“Is that so?”

I don’t fully understand what they’re talking about since I haven’t got the full concept of magic. Is magic something granted by the gods, or is it something man free to manipulate? I just don’t get it.

“By the way--”

Cherry looked at me and then smiled.

“My father approved of my stay here.”

“Did he get angry?”

“Actually, he was surprised when I asked him. Although he was reluctant, he approved of it when I got the approval of my older sister and brother.”

“He did huh?”

“He also told me to tell you that you must not lay your hands off me before marriage as a rule.”

Then she leaned towards my ear and whispered, “I’m looking forward for you to break It.” then smiled mischievously. Is she serious?

“I heard that.”

Although calm, Matt’s eyes are like a lioness’ waiting to strike.

“I meant to.”

And you have to taunt her!? I had enough troubles already.

Luckily, an unexpected insensitive visitor arrives and breaks the menacing atmosphere.

“Hey dude! I’m back—WOAW! So you already conquered the Goldenbloom route huh. Good for you.”

Sora, the insensitive visitor, waltzes into the living room without caring for the dagger sharp stares of the girls.

“Hey, Sora, it’s nice to see you healthy again. That was quick.”

“Well, actually, I already recovered by the end of that day. I just didn’t immediately come to see you since I was in the meeting of our Fraction.”

“You’re lying. I asked some of the students from your fraction and they said you weren’t there.”

Cherry objected Sora’s statement. Come to think of it, she did say that.

“I said ‘meeting’, actually, I was spying. It felt like something was off, so I told them that I left and I returned there by secret.”

I did think that his power is for spying, I never actually thought that it would be perfect for it. Magic sure is convenient.

“So what did you find out?”

Sora sat and the seat opposite of mine and gave off a serious air. I can tell since this is the first time he gave me such a face.

“If I was there, I will be included in the people that would kill you.”

“Kill me? They’re also sending from your side, so troublesome.”

“’Also’? Did someone already come?”

“They did. Although, it was a Temple knight like you warned me about.”

“Helius did? That’s pretty unusual for the Peace loving group to send a temple knight. They must be pretty desperate.”

I looked to the roof while feeling exhausted. I’m dropped with huge pressure and nervousness that my mind ended up getting numb to it.

“Why are they trying to kill me so desperately? Is it only because I’m a heretic?”

I can hear Sora taking a bite from a crunchy biscuit in front of me.

“It’s only a hunch, but the power of [Infinity] might be the real reason behind it.”

“The power of [Infinity], Now that you mention it, it’s a power from a God.”

If Sora’s hunch is correct, everything would make sense. My grandfather fought the Gods with this power, although it ended up him dying because of it, there was no clear reason why he ended up fighting them.

In other words, the other Gods’ power isn’t infinite. So if I follow the pattern…

“The power of [Infinity] is God Lithius’ power.”

After finding out where my power came from, I immediately left the living room and headed towards the library.

Even though I’m the one looking for it, since the book is glowing on the shelf, it made me feel like it’s the one waiting for me instead.

I take out the book and opened to the page that was glowing and read the chant. After chanting it, light appeared on the library’s ceiling.

[So you finally figured it out, took you long enough.]

“So you we’re really expecting it?”

[Well, there’s always that saying; the truth is not forever shrouded by lies. Even though I’m not capable of lying, I can still prevent myself from telling the truth. I’m a god after all.]

“Why? Are you the reason why my grandfather died?”

[I’m not the one who did, nor took part of it. Even if I’m a god, I’m just a victim of treachery and theft. It is normal for me to want revenge on the Heavenly gods that sealed me in the Void. It was just a trick of fate that led me to meet with your grandfather. It was just a mere chance that what he seeks is close to mine.]

“So you gave him your power?”

[I did not, but instead, got deprived of it. Although I said ‘Deprived’, I didn’t struggle.]

“I don’t understand. Are you trying to tell me that you’re also just a victim?”

[‘Victim’, such weak word does not fit a transcended being like me.]

“So then, what, what are you?”

[Envied, the other heavenly gods envied me. They envied me who unifies the light and darkness. They envied me who walked among men. And they envied me who has the power of Infinity. They do not like it, so they sealed me away and my power.]

I can feel the weight of vengeance in her words.

All I can think is that the gods are unreasonable beings that only do what they like and do what they see fit.

She and I, we’re no different from each other. So I guess we need to help each other.

“What will you do if you’re unsealed?”

[If possible, I will punish them and make them suffer in the Void for as long as mine.]

“Not kill, but punished?”

[Gods cannot die young one. So they can only be punished for their acts by the other gods.]

I should just say it. There’s no merit in not saying anything anyway.

“If I say I’ll help you get unsealed, will you help me?”

[It is rude to a god to take a bargain with a human. Then again, it might be better than staying here for the next 8000 years.]

“Will you accept or not?”

I know it’s risky, but I have to do what it takes to let myself live and protect the ones around me. I don’t care if Gods will stand in my way, for all I care, a mortal life matters the most.

-End of Chapter 8-