Her eyes flutter shut once more as she lets out a soft moan, arching her back slightly to press her breasts further into Cale hand. A shiver runs down her spine, her breath coming faster now. She whispers softly,
Yes... please, continue.
"Argh!" Alvara woke up, disoriented, and glanced around, realizing she was still lying on the bed. "Just a dream," she muttered, relieved. "Thank God! Cale is my student, for God's sake! What on earth was I dreaming? He's only 13, and I'm 26." In our empire, it's common for a young man to marry an older woman but... Shaking her head, she rose from the sofa and ambled over to the nearby table where a glass of water awaited her. With a sigh, she gulped it down, the cool liquid soothing her parched throat. Memories of the previous night flooded back: the laughter, the music, and the drinks. Lilith had been there, assisting her when she'd had a bit too much to drink, guiding her stumbling steps to the safety of the guest room.
"Oh, I remember now," she murmured to herself, "Lilith was helping me when I was so out of it." Recollecting the events of the evening, Alvara couldn't help but worry about Cale. He was a remarkable young man, strong and bright, but still so young. "I know Cale has potential," she mused, "but he's just a boy. It's natural for him to feel insecure, especially compared to women. I must speak to him about it, reassure him that strength comes in many forms, and that he has his own unique strengths."
With a determined nod, Alvara strode to the window and pushed it open, welcoming the soft morning breeze that wafted in, carrying with it the promise of a new day.
***
Under a dark, red sky, rain poured down on a muddy ground covered in blood and corpses. A man fought against a beautiful red-haired woman, both barely standing.
"You're strong, aligned with the only male god, but you should just do everything we want. You're a man; you don't have the right to disobey us. You should just be a puppet that satisfies our sexual desires. Why are you listening to that god?" She looked at the beautiful woman with black hair and green eyes behind her.
"Anaisa, why are you keeping him all to yourself? Why do you keep getting in our way?" The red-haired woman said with anger.
"Irish, all of you just want to use him for your desires. He's a god too the only male god; he wants to be loved, and I'm the only one who can give it to him. That's why he's on my side. I'll let you go because you're my friend, but if you look for us again, there's no second chances," Anaisa said while walking towards the blonde-haired guy, and they left the red-haired woman behind on the battlefield.
"We did it, Anaisa," the blonde-haired guy said with a depressed expression. "If the other gods find out, they're going to give us the title of the Devil God. We killed a lot of gods!" he said, trembling.
"No, it's not your fault. Just because you're the only male god doesn't mean you have a responsibility for all of them as your women. It's my responsibility to protect you. Even if I go against all the gods, Ruka, we can just run away. We can ascend to the mortal world and live our lives there. We're not running away because we're afraid, but because we just want to be happy," Anaisa said, to which the blonde guy just Nodding uneasily, and followed her.
"Ah, that dream again. I keep having this strange dream about a blonde guy with blue eyes and beautiful black hair and a green-eyed woman. Nothing like that has happened in the game, and I can feel that it's not Cale's memory. So why do I keep dreaming about it? It's been a week since then; I should forget about such a meaningless dream."
"Yawning," Cale stretched, his limbs protesting the early hour. Memories of the previous night's festivities flooded his mind: the laughter, and the warmth of family. "Ah, what a night," he thought, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Opening the gifts from Katherine, Corrine, Lilith, and Master Alvara had been a highlight, each one a token of their affection and esteem. Looking at his bedside, he noticed the sword that Alvara had gifted him. "It's going to be useful. I have to inform Corrine about visiting the city; I need to get those artifacts as soon as possible," he resolved, a small smile playing on his lips.
***
In the office-like room, a beautiful mature woman with white hair and golden eyes was engrossed in paperwork.
"Birthday, Cale, was just last night. I woke up earlier to catch up on the work that I missed, but there's already so much paperwork, and most of it is about engagement proposals for Cale. Sigh, even my friend Duke Black has shown interest in him. She's my best friend since academy days; I've never seen her interested in a guy, especially someone younger than her," she mused to herself.
Knock knock.
Interrupting her thoughts, there was a knock on the door.
"It's me, Ms. Corrine. Can I come in?"
"Come in," she said, allowing Cale to enter.
"You woke up so early. What brings you to me, my sweet Cale?"
"I just want to visit the City of Argenti; it's Silverfall territory after all. Since you adopted me, I've never had a chance to go out of the state. Can I have your permission?" Cale asked.
"You know it's dangerous for you to go to the city, especially since you're a man," Corrine cautioned.
"I know," Cale replied.
"Then go. I won't delve into more details. If you really want to go, you have to go with Alvara, and I'll inform the knights that you're going to arrive. When do you intend to go?"
"Can I go this afternoon?"
"Sure, but always be careful. Do not go anywhere on your own. Always stay by Alvara's side. Can you promise me that?" Corrine asked, her expression filled with worry.
"I promise," Cale said, internally conflicted, feeling bad for lying to her. But he knew he needed to get stronger as fast as possible. "I don't know, maybe if I go missing for three days, they're going to be worried," he pondered. "But I feel bad for Alvara; she's going to be responsible for me if I disappear. After this, I'm going to have to apologize a lot to her when I come back."
"Great. You have to go now. Lilith will inform you when it's time for your departure," Corrine concluded, granting him permission.
"Thank you," Cale said, a mix of emotions swirling inside him. Need to become stronger as fast as possible.
***
After talking to Corrine, I finally retreated to my room, preparing the things I need to find the hidden piece called the Fragment of the Unknown. If you break it, you will obtain the ability called Soul Bound. It's an item that you can only acquire under certain conditions within a game event, and the event is part of an extra scenario. If you manage to obtain it in the game, you can become stronger, and there are only 100 who own that item, and Miyuki and I are one of them. The location of that hidden item is in the secret passageway under Argenti City. There's a labyrinth there; you can obtain other useful items as well. But for now, I'm worried about Alvara. She's the one who will guard me if I go missing for a week. Alvara is going to be held responsible; I need to find it as soon as possible. I don't want them to worry about me.
Knock, knock.
Interrupting my thoughts, there's a knock on the door.
"Young master Cale, Alvara said that all preparations are ready. You can depart anytime you're ready," Lilith said outside the door.
"Tell her I'm coming."
Arriving in front of the carriage, Alvara, wearing her knight cool armor while riding a horse, looks at me with a red blushing face.
"Alvara, are you okay? If you're not feeling well, it's normal; you drank a lot of alcohol last night, after all."
"No, I'm fine, just a light headache," Alvara said, avoiding eye contact.
"If you say so," I said while entering the carriage.
"We're departing now!" Alvara shouted.
And that's the start of my journey to one of the biggest cities in the empire, Argenti City.