This is the most uncomfortable breakfast I ever had in my life, the boy thinks to himself as he munches on the pancakes Rolfe made. And the boy had even included the time his children accidently walked through their unlocked bedroom door one morning while he and his wife were having-

“Could you pass me the honey, honey?”

The boy’s train of thought is cut short by the entity’s request. Rolfe who is sitting across him has her right hand stretched out while her left hand is busy piling a second helping of pancakes she had made herself.

The boy wordlessly passes a small pitcher of glass to Rolfe, its content harvested from the several apiaries located behind the entity’s manor, next to a garden that grows most of the food that ends up being served on the dining table currently. There’s even a greenhouse that provides several vegetables and herbs not naturally found in the Kingdom of Nurani due to its topography and weather.

It looks like Rolfe leads a self-sustained life, anything she eats she either grows them herself or she hunts and forage in the forest located far to the back of the manor. Speaking of which, the boy is pretty sure the building that the boy has found himself trapped living in is something the entity made herself. Due to Rolfe’s modification to his body, the boy who is becoming more and more familiar with mana can feel faint traces of it emanating from the walls.

Interesting, the boy thinks. Some sort of earth magic? The boy adds that to the lists of things he would have to ask Rolfe to teach him if the mood suits her.

And not only the building, most of the furniture and items in the manor are crafted by the entity. Even the small pitcher of glass that boy had handed to Rolfe earlier is made in her own workshop.

Rolfe’s workshop… the whole nine kingdoms would trip over each other trying to get its contents if they only knew the true value. The entity’s creations and inventions, plans and blueprints, even though the boy could barely understand them and their uses, he knows that if just a fraction of it falls to the hands of one kingdom, they can be used to wipe out the remaining eight.

By the way, in the original timeline, the entity had merely set fire to them on the day she graduated, right after refusing an offer to join the Order of Enahel to become a knight. She went off on her journey without looking back after making sure her manor (the same manor which she had been living in since her second year) was razed to the ground, not even caring what one might consider to be several lifetimes of work going up in smokes in just mere seconds.

Rolfe had offered the boy a tour of the workshop and its contents on a whim the first night he came here, not even considering the dangers of showing an outsider her works that could literally change the face of the Grandiel Continent. The boy isn’t sure if the entity made them out of boredom or force of habit. The boy also wonders if the offer to visit the workshop still stands.

“So what are your plans today?” asks the entity after she puts the small pitcher of glass down, but not before pouring a generous amount of honey on the towering pancakes she has built on her plate.

“The usual. Try to get on Headmaster Joss’ good side so I can use his connections in the Order of Enahel to send out summons for a meeting to the rulers of the kingdoms in the Grandiel Continent. But to do that I need to remove Master Haithur first.”

“Such a roundabout way of doing things. Why don’t you just contact them yourself?”

“You can’t expect the rulers of the nine kingdoms to drop what they’re doing just because a nobody, a commoner had called for them willy nillyOW!”

“Serves you right, asshole…”

The boy rubs his shin, painfully kicked by one of the entity’s long legs under the dining table.

“Can you stop being so vindictive?” asks the boy with tears in his eyes.

“Can’t, it’s part of my charm." smiles the entity. "Then how about you just kill Master Haithur instead?”

“That has crossed my mind, but Headmaster Joss opposed of it. Which is great now that I think about it, a quick death is too good for someone like Master Haithur. Not after what he did.”

*raises eyebrow “Something tells me you’re not talking about recent events. Now who’s the one being vindictive?”

“…”

“Anyway, you’re right. There are many ways to kill a man without killing him.” says the entity as she puts of piece of pancake that she had cut into her mouth, all while raising her gaze at a certain someone standing behind the boy.

Synnove Ciro, the source of the boy’s discomfort and the reason why he can’t properly enjoy his breakfast. The pigtails maid, to her credit, didn’t flinch under Rolfe’s stares. Nor did she raise the hell the boy was sure would happen earlier when she returned a second time to the manor, after she realized what the boy and the entity had been up to while she was gone.

The boy knew from the moment Synnove walked through the front door and smiled at him, he wasn’t successful in averting the Apocalypse, he had merely delayed it. All the boy can do now is hope Synnove can hold on long enough for him to get her out of the house before she explodes.

Which is not an easy feat by the way, what with Rolfe continuously pouring oil into the open flame.

“Do you need any help?” asks the entity, all the while caressing the boy’s inner thighs with her right leg. The action is not lost on the maid standing behind him. The boy knows that even if it’s minuscule, Synnove has reflexively shifted several milligrams of weight into her left foot, an action ingrained after years of self defence classes at the training centre, usually a precursor when one is about to launch herself into battle.

But to the boy’s amazement, the maid still manages to hold her position.

“Nope, I’ve got it handled. And besides, you can’t go out of the house, remember? Something about being suspended for hitting a certain deputy headmaster.”

“Pffft. Rolfe Primero goes where he pleases.”

“At the rate that you’re going, you won’t make it to the Summer Harvest Dance if you force Headmaster Joss’ hand to expel you for disobeying his orders.”

“On second thought, that would put a crimp in my plan of bringing you to that dance as my date.”

“Oh my, it’s still the first week of the first month of a new year. Are you really sure of asking me to be your partner this early?”

“Yup, I called dibs. I’ve already pick out a dress for you and everything.”

“…”

“I even made you a wig in the workshop. Wanna see? Although I don’t think it’s required if you continue to grow your hair like that.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, in a few months your hair would be long enough to make people mistake you for a girl.”

“Fuck you! I meant about making me go in a dress.”

*laughs “Of course I’m joking…”

“…”

“…but now that I think about it.”

“You know what? How about you and I go for a trip to the nearby town today? It’s just such a shame to be trapped in this dreary house when there’s a nice weather going outside.”

*laughs “Tough luck. You’re not getting me expelled that easily.”

“Worth a try. Anyway…” the boy stands up before both his erection and his flagrant flirting gets too out of hand. Based on the random murderous thoughts he managed to intercept from Synnove, the pigtails maid is more irritated about the idle chit-chat between Rolfe and him rather than the foot job the entity is giving him.

People get hung up on all the wrong things, the boy thinks.

The boy can’t help it of course (the flirting, not the erection mind you). Anything less than the normal interactions he usually has with Rolfe would have set the entity off. That means Rolfe won't hesitate to remove from the equation any distractions that disturbs the relationship between her and the boy (the distraction in this case being Synnove obviously).

Damned if you do, damned if you don't, the boy quietly thinks. If there ever was a time to use this expression, now would have been it.

Thankfully, Synnove seems vaguely aware of the boy’s dilemma. Which would explain why she hasn’t flipped out yet (not right now anyway).

“...I have to go now. There’s so much I have to do today and not enough time.”

"Awww..." the entity sighs heavily, disappointed that her favourite toy has managed to escape from the clutches of her foot. “Aren’t we a busy little bee, working hard for the sake of the colony.”

“Honey taste better once you know how the hard the bees worked they’re asses off to make them.”

“Just make sure you don’t die from over-exhaustion first.”

“Is that concern I hear from your voice? I’m extremely touched.”

“After all, the only one allowed to break my favourite toy is me.”

“And I take that back. Return to me my admiration. You’re a cold hearted bastard from which there is no escape.”

“Just make sure you do what you set off to do and come back to me quickly…”

“Say the magic word.”

“‘Or else’…”

“I was thinking more in the line of ‘Please’, but that works too. You do know you don’t have to threaten me with grievous body harm to get me to comply?”

“It’s also part of my charms.”

The boy moves towards Rolfe’s side in order to give her a goodbye kiss on the cheeks, something to placate the entity who has to be stuck in the house while he is out and about. Just as the boy is about to plant his lips on the right side of Rolfe’s face, the entity turns her face and kisses him deeply in the mouth.

Synnove who is cleaning up after the boy doesn’t even bat an eyelid. The pigtails maid calmly picks up the boy’s empty plates and cup and brings them into the kitchen to be washed in the sink.

The kiss continues a few second longer than what the boy would have like. After their lips have finally separated, Rolfe raises her right hand and strokes the boy’s face gently.

“We’ll continue that kiss later tonight.”

“Can’t make any promises on that. Today’s going to be hectic. I may come back home completely spent.”

The entity laughs as she pats the boy’s face lightly a few times.

“I don’t know which is cuter, the way you act as if you’re uninterested in sex, or that you think you have any say in the matter.”

“Just don’t push me into the coffee table once I get home.” the boy pleads.

“Don’t worry. In due time, you’ll have enough strength to push me off you once I’ve done training you. By then we can finally have some real fun.”

“Why is everything either fuck or fight with you?”

“Would you like a combination of both?”

“No thanks. You use your teeth more than I’m comfortable with, and I don’t think the little girl gave me the ability to grow lost limbs or appendages.”

“Sorry, old habits from my previous life(s). You should take it as a compliment, you bring out the animal in me.”

“Don’t suppose locking my door tonight would deter you from entering my bedroom either?”

“There are no lock doors in my house.”

“Really? Then how about the door to your workshop?”

“There you go again. Always going about things in a roundabout manner.”

“…”

“If you wanted to see my workshop, you only need to ask. I’ve already granted you access, remember?”

“Guess I wasn’t as discrete as I thought.”

“Not one of your best attempts, but it’s understandable. You have a lot on your mind, juggling so many roles at the same time, looking out for so many things coming at you from all sides. Things that you care for… Things that can kill you... But what mostly occupies your thoughts for the time being is Synnove’s state of mind, she has almost reached her limits by the way.”

“…”

“Tell me honestly, are you sure which category that girl belongs to?”

“…”

"You look so cute when you're confused and unsure of something. It's one of your charms. I can see now why the goddess decided to help you."

“…”

The entity laughs as she gently pushes the boy’s face away “You can go now, my busy little worker bee. I’ve already had enough fun to fill me for the better part of the day.”

“…”

As the boy puts his hands on the doorknob and turns it in order to escape let himself outside, his pigtails maid in-tow, Rolfe suddenly decides to impart some last minute wisdom.

“Remember, don’t think for one second you can make honey without sharing in the fate of bees, but we are in truth nothing but poor bees, destined to accomplish our task and then die.”

“…”

"Sorry, I wanted to say something wise and sagely just now."

“…”

********************

The boy manages to get all the way down the bottom of the hill before he turns to face the pigtails maid who has been silently following behind him.

Just as the boy is about to say something, Synnove coldly cuts him off.

“I’m coming with you, Master.”

And as if to emphasize her point, Synnove turns and walks calmly to a nearby tree that has been dead for a couple of months now, pauses for a few moments in a battle-ready stance while collecting her thoughts and steadying her breathing, before suddenly letting out a blood-curling scream and launching an all mighty punch that made a giant hole right in the middle of the dead tree trunk.

Before the tall dead tree (something that would take an experienced woodcutter 10 minutes to fell down with a sharp axe) could even topple forwards to the ground, Synnove has already returned to her master’s side.

“Shall we proceed, Master?” smiles the pigtails maid. Without waiting for the boy to reply, Synnove continues walking towards the Whiteford Academy.

“This is going to be a really interesting day.” the boy sighs worriedly as he watches the pigtails maid’s shrinking back, all the while not noticing nor caring that the dead tree Synnove struck down had came crashing dangerously close to him, narrowly missing squishing his head by a mere few inches.

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Good news everyone! As of this moment, Demon Hero Reaper Saviour is is currently in the #40th place in the Active Top 50 ranking. (raises both arms in the air) WOHOOO! We jumped nine places!

As for the Best Rated ranking, we're in the #61th place (with an 18 places jump!). Wow, if I had known bribing you with a blueberry muffin would get me some more reviews, I would have done so much earlier.

And now, the blueberry muffins I've promised you...

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This chapter is dedicated to readers zenla, gradboar, KruoTsubasa, cen5, GrumpyHobo and countless others who have left their reviews up to now.

As for those who haven't left a review yet, I have a totally legit blueberry muffin to give to you now if you leave a review, for reals this time.

Thank you.