"O-o-open your mouth!" Lyana said with a red face. A bowl of rabbit stew sat on her laps while a spoon rested on her right hand. It was trembling, not from anxiousness nor from fear. And neither did it stemmed from her embarrassment.

Theo touched the spoon with his lips. "It's still too hot." He was lying.

She growled and ground her teeth. "B-blow it by yourself."

"Your hand is already shaking, look. You'll drop it if I blow." He smirked. "Do it, haven't you promised to feed me today? Or is your promise means nothing."

She growled once more. She wasn't the kind of person to fret over something like breaking a promise, especially something that she said without much thought. But if she broke her words with Theo, he would never stop mentioning it for the rest of his life. She shuddered thinking how much teasing she would get if that happened. So she swallowed her spit and blew the spoon.

"Haah~" He made a disgustingly fake sigh while shrugging in an exaggerated manner. "You should check the temperature first before feeding someone." He shooked his irritating face. "You should at least know this much, Lyana."

Her buried anger threatened to spill over just like the bowl of stew. She took a deep breath and touched the spoon with her lips. "It's not hot." He accepted the spoon with an expression filled with teasing. She wanted to punch him so bad, or at least dumped the hot stew on his head.

He chuckled, which only further irritated her. His injuries had been healed and his fatigue were all gone, but still, he acted as if he was sick. Everyone knew he had recovered, but they let him be. He deserved some leisure. And he wanted to be spoiled too sometimes. And having Vivi and Lyana fed him on rotation was a good way to do so.

Life is good, he thought.

He reminisced when he was sick two years ago in Aeston. Back when Mikki had just become his lover. Neither Mary nor Mikki had come to term with the whole harem stuff. A man having multiple wifes or lovers wasn't uncommon in Amaryn, but still, it was strange for them to feel it first hand. They were good at hiding their feeling when he was around, but their argument and jealousy of each other erupted when they met by chance in the market or street. Neither his words nor speech could reconcile them.

Then he got sick, deliberately. He got a potion from Cynthia to make himself looks sick. As a result, Mary and Mikki were forced to tolerate each other's presence when they had to take care of him. It didn't solve the problem on itself though, his act only gave them time to communicate their problems between themselves. They sorted it on their own. Well, that and one of his unique skills from charm talent did its job.

The next spoonful of stew came and interrupted his memory. He accepted it without any more teasing. It was evident on Lyana's face how much a surprise it was. She had braced against any potential teasing when it didn't come. A mistake.

"What's with that look? Are you disappointed I didn't tease you?" He clicked his tongue. "Should have just asked."

Blood vessels popped out on her forehead. Her finger crushed the wooden spoon into a dozen pieces.

She almost stormed out the tent in that moment, but stopped herself. She moved the bowl from her lap to his, stood up, handed him the broken spoon, then walked away.

Theo grabbed her wrist. She yanked her hand back without a word, but he held tight.

He pulled her arms and grabbed her cheek and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Sorry, that was too much ... and thank you." He let go of her the same time she pushed him away. He had no reason to draw her ire any further.

Her face reddened, but not from anger this time. Realizing Theo was looking, she frantically wiped her forehead. "Y-you think this will be enough to forgive you?!"

He smirked. "Of course." He told himself to stop teasing her, but he couldn't help it; it was too much fun. " And 'will be enough'? You're implying you're happy with the kiss."

"Like hell I am!" She blasted out from the tent, hiding the smile she had until she was out of his vision.

"Yes, you are." He chuckled. "Yes, you are." He took the bowl of stew and ate it with what left of the spoon. He glanced at his side, Vivi was sleeping next to him in the same bed. He told her to sleep there to spark the jealousy within Lyana and made her uncomfortable. Though admittedly, he sometimes took his teasing too far. When they were alone, Lyana was delighted to spoon-feed him. She denied it of course.

While all that was happening, Ed was busy reading a book by the table on his lonesome. He was so absorbed by the books he didn't even realize what happened around him. Because if he did he would make a fuss.

The cover read 'On the Nature of Magic: Fire, Heat, and the Cause'. Written by lord Mercurius Mars, one of the magic lords of Lethrand.

Theo was never a book enthusiast, but he knew quite a lot about books and have read some too. He mostly read about military and strategy, and a few on history. But even with his limited knowledge, the name Mercurius Mars wasn't foreign to his ears or eyes. There were literally hundreds of books written by him, every single one was about magic. Every magician - on the human realm at least - knew about him and his works. Many also claimed he was the strongest magician to ever live, though the man himself rejected the claim.

Ed was no different. He was especially drawn to a book written by that author. Ed idolized him and swore he had read at least a hundred different title written by him.

Talking to Ed when he was immersed in his book was a fruitless labor. Knowing that, Theo turned his gaze to another corner of the tent.

Cally sat crosslegged in one corner of the tent, meditating. Cheap tunic covered her body. He had no reason to give her any better and she didn't mind. Clothing for her was an armor against water and cold air, nothing more. She was a fire elemental so had the common sense and decency of fire elemental. She didn't have the feeling of shame or the sexual awareness a human had. Walking around naked was nothing more but a small inconvenience for her.

After her punishment a few days ago, she had reduced the number of attempts on his life. Though 'reduced' meant at least once a day. Of course, her slave training still progressed irrelevant to how rebellious she was. So far the training result wasn't that great. Theo didn't know much about her and the source of her ego, and since she didn't feel much shame or disgust, his option was limited. Though he was able to teach her some manners and rules.

Though that wasn't his foremost concern regarding Cally.

Theo's first impression of Cally was far from accurate. He thought of her as a spoiled daughter who fed and grew using the name and title of her father. An incompetent sheltered princess.

How wrong he was.

Cally was a warrior through and through, in body, mind, and spirit. She was a truer warrior than him and most people he ever met. It only took a few days for her to accept her loss of power and do something about it. Most people would grieve and despair and lose any interest in getting back on their feet should her case befall upon their life.

But not her.

She accepted her condition and moved on as if her loss of power never mattered. Push up, sit up, squat, and other muscle training when she was bound inside the tent. Sword and martial arts training whenever she could go outside. Meditating and training her control of mana and aura when Theo forbid her from physical activity. Learning language and writing whenever she could. She even read from Ed's and Lyana's collection of books sometimes.

Her willingness to learn and train from human was staggering, considering she saw human in no higher regards than mere insect. She swallowed her pride and sparred with the soldier and even asked them to train her whenever she had the chance. Most soldiers wouldn't refuse a beauty like her, and since they didn't know about her true identity, they weren't concerned in the slightest.

He was concerned, however. Her growth rate was insane and she wasn't going to stop until she kills him. Yet ...

Somehow he was elated. To think someone would learn from insect, live with insect, and work with insect, all just to kill him. To think that her hatred wasn't directed towards humanity, but towards him and only him. He felt special.

"Theo!" Lyana called him from outside, interrupting his thought. He wondered what she called him for, but the answer came in her next word. "Uh ... High Priestess Sara wishes to speak with you. Alone."

Sara? He heard news she had returned to the Theocracy after the battle was over. Her work must be piling up after all of that, so why did she come back here? There were lots of ways to communicate without meeting him face-to-face, and Sara wasn't the type to waste time. What was she planning?

He preferred speaking with her in his tent, at least he knew there was no trap there. But with Vivi sleeping, Ed reading, and Cally meditating, asking them to leave wasn't a feasible option. Did she already know about this and chose this exact time to lure him out of his tent? Unlikely, but it was Sara he was thinking about. Even the most remote of possibilities should be considered before facing her.

"Tell her I'll go out in a minute." He quickly finished the bowl of stew and stood from his bed. He changed his clothes into a more appropriate one before heading out. He brought Panes and his trusty pouches with him.

Sara was waiting for him outside, accompanied by a church guard on either side. Lyana had disappeared somewhere, unsurprising. "Good morning, Champion of Rafaela." She made a curt bow as she addressed him. Her smile was angelic, hiding a devilish face underneath.

"Spare me the pleasantry, you want to talk?" He wanted to speak with her the least. And if he has to, better be done with it as quick as he can.

"Then let's return to my tent, dear Champion." Her tone and expression were sincere, but her eyes were mocking him.

Her tent was the same as before the Fire Invasion. It was big and white, untouched by the rain of ashes unlike every other tent there. The two guards waited outside while Theo and Sara entered. They sat facing each other, separated by a small wooden table filled with paperwork.

Sara adopted a sitting position befitting a High Priestess. "So, how are your injuries?" That was the first thing she asked.

He glared. "Get to the point. You're the last person I want to meet today." There was no need for pleasantry, or fake politeness, or forced confidence with her. She knew him too well to trick her.

"Fucking hell, relax Theo. I'm not going to blackmail or threaten you again." She smirked. He couldn't read the meaning behind her word nor predict her true intention. The more he spoke with her, the scarier she became. "You have done your part of the deal so I will do mine. From now on, let's be a business partner with good relation. Just like your father before you."

"Yeah, you sent Inquisitors and Church Executors at him." It was when he was twelve and exploring the mountain in Kingdom of Mosk when a group of black robbed people attacked them. His father killed them easily and he even killed one of them, though it was far from a pleasant memory.

"That was the Bitch of The Black. I was simply bound by duty to give information regarding your father." She squinted her eyes. "Remember that he's a wanted man, who runs away with Church's artifacts ... Anyway, since you have done your job stellarly, I want to give you some ... additional rewards."

"If you want to be my woman, I pass."

Sara chuckled and the atmosphere lightened. "I'm going to give you some information. But first, let me ask you. After Eternal City, where do you planned to go?" She smiled like an innocent child.

"None of your business. Sooner or later you will know anyway."

Sara frowned. "Bitch, do you even understand what partnership is based on? Trust, motherfucker."

"You think I'm going to trust you after you threatened my women?" He would not forget, he would not forgive.

Sara sighed. "Fine. I'm sorry. You have all the right to be angry at me and all the right to distrust me. But believe me, this relation will benefit the both of us. You know I won't fake a deal and if you agree, I will let you tap into the world biggest information network. How's that?" Her smile turned wicked. Somehow Theo trusted her more with that devilish smile rather than the innocent or angelic one.

Theo pondered Sara's offer, not that he has any option though. Being Sara's partner was definitely much better than constantly being threatened by her. And of course, having access to her network of spies would help him greatly in the future.

"I don't know. I don't have any plan after Eternal City. Probably return to Aeston to get Mary, Cynthia, and Miki to move with me to Eternal City. Safer there than Aeston. Amaryn is doomed anyway, not a good place to start a family."

Sara's eyes opened wide. Her eyebrows were raised as high as the sky. She started giggling, then chuckling, and when she couldn't hold it any longer, laugh like a maniac.

"Settle down? Settle down ... HAHAHHAHAHAAHA." She laughed so hard he saw her stomach cramped. "HA ... HAHAHAHAHHA ... ahhh." She wiped tears from her eyes. "Settle down and start a family, really?"

"Not now, but eventually. Just want to have a safe place for my women. Meeting you makes me realize just how vulnerable my women really are, I can't protect them if I'm not there, and I can't be all over the Continent at once. It'd be nice to have them reside in one place, or at least in the same region."

"That got me thinking, why didn't you just do that in the first place?"

"Do you really need to ask that?"

She smirked. "Even you can't do anything about women's jealousy. Well, that's going to take a long long time considering how many women you have."

"Get to the point!"

"Well, If you have nothing else to do, I say go to Nihon. Right now it's a perfect place for you. Civil war, chaos, bloodshed, a chance to rise in power as long as you open your eyes. You know Nihon political weather right? And I reckon your harem lacks a true oriental beauty. Who knows what kind of women you get there, princess maybe ... There're also a lot of strong people there that might pique your interest."

"Such as?" Theo asked, doubting her. She was very specific to recommend Nihon. He wondered what would she get if he goes to Nihon. If there was not many for him to gain, it'd be better for him not to go.

"Mori Motonari, Dokuganryu Masamune, Oda Nobunaga, and the list goes on and on and on. There's a strange influx in the birth of talented people in Nihon in the last forty years and those people I mentioned have at least a Class 4 talent. But most interesting of all, Miyamoto Musashi, this generation Class 5 swordsman." Theo turned his head in an instant when he heard it. There was no way he wouldn't be interested. "His existence is a strange one, similar to our dear friend, Ed. A class 5 Swordsman is not supposed to be born in another sixty years or so, but there he is, wandering as a masterless warrior."

"What are you suggesting?" Theo asked. He now considered the prospect of going to Nihon more seriously, but he still had doubts regarding her intention.

"Choose a house and serve under them, help them conquer Nihon. There're already quite a lot of people who heard of your heroic deeds and swordsmanship prowess. I also include your history of leading an army. Many are interested in taking you under them. Good soldiers that are also good commanders are rare these days."

He rubbed his chin. "Strange, Nihonese are usually reserved and hostile towards foreigner ... I'll think about it." If what Sara told him was true, then Nihon would be a great place for him. Though right now, he has to find a nice home in the Holy Empire for his women.

Sara cleared her throat and picked up a paper. "So, what do you think about your new fame, o hero?"

Theo grabbed his chin. His gaze wandered around. "Not bad to be honest, not good either. There're many girls who are more than eager to 'familiarize' themselves with me, but now I have almost no peace. Whenever I go out, soldiers and adventurers gather on me like ants."

"That's to be expected. I even heard someone uttered your name as 'The Chosen One'. People begin to doubt whether The Pontiff chose the wrong person."

His gaze returned to her. "So everything went like you wanted?"

"More or less, the voice of doubt is still in the minority. We need to work harder if we want to depose the current Pontiff."

"We?" While he agreed to be her partner, getting rid of the current Pontiff wasn't in the agreements.

"Yes, we. You and me. Well, your job is only to do whatever you want and don't fuck up too hard. Not a hard job, really. Just make yourself more famous and more heroic in the eyes of the people."

Sara stood up. "Well, I have some urgent business. So may I ask you to leave?" She placed a badge on the table. It was metallic blue with round shape, making it look more like a coin than a badge. A figure of a woman in the image of the arch-angel Rafaela was carved into the badge along with lines of prayer. "If you ever need anything, come to any church and present this to the priest or priestess of Rafaela. They'll help you in some way. Just don't expect too much from the lowly clergymen."

Without a single more word, he stood up and headed for outside. His shoulder relaxed like a heavy burden was lifted.

"Theo," but Sara called him. "don't turn, just listen to me. There's something I've been wondering about. Does Mary have any exceptional talent?" Theo stayed silent. He didn't want to give her anything about Mary. "Think about this. An unrepentant mercenary who sees other as nothing more than a tool for him to use. A mass-murderer that eats his victims bone-and-all without care. And a sorceress that experimented on necromancy and forbidden arts. She turned the first one into a loving and caring boyfriend with some empathy towards those around him. She transformed the second one into an honest merchant focused on traveling around the world and collecting odd stuff. She changed the last one into a more-or-less ethical scholar and even become a candidate for the next Magic Lords of Lethrand."

Silence enveloped the tent.

They both didn't move from where they stood. Sara was maintaining her innocent angelic smile while Theo's face was gloomy.

He turned his head, "You're thinking too much." and left the tent.

Theo didn't want to admit anything in front of Sara, but he had to admit it in his heart, it was queer. It wasn't Mary alone, but also how he and other people perceived Mary. If he thinks about it now, it was so obvious, yet for some reason he never realized it before or even think about it. And he never heard of anyone talking or mentioning it before Sara.

He just hoped it was a mere coincidence, however unlikely it was. He didn't want her to be tangled in problems outside her control. He didn't want her to be involved in the complicated and cruel politics. He didn't want her to encounter the supernatural and inhuman. He wanted her to be his beacon of normality. He wanted her to be his anchor in humanity.