PHASE 9 - WE WENT TO CHURCH AND SAID “I DO...ACCEPT THE QUEST”

Slash. Sidestep. Thrust. Slide.

It is a peaceful Sunday morning. Birds are chirping, the sun rays are not stinging, and the gentle breeze of the wind is calming. I went to the backyard of the house and saw the love of my life practicing his sword, swinging it over and over like a true samurai. He must have perfected a thousand swings now.

“Oh. Good morning, Tiara.” Rikkun smiled at me.

What a way to start my morning~

“Good morning, Rikkun…” I turned away to hide my blushing cheeks. “S...Say… Ummm… Let’s go to church?”

Rikkun’s emerald eyes widened. “I thought you shrine maidens have a different religion? Wouldn’t you go to hell if you visit a church?”

“Kozukata Shrine’s Shintoism recognizes other religions with respect. We can go to any churches of any religion. Besides… I think Christianism is on my blood. My mother said that my great-great-grandfather fought in the Hundred-Year Jihad of France against the Babylonians!”

“I don't think your mother passed a single history subject…” Rikkun forced a smile.

“B-But still!” I pumped my fists. “I want to have a tour in the Dradecim Cathedral! My fellow Idol Club members told me that it’s an awesome place!”

“This is not a field trip, you know…”

<>

After the Catholic mass, Rikkun toured me inside the cathedral premises. My eyes were filled with amazement when I discovered that they had a botanical garden full of colorful orchids. There’s even a mini-farm full of goats, cows, and chicken. The pastor is even kind enough to give us a box of goat cheese and a dozen of eggs.

It feels great to visit amazing places with someone you love. Especially that we’re alone and nobody is interrupting us.

The most amazing place we ever visited in this place is the abandoned church.

It sits on the center of the mini-forest and there is a dried-up wishing well in the entrance. Fall is yet to come, but there’s a lot of leaves on the trail. And the ruined church itself is pure beauty.

As we went inside the moss-filled church, a gargantuan tree gave us the definition of awesome! The tree has already outgrown the ceilings and the roof of the church so it holed itself upward in order for it to chase the sunlight. There’s a waterless pond at the very foot of the said tree.

“Fascinating. This is the first time I ever went here.” Rikkun said. “I'm happy that the pastor allowed us to enter this site. It's all because you befriended him.”

I bowed, trying to hide my blush. Being praised by the man I loved for seven million timelines will make me explode, especially that he’s petting my head right now.

“I-It’s all thanks to you, Rikkun…” My eyes locked up with his. “You taught me how to make friends…”

That’s right. Rikkun is my very first friend and he taught me how to become sociable and how to muster my courage to talk to people. On the previous timelines, he was my bridge to others because of his shameless personality.

But I think my friend-making skills now surpassed him since he’s acting rude to people every now and then.

Rikkun continues to pat my head. His gentle fingers gave me a soothing sensation as he brushed my scalp. His hand is like a head-massager that will tickle you until you unleash an orgasmic moan.

Suddenly, this master-and-dog intimate moment has been interrupted.

“Oh, you there!” A man wearing a white priest robe waved his hand at us as he approached. "You are the members of the Aether Crusade, right?”

There are cross-sigils on the priest’s eyes so we are sure that he is a Gate Guardian like us. Come to think of it, his face looks familiar. He looks like one of those Teleportation Priests during the raid at the New Order Hideout.

“Sister Amanda Cryst wanted to summon you. She said that there is a critical mission for the Aether Crusade.”

“Nice, more money!” Rikkun cried. When I gave an angry glare at him, he calmed himself down as he cleared his throat. “Ehem… Please tell us the details.”

“Let me read to you the letter she gave me.” The priest opened the white envelope and read it out loud. “Fellow Gate Guardians of the Aether Crusade Investigation Team, I have a mission for you-”

“Skip.” Rikkun outrightly cut the priest.

“The Black Cross Legion discovered that-”

“Skip.”

“Cursed Guardians are planning to-”

“Skip.”

“You are hereby summoned for further briefing-”

“Ski-pwah!!!”

I was so annoyed that I didn’t prevent my left fist to crash on his nose. “Stop treating him like an NPC in a game!”

I immediately bowed to the priest and said: “I’m sorry for his rude behavior, Father!”

It was good that the priest didn’t take it seriously. He’s even laughing.

“You should go to Myrrh City and ask Sister about the files for more details about the mission. Anyway, there’s another thing that we wanted to give you. You guys might be interested.” The priest lent out another envelope he’s holding. It turns out to be an invitation card.

It has the title of Gate Guardian Tournament. Various Gate Guardians from around the globe will take part in the event, and the grand prize is a God Core! It’s a God Core of Mars, the Roman God of War. The tournament’s purpose is to choose the best Gate Guardian suited for the God Core.

“This… This is just what we needed!” Rikkun exclaimed.

<>

We immediately rode a bus to Myrrh City, just the two of us again. Rikkun is so excited about the Gate Guardian Tournament since we can obtain a God Core.

He’s so determined to save me even though I have done a lot of terrible things to him.

When we arrived at the Black Cross Mansion, we were greeted by the butler and immediately led us to the Legionmaster’s Office. This place looks the same; wide hall with golden chandeliers and there’s a sweet red carpet on the ground. It makes me feel like dancing in here.

The only difference is that this time, there are fewer people. Maybe Gate Guardians are getting ready for the said tournament.

The head office of the Black Cross Legion is still giving the same law office vibe like before. There are bookshelves on the wall filled with hard-bound thick books which makes idiot people like me go dizzy. The office itself is silent. Only the ticking of the iron-ball pendulum of the clock makes the noise.

“Welcome, Lord Freyr. I think this is the first time I’ve summoned you since you took over the Aether Crusade Investigation Team.” Sister Amanda Cryst greeted with a smile.

“Y-Yeah. It’s a complete mystery why you didn’t appoint Kristoff Anderson as the leader of my group.”

“You already know the reason. A leader doesn’t need to be the strongest, smartest, or the fastest person in the group. A leader is a person whom his teammates trust the most. Trust is the most important aspect of a leader, and without trust, there is no loyalty. I heard that Kristoff Anderson is quite a troublesome fellow, and nobody actually trust him in your group.”

“That’s... right...” Rikkun scratched his head.

“So let’s cut to the chase.” Amanda Cryst made a single clap with a bright smile. “You are interested in the Gate Guardians Tournament, right?”

“Yes.” Rikkun didn’t match the Legionmaster’s happy expression. “Apparently, I need twelve God Cores to save the universe.”

“I suppose you had a ?” The nun’s face became serious.

"Tiara should cast the in order to save everyone. And to do that without sacrificing her own life, I need to gather twelve God Cores.”

The tension of the air around the blonde prince became different. Suddenly, Rikkun bowed, swallowing all his pride. “Your holiness… I am in great need of your God Core… Please lend me your power…”

Sister Amanda Cryst was surprised due to that revelation, but she’s more astounded when the man who is full of pride relentlessly bowed in front of her.

“I will lend you my God Core, that is certain. You don’t have to worry about it.” The nun made a slight hint of a smile. “But there is one problem about the other God Core.”

“You mean the Mars God Core?”

“Yes.” Sister Amanda frowned. “There have been reports that Cursed Guardians are planning to steal the God Core from us. That is why I summoned you here. I wanted you and the investigation team to know who these people are and what are they planning.”

<>

The briefing ended after a few minutes.

After we left the Legionmaster's Office, Rikkun grabbed my attention. There’s a hint of a smile on his face.

“Hey, Tiara. Since that we’re already here… why don’t we visit your twin?”