Chapter 83
"Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence"
Henry Louis Mencken
You can find Olivia reference on this story in the bonus chapter at chapter 79. The saying about the moon & the night sky on this chapter belongs to Robert Stevenson whereas the saying about casualties of war in this chapter (with some changes) belongs Alma Hromic.
I own this story and this story only, not the entire game.
The same morning Elraven picked everyone in Umbala, in Sograt Desert…
"Sssh! They might listen!" Olivia, who is seen talking with Eremes in front of her room early in the morning, "Didn't you say it supposed to be a surprise?"
"But, I'm so excited for this!" Eremes cheerfully replies, "The play in Amatsu is always a big event each year! And this year, we are invited by the authority of Amatsu!"
"So, you're going to take the children there tomorrow?"
"Yes"
"Well, then try not to tell this good news before evening. Or else, it would be surprise no more"
"Ok, I'll try!" Eremes cannot hide his happiness.
"Just leave the guild to me, OK? I'll take care of everything just like I did for the last eight months"
"No, Olivia! You're coming with us" Eremes quickly tells the black haired high priest.
"Really?"
"Yes, you've been taking a good care of the children for eight months. And the other guys also fancy your presence here, so…well…" Eremes slowly rugs the back of his head, "I think I need to repay your kindness. I mean, this won't pay you back full, but hopefully this will satisfy you"
"That's sweet. Alright, I'm in for the trip" Olivia mirthfully accepts his offer.
"Good, see you later" Eremes walks way from Olivia, but Olivia stops him.
"Wait, Eremes!"
"Yes, Olivia?"
"It's not like this is a problem, but why did you tell me first about this of all people?" An honest yet striking question pointed at the grey haired man.
"Because…" Eremes gives a bold answer while hiding his blushing face, right before he quickly disappears, "Things are funnier with you around"
And unknown to Eremes, Olivia also blushes upon hearing his answer.
And unknown to both of them, a silhouette is watching them silently from the other side of the corridor. An evil smile could be seen on the face of that person.
Life changes, and so are we. Whoever we are, the change in our life is something we cannot prevent from happening. It's just a matter of time. But that time has came for Olivia eight months ago.
Eight months ago, she was just a cheerful troublesome 19 years old high priest who wanted to be needed.
Now, Olivia is a cheerful troublesome 20 years old high priest who IS needed. Her life has drastically changed ever since Eremes brought her to Assassin Guild, both as a person and as a warrior. During her eight months tenure on the guild, Olivia has changed many things in the guild.
First, she was always straight whenever she teaches. What she feels about her student or about the subject they were studying, she will let the other know out loud. And usually the children will respond by laughing, controllably or not.
Second, her troublesome attitude makes her a legend in the guild. She isn't afraid of opposing Eremes whenever she disagrees with him, she would execute at least one prank a day. Nonetheless, the assassin crosses in the assassin guild enjoy her presence. The least of all, she made them laughs. But of course, the others also like to play jokes and prank on her.
Third, she never stops encouraging everyone to do what they like, but only in good things of course. And this one gets her to befriend almost (if not) everyone in the guild, especially the kids.
And the last but definitely not the least, she's good friend with Eremes (or maybe even more?). Well, they are quite close. Upon arriving in the assassin guild eight months ago, Olivia quickly got along well with Eremes. They didn't spend time together that much in one day, only three hours during the training, and several minutes in the morning and in the night, mainly because Eremes has had to go to Thanatos Tower pretend that he's still in Valdomir's side.
As he promised, Eremes has helped Olivia with her training to become a battle priest. Olivia is realistically weak in physics but good in holy magic. And being an assassin, Eremes sure knows how to improve her physical ability. And just like a true assassin, Eremes helped Olivia exponentially grew her power and speed, because with her healing ability, her defense is pretty much covered up.
Their training together played a major role on the development of their 'friendly' relationship.
But as you knew it, probably they got more thing or two for each other.
"Morning, Olivia!" Later that morning, three children greet the black haired high priest walking down in the corridor with some books on her hands with Dee beside her.
"Morning, lads!" Olivia happily responds, "Don't wander around too much. The class will start in 30 minutes"
"We know that, skipper!" The children say while running to the corner of the corridor.
"They probably won't make it back in 30 minutes, Olivia" Dee tells the troublesome high priest, "They're going to run to the desert till daylight just like they always do. You should have realized that, skipper"
"No sweat, having fun is also a part of education" Olivia mirthfully responds, "Hence, learning in the process"
Dee frowns before continue following Olivia, who earlier stated that she would want to go to the kitchen to check on the lunch menu.
Being their teacher (and at the same time, older sister figure) for the last 8 months, Olivia has gained an unbelievable amount of respect from the children. To the point where the children regard her as their 'skipper', despite the real skipper of the Assassin guild being Eremes (most definitely).
And among the orphaned children, of course the closest to her being the four children she mocked on their first encounter. The first one is Dee. In her eight months on the assassin guild, Dee acts like sort of her assistant. She follows her wherever Olivia goes, and lately starts sharing secrets with Olivia…although Olivia mostly tells the secret about her companions on Sagramore (i.e: George is an incurable idiot, El is the most insensitive man in Rune Midgard, Fio furiously loving El from his behind, and Felicia is a virginal yet fine young lady).
Even then, for Dee Olivia is like an older sister than a mother. At one point, Dee has expressed her wish to see Olivia's comrades someday, in order of making herself sure that such people really exist in this world (actually, they do exist).
Upon arriving on the kitchen, Olivia spots the second and the third closest children to her, Jenna and Joe, preparing some drinks and sausages for the lunch today. "Just from the smell, they seem delicious as always" Olivia praises their works.
"Want to taste some, Olivia?" Jenna offers the Prontera native some sausage.
"OK, and give some to Dee also" Olivia gladly accepts the offer and Jenna does as she requested.
"How does it taste?" Joe can't wait to see the reception.
"Wonderful! You two are finer cooks than almost anyone!" Olivia gives her honest opinion after tasting the sausage.
"Almost anyone?" Joe and Jenna look at each other, "You've seen better cook than us?"
"Slightly better, and that's only because he got more experience than you do. With little training and development, maybe you would be able to match or even surpass him"
"It's that Elraven guy, isn't it?" Jenna sounds like she wants to challenge El right away if El is there, "He likes to cook monsters as steaks, right? Do monsters taste that good?"
"Weirdly…yes"
Much like Dee, Jenna and Joe also adore Olivia's presence on the guild. Jenna has always been curious whenever Olivia mentions Elraven, cause the high priest couldn't stop calling him one of the finest cooks ever. Joe is just the same. Despite their young age, the two are the best cooks in Assassin guild. And they also fancy Olivia's stories and experiences. But, the legend of El taunts them the most. They strive to become better and better after hearing her story about el's monsters steaks. Maybe someday, we will see the showdown to determine, who is the best cook in Rune Midgard?
Indirectly, Olivia helped them improving.
"OK, see you on class in 30 minutes! Bye, lads!" The high priest goes back to the corridor with Dee.
"Olivia, can I ask you something?" One thing tickles the curiosity of Dee.
"Hm?"
And then, Dee lets out a startling question, "Is it true that you're in love with Lord Eremes?"
"What?!" An utter shock and disbelieve from the high priest, "What makes you say that?!"
"It's the hottest gossip in the guild; skipper" Dee innocently explains, "I mean, every day since your first coming in here, you and Lord Eremes have been having some trainings for three hours on the afternoon near the river"
"Yes! But he has been training me in order to make me a battle priest!" Olivia starts to blush, "That's the part of our deal when he brought me to this guild in the first place"
"Sorry if I offended you, Olivia. But…" Dee gleefully grins, "If you and Lord Eremes really don't have any relationship, you shouldn't be blushing, should you, skipper?"
"Uh, that's…" The skipper is in lost words, "That's…uh…because it's hot outside!"
"Wrong! That's because our skipper actually loves Lord Eremes, but she doesn't want to admit it" Billy shows up from Olivia's behind, "That's why she is blushing, Dee"
"Billy, don't say that! I'm not in love with Eremes!" Olivia defends herself in a wrong way.
"Eremes? That's how you call Lord Eremes right now?" Billy happily corners the troublesome black haired girl, "So, that's how adults call each other to express their love"
And that is the last straw. Enraged, Olivia uses her authority to shut Billy up, "OK, that's it, lad! You'll have to do your homework five times as punishment!
"Ow, skipper, you're no fun!" Billy protests, "Just admit it, you love Lord Eremes!"
"Six times, Billy!"
"OK, OK! I'm sorry, alright?!" The young boy is finally defeated, "Geez, so much for avoiding the truth…"
Olivia huffs and leaves the corridor with Dee following after pitying Billy. Despite their weird first encounter (Olivia practically burned the whole guild down), Billy enjoys to tease the troublesome high priest.
"Geez, this is because of you, Dee!" Olivia, preparing some teaching materials on her desk, blames Dee for the earlier little ruckus.
"Why blame me, skipper? Almost everyone in here knows about that gossip" Dee rolls her eyes, "Or, is that a gossip?"
"Listen, Dee! I'm very grateful for his lo…I mean, Eremes bringing me to this guild. I have always wanted to be needed and he literally granted me my dearest wish. I have never felt this good my whole life. And he also helped me becoming a battle priest, but that is it! We got no personal relationship or whatsoever, alright?" Olivia straightens her point, but that only brings more trouble, "We're professionals!"
"Really, skipper? After eight months of getting along well with each other, you didn't develop feelings for him at all?" The mischievous young girl strikes back, "Don't lie to me, Olivia. Because I know Lord Eremes loves you"
"What?" Olivia slowly mumbles in disbelieves, her face is red to her ears, "For…real?"
"According to the gossip, yes"
"Ow, heck! I should have known you were trying to trick me, Dee! That's it! Call the others now! The class is starting!" Olivia feels disappointed after the trickery, but doesn't that tell us the gossip isn't just a mere gossip at all, then?
It doesn't take long for the children to gather in the class and Olivia starts today's lesson, "OK, lads. We'll learn something about love today. Open your bible at 1 Corinthians 13:4-13"
Dee and Billy giggle seeing Olivia wants to teach them about love, they are sure this is because she is in love with Eremes. Nonetheless, they pay attention to the troublesome high priest when she recites,
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. . .and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love"
"So, we must embrace love in our hearts and share it with others" Olivia finishes, "Is there any question, lads?"
Jenna raises her hand.
"Yes, Jenna?"
"Skipper" The girls asks, "Why do you want to tell us about love all of a sudden?"
"Huh?" Olivia doesn't get her point, "Is it something weird? If my memory serves me right, I gave you three lessons about love before this one. From Proverb, John, and Leviticus"
"It's not that it is something weird, skipper" Jenna tries to hold herself from chuckling, "But, the three you taught us was long ago, around five months ago. Whereas this one, you taught us right after the news of Lord Eremes planning to propose to you went all over the guild"
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" Olivia drops her jaw as she learned the shocking truth, "Who told you that?!"
"So, it's actually true?"
"No, it's not! Eremes isn't going to propose to me! Why would he do that?"
Dee: Because he loves you.
Joe: Because he wants you to be his.
Billy: Because he wants you to bear his children.
Jenna: Because he wants to spend the rest of his life loving you.
The whole blood inside Olivia goes to her face, making it visibly red to everyone attending, "That's just a gossip! I'm not in love with Eremes!"
"So, you hate him?" Joe takes the lead to question the high priest.
"No!"
"So, you don't like him but you don't hate him?"
"It's not like that!" Olivia tries to regain control of the situation, "I consider him as a good friend of mine, that's all!"
"OK, let's pretend if he does propose to you" Billy seizes the perfect chance to make Olivia confess, "Will you accept?"
"Uh…that's…" Olivia, the troublesome high priest who brings trouble to others, is now in a lost word. Moreover after the children goes bananas,
"Just accept him, skipper!"
"Yeah, he's good for you!"
"And you're good for him!"
"Olivia, your face is blushing madly!"
"Yeah, we want to see some babies in here!"
"Love is in the air!"
"Quieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!" The high priest finally loses her patience and screams, silencing all the children in the room, "Quiet! Quiet! Quiet! Quiet!"
For a moment, no one makes any kind of sound in the classroom. No one dares to say anything anymore seeing Olivia finally exploded.
"Let me clarify this, listen well and listen carefully" Olivia slowly says in a very serious tone, "There is nothing going on between me and Eremes. I'm grateful because he brought me here and made me feel needed like never before, but that is it. Anyone dares to question me about this again; I swear your days are numbered. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, mam" The children answer in unison.
"Good, then let's continue our lesson today" Olivia sighs and continues the lesson.
When Olivia is giving the kids another lesson from the bible to the kids, Eremes is quietly peeking from outside the door, "Damn, I wonder who spread the gossip in the first place! Olivia seems troubled because of this. And just this morning, I got at least half the guild asked me when I will marry her!"
"Are you peeking on her again, Eremes?" Ann, with Kid accompanying her, surprises the leader of Assassin Guild from behind.
"I'm not peeking on her! And, what are you two guys doing here?!" Eremes tries not to take the bait.
"We're watching you who are peeking at Olivia, you dig?" Kid answers with his usual 'you dig?' quote.
"Oh, it must be that ungrateful gossip, correct?" Eremes quickly realizes the very reason his two childhood friends surprising him in the first place, "If I ever find out who started it, then I'll shove my Double Beholder Jur to that sorry ass' throat before slicing him to death!"
"Calm down, Eremes. You don't have to be that mad if the gossip isn't true….right?" Ann smirks, "So, you're in love with Olivia after all?"
"No!"
"Your blushing face tells otherwise"
"I'm not blushing!" Eremes quickly tries to cover his red face, "This is just because…it's hot outside!"
"Yeah, right. That is so reasonable" A sarcastic reply from Ann, "After twenty one years living in the Sograt Desert you finally realized it's hot outside?"
"Oh, shut up!" Eremes vanishes with his unbelievable speed, leaving Ann and Kid staring at the empty corridor.
"We will have to find out the real truth between their possible relationships, you dig?"
"Quiet, you"
The two don't manage to discover Eremes till lunch. During lunch, Olivia helps Joe and Jenna distributes the sausage and drinks to the whole guild. And the guild members thank them properly by murmuring among themselves,
"The sausage today is very delicious"
"That's because Joe and Jenna are great cooks!"
"But, Olivia stories encouraged them to improve, right?"
"Yeah, ever since her coming here, she has made things better"
"I second that. The children are now happier than ever!"
"Because Olivia has always been playful with the kids, although I heard she was rather gloomy on the class this morning"
"Is it because her relationship with Lord Eremes has been exposed?"
"Perhaps, but then again, it's just a mere gossip"
"A mere gossip?! Don't you see how the two look at each other?! They are practically in love"
"Shussh! Here they come, here they come!"
Eremes and Olivia could be seen walking together with their lunch on their hand, trying to find an empty table to eat properly. "Hey, the one over there is empty" Olivia points out to one table and they sit there. Both lovers…I mean friends dare not to look or talk to each other. They could easily tell all eyes in the guild are on them.
But, they know. By keeping their mouth shut they would actually prove the guild that the gossip is true. So, Eremes thinks he needs to break this weird silence.
"The sausage is really delicious today" Eremes, starting the conversation, praises the food.
"You should thank Joe and Jenna for that later" Olivia smiles and tells him.
"Yes, and I should thank you too. Your story about a relentless gunslinger who cooks monster inspired them to become better cooks, although I find it funny"
"Ow, you flatter me" Olivia is being down to earth, "Anyway, you're not going to Valdomir today?"
"No. The Thanatos tower has been weirdly quiet. It seems that Beelzephir and his fellows are working on something secret"
"That's disturbing"
"Agree" At that moment, a little thought knocks Eremes head, "By the way, when are you planning to go back to Sagramore?"
"Eh?" Olivia realizes she hasn't been thinking of that for awhile now, "Well, I don't know. I enjoy living here. The assassin crosses are kind to me, the kids accept me well, all I ever want is to be needed, and I got that feeling here"
"What about your family and comrades? They must have been worrying about you" Eremes speaks his concern, which is true.
"You're right; I cannot argue a single word. But…" The conversation is getting more serious here, "I don't know…if I come back to Sagramore, would I still feel needed by others? Compared to my comrades, I'm weak in comparison. All I did was just fooling around or consistently failing the mission they gave to me. I feel worthier here"
Eremes doesn't give a direct reply. Instead, he looks quietly to the high priest. Olivia noticed the gaze, but she doesn't do anything to stop him doing so. She knows what she just said was rather displeasing.
"Olivia" Eremes stands up and tells her before taking his leave, "Meet me in the usual training spot in fifteen minutes. You need to take a lesson, maybe a last one"
Eremes' request surprises the troublesome high priest, "Is he mad at me? Is it because of what I just said?"
The others attending the lunch can do nothing but quietly look at the father and mother figure of the guild.
Nonetheless, Olivia takes the preparation she needs. Eight months ago, when they first began their training, the black haired girl received a priceless weapon from Eremes, in the form of Angra Manyu, a hammer in the shape of Holly Cross which is said to be the real Holy Cross. It has become her choice of weapon whenever she got to train. Eremes told her that his father stole it from Prontera Monks during their feud years ago.
The whole guild entrust Joe, Jenna, Dee, Billy, Kid, and Ann to watch things over for them. Because the way Eremes talked just a moment ago was quite surprising for someone who is usually cheerful like him. This is going to be serious.
Encountering Eremes near the river who is ready with his treasured Double Beholder Jur; Olivia casts her attention to his eyes, trying to make herself sure that Eremes is serious.
"It seems that you are finally ready, huh?" Eremes shows Olivia a dozen dead branches, "It's about time"
Frankly, Olivia doesn't get his point, "What are you talking about? Are you mad at me?"
"Figure that out by yourself" Eremes coldly responds, "Don't you always want to prove yourself on the big stage? Right, Olivia?"
"Eremes, I'm being serious here!" Olivia starts to feel annoyed, "What is it with you?!"
"What is it with me?! What is with you, Olivia?!" Eremes silences the high priest with his cruel reply.
Not very far from there under, the party of kids and two assassin crosses are silently watching, but still murmuring things.
Joe: Are they going to break up?
Dee: Impossible. They're not even a couple.
Jenna: Like anyone would believe that.
Billy: Here's what the adults call as a…grown up things.
Ann: Where did you hear that from, Billy?
Kid: Me, you dig?
"You have improved your ability, but you have never been on a real fight these eight months" We're back to the squared circle with Eremes continue burning Olivia, "If you want to prove yourself that much, then I'll help you as your mentor"
"This is getting nowhe…" Olivia is stopped by the sudden blow from Eremes, forcing her to defend herself using the holy cross.
"Nice" Eremes pulls himself only to rampage using the sonic blow, "So, try this!"
The assassin cross unloading as he rampages on Olivia, but showing her improvement, Olivia dodges every attack Eremes throws, much to the surprise of the viewers who are left gasping; although Eremes doesn't seem surprised. "Not bad!" Eremes reappears behind the high priest and throws another Sonic Blows from her behind.
Unknown to Eremes, the high priest used the interval between his reappearance to cast an agi up to herself before retaliating by blocking the assassin cross' jur attacks, every single attack Eremes throws at her. And the agi up wasn't for nothing; the moment she defends against all the slashes Eremes is throwing her, the high priest casts an Impositio Manus to the assassin cross, lowering his attacking rate.
Knowing the effect of Impositio Manus, Eremes quickly retreats back for his own safety. Unluckily for him, he doesn't know Olivia already casted a teleportation spell on herself. He cannot contain his surprise when Olivia appears behind him.
Concentrating her power on her arms, Olivia pummels one powerful blow to Eremes. Regardless the fact that Eremes successfully block the attack using his double jur, the impact almost sends Eremes flying back almost twenty feet away, indicating how powerful the single blow is. "Ow, that hurts…" Eremes murmurs because his arms are in so much pain.
Ann: Impossible! She fights on par with Eremes!
Dee: Wow, who would have thought that Olivia is that strong?
Joe: Her troublesome nature pretty much concealed that fact, I think.
Despite the truth that she did a wonderful job retaliating, Olivia can't help but ask, "Why did you attack me all of a sudden?"
"If you can hit me once…" Eremes prepares to throw the dead branches, "I'll let you know"
"Fine!" Olivia answers as she prepares a stance to continue the fight. Eremes throws all the dead branches and summons twelve bloody knights to the desert. Olivia fearlessly face them all by casting heal in all of them. The holy spell travels among the horde of the demon monsters and paralyzed them all.
But, so much for stopping all of them easily, three dozens Abysmal Knights appear in the place of the bloody knights and gang up on the troublesome high priest, the bloody knights must have summoned them to replace themselves if something were to happen. And it is most likely that Eremes is behind this plan.
Four knights strikes their swords to Olivia, but the high priest swiftly doges their attacks and counters with her heal spell, not instantly eliminating them but effectively paralyzed them for a moment. More Abyss Knights wastefully try to attack her, but all she does is dodging their attacks while paralyzing their movement by casting the healing spell.
Noticing that Olivia is definitely planning something, Eremes tries to upset her by joining the battle and deals a sonic blow on her, forcing Olivia to stop attacking with heal and blocking the dangerous blows from the leader of assassin guild.
Kid: Eremes is really serious on trying to kill her, you dig?
All: Shut up!
Despite being on the tumult of barraging attack by the relentless Eremes, Olivia takes a quick glance at the bloody knights and caught them slowly regaining their composure. This battle would result on her defeat if she doesn't do something to stop both Eremes and the knights right now, but forty nine men against one woman aren't fair, really. "Can't play with you any longer!" Olivia forces Eremes to stop throwing sonic blow by smashing the holy cross to the jur. Afterwards, she quickly runs from the crowds of demon knights.
"Get her!" Eremes orders the knights and they do so, chasing the high priest who is planning something, "What is she up to?!"
Much to the assassin cross' shock, Olivia suddenly jumps back among the crowds before the knights can execute something to prevent her, and now Eremes finally finds out what her plan is. From the spot where Olivia jumped, he spots a blue gemstone. From the spot where she was attacking the knights with healing spell, he finds two blue gemstones . And from the point where he was trying to corner her, he finds one blue gemstone.
"Could it be? She is trying to?!" Eremes widened his eyes the second he sees Olivia, smiling, already chanting the spell of Magnus Exorcimus.
CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANK!
The blinding holy light shines throughout the desert and dissipates the entire demon knights in less than five seconds, leaving Olivia and Eremes only. Eremes is still gasping in shock.
"How's that?" Olivia asks with a proud smile.
Dee: Wonderful! Olivia is so great!
Jenna: Couldn't have said it better, really...
Joe: Awesome!
Billy: That's why she is our skipper!
Ann: Olivia just pawned the whole crowds!
Kid: The look of Eremes' face is priceless, you dig?
Not wasting the momentum she gained, Olivia dashes and maims her Angra Manyu right to where Eremes is supposed to stand; however, being the finer combatant, Eremes regains his concentration and easily dodges the blow. What he didn't expect to happen is, the sand spurts everywhere due to the insane power of the attack and that hinders Eremes from seeing.
"Is she trying to?!" Eremes quickly turns his back because he is sure Olivia would attack from behind again, but he got it wrong.
"Got you!" Olivia pops out from under the sand right in front of Eremes and furiously strike another powerful blow to him. This was her plan all along.
"Good, but not good enough" Eremes smirks as he suddenly appears from Olivia's behind, "It seems that you forgot I'm faster than you are, eh?"
Eremes attacks with a powerful slash, much to the surprise of others who are watching.
Billy: He means it?! He's going to kill Olivia?!
Jenna: Olivia, watch out!
The sound of the double beholder jur hitting something loudly resounds on the hot desert of Morroc. The kids and the other two assassin crosses are expecting to see Olivia's head falls to the sand, but they are wrong.
"Unpredictable..." Eremes says, the combination of both surprise and compliment comes from his mouth, as he sees both his jur stopped right before they hit Olivia's neck, "Pneuma, the invisible holy wall"
"It seems that you forgot I'm a troublesome high priest who brings trouble to others, eh?" Olivia smiles as she knocks Eremes down to the sand with a powerful blow from her Angra Manyu, sealing the deal and the victory.
DUAGH!
All but Kid: Yeaaaah! Olivia won! Way to go, skipper!
"Ouch! That hurts!" Eremes rubs his stomach that just got beaten, "Do you want to kill me?!"
"Well, that serves your butt right, jerk!" Olivia steams, "You were the one who tried to kill me in the first place, and don't you sound like a sissy! Your spell of Dionysus is going to heal you sooner than later!"
"Kill you?! Come on, you know I wasn't serious!" Eremes slowly stands, "I knew you could handle my entire test, that's why I threw them at you! I could never kill you!"
"Test?! You nearly cut my head off and you try to tell me that was all a test?!" Olivia cannot believe his reason, "Test of what?!"
"Of what you are truly capable of doing" Eremes looks at Olivia in the eyes, startling her for a second, "You see, I was disappointed in you when you underestimated yourself back there in the guild"
Olivia remembers how she said she is probably just a nuisance for her comrades all her life, even now.
"I dislike the fact that you were still unsure of your own power, so I took it seriously today, and look at you now" Eremes praises Olivia's job, "You pawned me after you owned forty nine high class demon knights in style. What does that tell you, Olivia?"
"I have...improved?"
"Even a blind man could see that" Eremes approaches her and pats her shoulder, "You're strong now, stronger than you have ever been. It is true, we need you here, and we will always need you. But it is also true, that you have the rights to return to where you belong and show them, how much of a warrior you are now. You're useless no longer. If I ever heard anyone call you useless or weak after all you've been through, I will slit their throats right away. Believe in me, because I believe in you. Got me?"
Olivia looks at the assassin cross with very thankful eyes. All her life, she must have wanted someone to tell her how meaningful she is or how strong she is, and Eremes is the first one to do so. What Felicia told her was true, out there somewhere, someone must need her, the people who are destined for her.
"Eremes...I..." Olivia slowly moves closer to the assassin cross' face, either so she can see his eyes directly or...
Too bad, the atmosphere is soon destroyed by Kid who shouts, "Just kiss him already! You dig?!"
"What?!" Olivia and Eremes both shouts in unison, much to their surprise, "Who's that?!"
Ann: Kid, you idiot!
Dee: Ow, they were about to kiss!
Joe: Tsk, and it's a damn good chance to prove that the gossip is true!
Jenna: It IS true! Don't you see the look on their eyes?!
Billy: How about we ask them to kiss right now? At least the atmosphere is still here, right?
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?!" Olivia yells at them, "No one is going to kiss him!"
"Excuse me?!" Eremes sounds offended, "It's not like anyone would want to kiss you, OK?"
"Oh, yeah?!"
"Yeah!"
"Oh, yeah?!"
"Yeah!"
"Oh, yeah?!"
"Yeah!"
"Um, what are they two doing?" Dee seems confused seeing the two supposed lovers yelling at each other with the same words all over again.
"Well" Kid slowly tells her, "All about love is a mystery, you dig?"
That night, the guild throws a little party celebrating Olivia's improvement and their trip to Amatsu tomorrow. The eight months of training has made her a formidable warrior, at least she is able to engage in a fight better than ever.
Olivia celebrates mostly with the four closest children to her. "So, you don't love Lord Eremes at all, skipper?" Dee, enjoying her pancake, innocently asks the black haired woman.
"Jesus, you're still asking about that?" Is the only reply Olivia gives her.
"Come on, skipper! Just admit it, you two were about to kiss this afternoon!" Billy ticks Olivia with a sensitive subject which happened earlier today.
"No, we were not! Stop saying things like that!" The high priest, nonetheless, remains with her attitude on not letting anyone knows what she truly feels.
"Yeah, and pigs fly" Jenna cynically tells her, "It seems that Juliet doesn't love Romeo any longer, guys"
"What-e-ver!" Olivia replies right in front of Jenna's face.
"By the way, Juliet" Joe informs everyone attending, "Romeo is heading for the rooftop"
Olivia and the kids quietly see Eremes walking towards the rooftop.
"So?" Dee looks at Olivia.
But, Olivia isn't on the same page with her, "So? So what?"
"Are you going to go after him or not, Olivia?"
"No"
"Why?"
"Cause I see no need to do so, Dee"
The kids stop asking Olivia about Eremes afterwards. When Olivia quietly leaves them to grab some cake, they start their secret meeting.
Dee: She lied to us. I saw her and Lord Eremes blushing this morning in front of her room.
Joe: Blushing?! Were they making love?!
Dee: No! Lord Eremes was telling her about our trip to Amatsu!
Billy: They aren't honest to themselves. When I spread this gossip a month ago, I think I might help them developing their relationship, but…oh, well…
Jenna: Guys, look! Olivia is heading to the rooftop!
The other three witness Olivia quietly heading to the rooftop when no one actually notice, no one but them.
Joe: Shall we go upstairs?!
Dee: No, let them enjoy their own private time.
Billy: Agree, the least of all my gossip isn't for nothing after all!
Jenna: So…what do we do now?
Dee: How about enjoying some cakes?
Joe: While Romeo and Juliet are enjoying each other?
Dee: Yes
Billy: Fair enough. Let's grab ourselves some cake, then!
When everyone else is busy enjoying their time, Eremes is quietly sitting on top of the guild. He is watching the waking moon reigning on the cold dark sky.
"What are you doing here?" Olivia shows up from behind, fairly surprising him.
"Oh, nothing. I was just enjoying the scenery" Eremes quickly puts his attention back to the sky, "It's rather calm in here. I don't know why but tonight I want to spend my time watching the quiet sky"
"You know, my sister and I used to do the same thing when we first evacuated to Gonryun" Olivia sits beside him and looks at the sky just like he did, "We used to watch the sky together at night when we couldn't sleep"
"Why?"
"It calmed us down. It was horrible, you know…" Olivia recalls some unpleasant memories and tells them to the assassin cross, "The peaceful times in your life, the happy days you got with your family and friends…vanished in matter of days because someone waged war upon us. And suddenly, you were trapped in a world where killing the innocents to reign is something normal. Truthfully, everyone survived was afraid by that time, me included. It's as if, no one believed peace would ever live on those peaceful days any longer"
Eremes silently looks at Olivia. He knows Olivia is one of the survivors of what happened to Prontera, but he never knew she experienced such pain on her life. Maybe her cheerful and troublesome manners have covered all that in the surface.
"During the first nights in Gonryun, I couldn't sleep at all. I trembled in fear because I was afraid Valdomir would attack at night and kill me and my family while we were sleeping" Olivia carries her story on, "But, Felicia…one night, she came to my room and found me still awake. She took me to the rooftop and told me to gaze at the night sky. At first, I didn't know why so I did as I was told. And then, she asked me if I was afraid. I said yes, and she admitted that she was also afraid, but what difference does fear make? She told me,
"Would our live be better if we confiscated our hopes and lived in fear? Look at the night sky, Olivia. It has moon and stars hide underneath it in the afternoon, right? The moon has a face like the clock in the hall; she shines on thieves on the garden wall, on streets and fields and harbor quays, and birdies asleep in the forks of the trees. The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse, The howling dog by the door of the house, The bat that lies in bed at noon, All love to be out by the light of the moon. But all of the things that belong to the day Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way; and flowers and children close their eyes. Till up in the morning the sun shall rise"
"Enchanting" Eremes responds to the sayings Olivia told him, "What was your sister trying to say?"
"She was trying to say, that no matter how hard our live is, how painful our times would be, hope is there as long as we believe, because after the moon hides her face all night long, the sun will rise again. No matter how dark our live is, someday, those peaceful days, those happy times, we will meet them again" Olivia explains with a smile on her face, a delightful smile, "We vowed to live to see and enjoy those days one more time, for the rest of our lives. So, to remind us of our own vow, we watched the night sky together whenever we couldn't sleep. And I guess…it was her calming figure, which made me look up to her even until now"
"Why is that?"
"Because, we are so different. We supposed to be sisters, but she's a fine woman whereas I'm a troublemaker. She's mature whereas I'm childish. And…almost everyone needs her whereas I longed to be needed" Olivia chuckles remembering the good old days, "I have always wanted to prove myself to everyone, especially to her, that I can be someone my friends and families are proud of, someone that she can be proud of. Someone they need and someone she needs. But, I guess those days have ended when you brought me here. And I must thank you for that"
"No need to thank me" Eremes jabs at her shoulder, "It is I who should be thanking you. Because of you, things have been funnier here. The kids are happier than ever. The guild is more cheerful than ever. You have made so much difference in here. I'm grateful for you being here"
"So, I guess we are grateful for each other, eh?" Olivia giggles, but the scene of Eremes quietly looking at her catches her attention, "What's wrong? Is my face that enchanting?"
"Tell me, Olivia" Eremes puts a serious tone when he asks this one, "If…you can meet Sagramore again and win this war, will you ever come back here?"
The question rings something inside Olivia. She realizes that at the moment, she loves the Assassin Guild and Sagramore at the same time. And she finds it hard to choose with whom she will spend her days with. Eremes question successfully makes her think. And Eremes, realizing his question makes Olivia concerns, quickly apologizes, "Forget about what I asked. I'm sorry"
"No, you're right" Olivia however disagrees with him, "I love both this guild and Sagramore, and there's no way I can ever choose"
"Oh, I see" Eremes puts a sad smile, "That's alright, I understand"
"But at the same time, there's no way I can ever leave one of you" Olivia, giving Eremes some hope, cheerfully tells him, "So yes, when we finally win this war, I'll live with both this guild and Sagramore in turns. After all, I'm attached to this place…that much would do, right?"
"Right, that would" Eremes sounds really glad of her answer, "Thank you"
"No worries, after all, this is the place where I first felt of being needed, and hopefully it will continue like that" Olivia sincerely responds as she quietly moves closer to Eremes, "And…it was you who made all of this happen"
"Me?"
"If you have never brought me here, introduced me to the guild, and trained me to become a battle priest, then right now I will still be longing to be needed" Olivia stops moving as her face and his are close enough for them to look deeply at each other's eyes, "Thanks to you, my life has changed. You have granted me my dearest wish, Eremes. And I think…no matter how grateful you are of me being here, I will never be able to repay you back for making my dream came true…ever"
It is unique how one simple act from a man would leave an inerasable mark in the heart of a maiden. Eremes has never thought that any of his simple doings would be remembered forever, at least by one person.
The grey haired assassin cross braves himself to give the high priest a respond, a sincere and honest one, "You don't need to repay me with anything. Just…stand by my side. Stand by me. Don't ever leave me alone. That's more than enough"
"Then, I will" Under the waking moon, witnessed by the starry yet silent sea of darkness above them as if the clouds are soundlessly walking in the air, Olivia places her lips on Eremes', giving him a soft tender kiss which he returned. And that is how they share the feelings they have grown for each other.
Beneath the veil of earth, a wonderful feeling blossomed inside the heart of the two.
Finally, we are on for the hottest gossip in Sograt Desert (no pun intended). 'Olivia loves Lord Eremes and vice versa' has been the most talked topic in the guild for the last one month. The truth of this gossip is unknown, but rest assured this gossip will not cease until the truth is known….at least in this story, that is.
But, the others see a different story from the two. Whenever Olivia and Eremes meet and get some time for themselves, they shine more than the others. It is crystal clear that Olivia is really grateful for Eremes brought her to the guild. Unknown to her, Eremes also feels the same way. He is grateful for her being there, because of her, the guild has become happier, especially the children.
But then again, it's up for you to decide whether they are really in love or not. My personal opinion? The kiss says it all.
Oh, by the way, their trip to Amatsu tomorrow would be unforgettable!
At the same night, in Endless Tower, somewhere near the tower's entrance…
A flag in conquered soil planted; people leaving, streaming from ancient homes with nothing but a blanket-wrapped bundle and a baby in their arms. Holes dug by mines and shrapnel beside the crawling roads. Survivors with tear tracks like caterpillar tank trails through the grime on their face trudge with their heads well down.
A passing reporter hung with cables
thrusts a microphone into faces like a hand-grenade
and gets answered in silence, with wounded eyes,
and turns away, and starts single-handedly turning the tables,
spouting a package of well-rehearsed, convenient lies.
Histories are written by the victorious. But graves fit equally well, the men who died
for either side; the same half open eyes gaze blankly from the far side of Hell, blood of the same color different uniforms stains, beneath almost childish fair hair, reddish gray blood and brains. All the dead are just dead. Not glorious.
Under the cold breeze of the lightless quiet night, Naght Sieger is standing on his knees. The dead body of a little girl could be seen he holding on his embrace. His Twin Edge coldly lie on both his sides, having been thrust to the ground by himself awhile ago. The smell of decayed figures starts arising around him. And then the sight of dead bodies scattered everywhere around him emerge above his vision. "WHY?" He asks to the night.
The figure of a woman on her mid-20 with a high priest uniform is seen standing soundless behind the herculean demon. "Lord Sieger" She says while slowly putting her hands on his shoulders, "I beg of you, get a hold of yourself"
"TELL ME, ISABEL" The Lord of Night calls the woman behind him, "WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?"
"Please don't blame yourself! You've done nothing wrong!" The woman named Isabel tries to comfort him, "This is none of your fault!"
"THEN, WHOSE FAULT IS THIS?" Naght Sieger silences the high priest, "THEIR FAULT? OR MAYBE GOD'S FAULT?"
Isabel doesn't know how to reply. All her life, never before she witnessed the fatherly figure before her feeling so upset like this.
"SINCE WHEN MY CHILDREN START KILLING EACH OTHER? SINCE WHEN MY KIDS START HATING ME SO MUCH?" The once known as Gaeris Adler continues questioning no one, "WEREN'T WE SUPPOSED TO BE FAMILY? ARE WE FAMILY NO LONGER?"
"We're still a family! They are still our family! It's just…" Isabel loudly tells the demon, "They…have taken the wrong path…"
"THE WRONG PATH…" Naght Sieger repeats after her, "THAT MUST BE THE VERY PATH THAT BROUGHT OUR FAMILY TO OUR DEMISE. AM I RIGHT, ISABEL?"
For the second time tonight, Isabel is silenced by the swordsman; knowing that the pain on his heart is too deep now.
"WE USED TO LAUGH TOGETHER, ENJOY OUR TIMES TOGETHER, AND LOVE OUR MOMENTS TOGETHER. BUT I GUESS…NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE TREASURE OUR TOGETHERNESS, NOTHING LASTS FOREVER IN THIS SHORT LIFE" Naght Sieger casts his stare to the silent veil of earth, "THEY WERE ONCE THE CHILDREN I LOVED. I TREASURED THEIR LIVES MORE THAN I TREASURED MY OWN. I WOULD HAVE GIVEN THIS PATHETIC BEING OF MINE FOR YOUR HAPPINESS, BUT I GUESS MY SACRIFICE AND OUR HAPPINESS MEANT NOTHING AT ALL. OUR FAMILY…US, HAVE BEEN DESTROYED BY SOMETHING WE CALLED JEALOUSY. THE VERY SAME THING WHICH TURNED ME INTO WHAT I AM NOW"
All of a sudden, Isabel starts shivering. She realizes the atmosphere around here just changed a second ago. And this atmosphere, she dislikes it. It's as if something worse than just what happened, which is seeing his brothers and sisters killed each other, will befall upon the Endless Tower.
"SO, IT IS TRUE, THAT HOPE AND FORGIVENESS NO LONGER REMAIN IN THIS HEARTLESS WORLD. FINE, IF THERE IS NOTHING I COULD DO TO ATONE MY SIN, IF MY LOVE IS NOTHING BUT VAIN, THEN A DEMON I WILL BE, JUST LIKE HOW I LOOK" Naght Sieger gently puts the girls' body to the ground before furiously pulling out both his swords from beside him, shaking the ground and everything lies above it with his indomitable anger, "IF DEATH AND HELL ARE THE ONLY TWO THINGS AWAIT FOR ME AND MY FAMILY, THEN I WILL TAKE THE HONOR TO BRING DEATH AND HELL UPON THIS ISLAND. COME TO ME, FOR I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!"
The sound of a behemoth stature wailing his vow loudly to the sky trembles the whole island. Isabel can only witness in fear as the fatherly figure before her eyes turned into a heartless demon. He was upset because what he did went absurd. He fell into sadness seeing his children killed each other, wasting the precious lives he had treasured. He became deranged upon the fact that no hope and forgiveness await for him after all he has been through, only death and hell he thinks.
Gaeris Adler was once knows as demon only in appearance. His heart used to be gentler and loving than anyone in Rune Midgard. But tonight, at the same time with him letting everyone knows his anger and sadness…that gentle and loving man lost his heart, and he completely became a demon.
The next chapter is about family reunion. C u next chappy (^^)!