"You, Rudeus Greyrat, have a deal."

I didn't expect her to agree so quickly. She must have a lot to gain, and I'm sure this conversation has been playing out in her head over and over.

"I'm glad you agreed, my princess," I said, trying to keep the mood light. But then her eyes those eyes shifted to something more dangerous, more predatory.

"Oooooh~ say that again," she purred, standing up and trailing her fingers down my arm, her touch sending a jolt of nervousness through me.

I wasn't good at handling girls who moved this fast, and the way she was coming onto me had me scrambling for a way out. I backed away quickly, heading straight for Sylphie. "I need to heal Sylphie, too," I said, giving an awkward chuckle to deflect the tension.

I knelt to heal Sylphie, trying to focus, but Ariel's voice broke through again.

"You know, I'm quite intrigued by her. From what I heard, she nearly leveled an entire city block," Ariel remarked, her tone casual, but I could see the curiosity in her eyes.

"Yeah, that fireball was dangerous. With my demon eye, I could see just how much mana she packed into that attack," I said, pointing to my eye in an attempt to shift the conversation.

But I could feel Ariel's gaze on me, and I wasn't sure how much of it was professional curiosity and how much was… something else.

"Honestly, I could've pulled that off, maybe even more. I could beat Sylphie in a fight. It wouldn't be easy, but I have a wider range of spells, and if we went all out, I could end it in an instant." I spoke matter-of-factly, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Ariel wasn't taking me seriously. She stepped closer, and I couldn't quite read her intentions.

"I just don't want Sylphie in danger," I muttered, trying to keep my focus on her well-being.

Ariel's face was unreadable for a moment, but then she tilted her head, taking in the air. "You smell that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in subtle amusement.

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Oh nothing…" Ariel's lips curled into a playful smile. She giggled

"You're trying to show off in front of a fair maiden. It's quite attractive, you know. You don't have to do so much to win me over, Rudeus. You could have me right now." She said it with such ease, her eyes seductive in the dim light.

My stomach twisted. Was she really that forward? This was getting out of hand. "I think I'll pass on that offer for now," I said quickly, trying to reset the conversation. "Can we get back to business?"

Her expression shifted at once, the flirtation disappearing as she adopted a more serious stance. "Do you have a plan?" she asked, her voice now focused and sharp.

I nodded, grateful to return to the task at hand. "I do. I need you to distract the Water God somehow. You might not know this, but she's deeply in love with Darius, and she probably knows about my plans to kill him."

Ariel went quiet for a moment, processing the information.

"And why hasn't she killed you outright?" she asked, her brow furrowing in thought.

"I don't know. I was in her dojo, and she let me go… well, more like I ran off, really." I shrugged awkwardly, not wanting to dwell on that awkward escape. Ariel chuckled a little at that.

"It seems she has a reason to keep you alive," Ariel said thoughtfully. "She'll be extra cautious now. Any diversion you create will need to be very well executed."

She fell into a deep silence, thinking through the problem. After a moment, she looked back at me with a sly smile. "You're really clever," she said, her voice almost appreciative. "I think you can come up with something. But it's getting late. We have to go. I'll be back tomorrow think of a plan by then."

I hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "You can just spend the night here. I'll give Sylphie her own room, and you can sleep with me!" Ariel said, her tone upbeat and teasing.

I couldn't deal with that right now. "I think I'll pass on that," I muttered, grabbing Sylphie and running out of the room before she could say anything more.

"Wait!" Ariel's voice followed me, but I didn't stop. "Guards! Get him!"

The guards came charging after me, but I dodged them easily, using wind magic to keep them off balance. I dashed out of the palace in a way that felt almost comical, finally ducking behind a building to catch my breath.

"Finally… I got away," I muttered, letting out a sigh of relief. But then I heard the clashing of swords nearby. Curiosity piqued, I crept around the corner and saw two figures in a fierce battle. One was fiery red, the other tall and brown-haired. Their blades clashed repeatedly as they fought, each one trying to outmaneuver the other.

"Eris?" I called out, surprised.

The red-haired girl looked back at me with an annoyed grunt. "Yeah, glad to see you too," I replied sarcastically.

"Oh, Rudeus!" Ghislaine called from the other side of the yard. "What happened to Sylphie?"

"We met the Water God. We fought a North God practitioner he got burned to a crisp. We also saved Princess Ariel. She's now my ally. So nothing too major," I said nonchalantly.

Ghislaine's eye widened in shock, while Eris looked at me like I'd just discovered fire. "WHAT?! Rudeus, you went on such an exciting adventure? You should've taken me!" Eris squealed, jumping up and down in excitement.

"I really need to lie down," I sighed, already walking off. I could hear them resuming their fight behind me.

The manor was large nice, but after seeing Ariel's palace, it wasn't nearly as impressive. I wandered through its halls, navigating its twists and turns until I found an unoccupied room. Finally, I sat down, laying Sylphie on the bed.

"Sylphie, today has been crazy," I murmured, exhausted. I got no response.

I sighed, letting my back hit the mattress. Then, a thought struck me. I should wake her up.

Because I don't think she would want to lay in her own well excrements and it might make the bed smell bad.

I nudged her shoulder. "Sylphie?" No response. I shook her lightly. Still nothing. She was out cold.

I sighed again, rubbing my temple. "What has my life come to…?"

I glanced at her, suddenly realizing how this situation would look if anyone walked in. If they saw me like this—

I shook my head. No, focus. I moved my hands to the waistband of her shorts, carefully gripping them and starting to pull them down. I had only gotten halfway when she suddenly awoke.

Her eyes cracked open. We locked eyes. She glanced down at her shorts. I followed her gaze.

I opened my mouth to explain—

She screamed.

A sudden gust of wind slammed me against the wall, hard. Pain shot through my body.

"Oh, Rudy! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—" Sylphie gasped, running over.

I barely registered her words as I slid down the wall.

I must've looked like Golden Freddy.