Chương 38: The God of Romance?

It was already past noon, though the amber glow of the underworld crystals hardly varied. The only noticeable changes came from the slight adjustments being made to the spatial barrier covering the camp. Sae was not tired, but a strange feeling had come over her and prompted her to lie down under the shade of a tree on the outskirts of the camp. This was another world. Everything was new and different. Even so, some things always stayed the same.

She was still living apart from the rest, right at the center of her civilization. Meanwhile, Osvel and Ily were still as inseparable as ever.

"In fact, they seem closer than ever now..." Sae covered her face with both hands.

"Am I a bad person for feeling this way?" Finding no answer, only the frustration swelling inside her, Sae kicked her legs in the air, trying to shake it off.

"... Is everything all right?" Sae pulled her hands away from her face, dreading the worst, and a blush flooded her cheeks when she saw that her fear had been justified.

"Lord Nereziel...!" If there had been a hole nearby, she would have loved to hide in it. The most important being any visiare had ever known had just seen her acting like a little girl.

"I-it's not what it looks like, Lord Nereziel! I was just...! I was just stretching!"

"Really? Because if you have a problem, I wouldn't mind listening." Nerez sat down beside Sae under the shade of the tree. It was not that late yet, but as had been the case all day, the amber light made it seem as though evening had already arrived.

"I don't think I should be telling you about things like this, Lord Nereziel... they're just silly problems." Lying back on the grass with his eyes closed, Nerez gave her a reassuring smile.

"That's exactly the kind of problem I don't mind getting involved in: silly ones. If we were talking about a divine war, I would've hidden very far away by now..." Although, if I'm being honest, preparing for something like that is exactly why I came to hide in the underworld in the first place.

"I think anyone would hide in the middle of a divine war, Lord Nereziel..."

"Well? I'm not always going to be willing to listen to other people's problems. This is your chance." Sae drew her knees to her chest and buried her face between them for a few moments. But when she finally raised her head, she broke the silence while her gaze drifted toward the horizon.

"I'm scared, Lord Nereziel." Nerez slowly opened his eyes. Far above, he could see the ceiling of the enormous cavern, embedded with thousands of crystals, while the mysterious underground breeze carried the scents of the valley with it.

"That's understandable. You're in a new world, and everything you knew no longer exists... But... even if your previous world is gone, fortunately all of you are safe. That's what matters most. And you don't have to worry. Avelle will make sure things stay that way."

"That isn't it, Lord Nereziel... I'm scared of what will happen to our friendship if I confess my feelings to Osvel... If Osvel rejects me, will the three of us still be able to stay friends? And if Osvel accepts my confession, what will Ily say? What does Ily feel for Osvel?" If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The more Sae spoke, the paler Nerez became.

"I see... matters of the heart... Mmm, that's not exactly my strong suit, to be honest..."

"I'm just being silly, aren't I?" Nerez swallowed, regretting the mess he had just gotten himself into. Compared to the romantic troubles of the young, maybe a divine war did not seem so terrible after all.

"No, no, not at all... If I were in your place, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night."

"Haha, I can't imagine Lord Nereziel having this kind of problem. Surely you must have many wives and a legion of friends..." Nerez looked at her as if he did not understand a single word of what he had just heard.

"The only thing I have is a semi-pet that bites the hand that feeds her... Besides, I've only had one date in my life (lives?), and let's just say it didn't go very well." Now it was Sae who looked at him as if she did not understand a single word of what she had just heard.

"How can that be possible? What happened on that date?"

"I don't remember it very well. It was too many years ago, honestly... Although I can say that, among other things, I died."

"You... died?"

"Though that was the least of my problems..." Now it was Sae's turn to go pale. For a moment, she had forgotten that she was sitting beside a god. The archon's granddaughter knew Atlenia's mythology inside and out. She knew gods experienced many things that ordinary mortals could never endure.

"I'm sorry, Lord Nereziel... I asked something I shouldn't have." Nerez sat up, scratching his head, visibly uncomfortable.

"Ah, no, don't worry. It happened far too long ago. Now I only want peace and quiet... which, apparently, is rather hard to come by. But let's leave that aside. We were talking about what was troubling you."

"What was troubling me? Compared to dying... it feels so trivial that I'm embarrassed to keep talking about it..."

"Not at all! I may not know much about the subject, but I'm sure that for young women, love really is a matter of life and death! (Or at least that's what romance novels said...)" Sae let out a small giggle, already far more relaxed than before. She had heard that looking down at the city of Atlenia from the top of its gigantic lighthouse made one's problems seem smaller. This went far beyond that.

"But Lord Nereziel, does that mean you have some advice to give me?" Nerez folded his arms, thinking it over.

"It's true that when it comes to love, I'm a beginner... but there is one thing I can say. Life is short."

"Life is short?"

"Exactly. Even for you, who can live for thousands of years, life is short. And the longer you live, the shorter it becomes."

"My grandfather says something similar..."

"Actually, it's quite interesting. If you're ten years old, ten years feels like an eternity. It's everything you've ever lived. But if you're eighty, it's only one-eighth of your life, and the years that once seemed to take forever pass before you even notice."

"I see..."

"Ahem! Sorry, I got off topic. What I meant is that if you have something to say, don't keep it to yourself. No one knows what might happen tomorrow. I can guarantee no one is going to kidnap any of you again, but Ily or someone else might confess to Osvel first. Wouldn't you regret not even trying before that happens?"

"Lord Nereziel... You're right! It's better to regret failing after trying than to fail because I never tried at all." Nerez nodded, satisfied with himself. He had survived his turn as a romance counselor without any major incidents.

"But I don't know how to get a moment alone with him... if I tell him I want to speak with him privately, it'll be too obvious to everyone."

"That's true. There are also the political implications of the visiare princess confessing her feelings. We'd need to avoid making a spectacle out of it," Nerez replied, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Osvel and Ily go hunting in the mornings, but even if I wanted to join them, the three of us would be together, and there wouldn't be a moment alone to talk to him..." Sae looked dejected. She had gathered her courage, but carrying out the plan was more complicated than it seemed.

"Maybe... I could... go with the three of you... We'd split into pairs... I can ask Ily to show me the area..." Nerez said this while regretting every word that left his mouth.

"Lord Nereziel! I don't know how to thank you!"

Cerys, though reluctantly, had stayed behind to guard the camp. Everything had gone according to plan. As soon as they entered the forest, the group of four had split up. Ily happily agreed to be Nerez's guide, though she had to compete with Osvel for the role, since he had offered as well. But although Nerez did not have much experience in love, his experience watching it from a distance over thousands of lives told him that everything had gone far too smoothly.

His intuition was proven right not long after the group had separated.

"Was I in the way, Lord Nereziel?" Ily asked while playing with a branch she had found along the path, bending it back and forth.

"In the way?" Nerez asked, letting his gaze wander.

"You know what I mean," Ily replied, turning her head and smiling mischievously.

"What happens if I like Osvel too? Aren't you going to help me as well, Lord Nereziel?"... God, why are you doing this to me? I'd love to complain like that, but I'm the only god here...