~ Chapter 35: Can I sacrifice...? ~

[Alkelios’ point of view]

 Marook was an interesting city filled with all sorts of people and even a small lake within its enclosed walls. When we first arrived here, I had no idea something like this even existed. I got to find out about it the other day when we were out shopping for supplies. My brain thought it would be a good idea to slap Seryanna’s behind. Her punch to my face begged to differ... The view from the sky was quite nice though, and I learned that I could withstand superhuman level damage. I landed right in the middle of the lake, scaring a couple of birds and two lovers who were kissing in a boat.

Later that evening, I was being glared at by the redhead dragoness, but by the end of the day, she calmed down and allowed me to embrace her again. That was a lesson I would soon not forget.

The following day, I woke up early in the morning and received a sword fighting lesson from Kataryna. She was also quite eager to poke me around with the tip of her sword, which I had decided to call: Tickling Inferno. Least to be said, that I was unable to land even a single blow on the silver-scaled dragoness. She was far too agile and strong, but most importantly, I lacked the skill in properly controlling my enhanced body. Without relying on any of my abilities, skills, or boosts, I felt sluggish and very clumsy, but I was improving. So that was a good thing.

Then, after we had lunch, we gathered our stuff and left the inn. It was about time we left Marook and headed towards the next town. The Khosinni were already prepared by Seryanna beforehand, so all we had to do was mount them and be on our way. As usual, I used the same one as my girlfriend.

About five minutes after we left Marook, I asked them: “So we’re headed to Toros, right? Anything I should know about this place?”

“Hm, not really, it’s just your average town at the edge of the Great Chasm or Dark Scar as many others call it.” she replied.

“Dark Scar? Don’t tell me demons pop out of there or monsters or other scary stuff like that?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing of sorts, although flying and shadow monsters do tend to make their nests over there. Even so, the region around Toros is used by adventurers to hunt monsters and increase their own strength. They are about half as strong as those in the Seculiar Forest.”

“Isn’t that plenty of strong? Also, shouldn’t the danger from monsters decrease as we get closer to the capital?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Why should it?” she asked tilting her head as if I said something weird.

“Well, the capital is supposed to be the most well defended city out of all those within a kingdom, so it would be natural for the monster nests around it to be wiped, right?” I explained my point of view.

“That is definitely not the case.” she shook her head.

“Then?” I furrowed my brow.

“The monsters will make their nests in the areas filled with magic and hold the best conditions for their young. Since some of them can grow from a baby to an adult in a matter of days, they can take hold of the surrounding region in a short period of time. We have also noticed that even if we don’t hunt them down, their numbers don’t grow to incredible values. At most, they will separate into two packs and have one or the other search for another nest. However, if we hunt them down excessively, they might end up appearing more frequently and showing signs of significantly more violent behaviors than their previous generations.” she explained.

“Erm, so in other words, the ecosystem around here is balanced to take into account the hunting habits of the dragons?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

It did make sense though. The dragons and all the other sapient species in this world weren’t born yesterday, they had histories spanning over the course of thousands of years. In such a long period of time, it was highly unlikely that no overzealous hunters or crusades against monsters made their appearance. As a result, when they did, the numbers of the monster population should have dropped drastically and eventually cause them to go extinct, but that didn’t seem to be the case here.

I had the feeling the high birth rate developed over time as well, maybe as a result of increased hunting from the sapient species. Then there were the other monsters who were charged up with Magic Energy and corrupted in some form or another. If both dragons and corrupted monsters began to hunt the normal monsters, their extinction would have been a guaranteed fact in a matter of years.

Ugh, I feel like I’m getting a splitting headache from thinking too much about this... I thought and rubbed my temples.

“Are you alright?” Seryanna asked me when she saw my troubled look.

“Yes, I think my brain just had a small short circuit.” I replied with a smile.

“A what?” she furrowed her brow.

“It means I got a headache... Ugh... Anyway, the bottom line is that monsters make their nests in the areas that are the most appropriate for their own species and use Magic Energy in order to grow, right?” I asked.

“Yes.” she nodded.

“Good...” I nodded.

Letting out a sigh, I leaned on her back and buried my face in her nape.

“A-Alkelios?” she was a bit flustered.

“This is nice... Your scent is nice too... I like you, Seryanna...” I mumbled.

“The feeling is mutual...” she let out a sigh and kept her eyes on the road.

We camped that night in the wilderness, and as usual, I trained with Kataryna until I was dead tired. One shower later with the help of a water spell, several bites of cooked meat, and a bit of camping chit-chat, and I was ready to hit the sack.

But just as I was about to enter my tent, Seryanna called out to me “Alkelios, do you have a moment?”

Looking back at her and seeing that charming smile of hers, even if my body was crumbling apart like a castle of cards, I still found the energy to smile back and say “Sure!”

“Very well, follow me...” she got up and started walking away from the camp and the two nosy dragonesses. “You two, sit!” she ordered them the moment she got the feeling that they were going to try to spy on us.

“Tch!” Kataryna clicked her tongue and returned by the camp side, dragging Kleo by the tail with her.

“But I don’t wanna!” the black-scaled dragoness complained.

With those two troublemakers kept at bay, we walked through the thick plains, looking up at the stars. Seryanna was right next to me, and I could feel my heart beating quite fast, going up in beats the more the silence between us was prolonged. Even if the sky wasn’t perfectly clear of clouds, it made good for a beautiful night.

“Awooo!” a wolf howled somewhere far away.

“Erm...” I flinched when I heard it.

“Relax, that’s probably just a sheep...” Seryanna giggled.

A what now? I thought confused.

“Aren’t wolves and Dayuks supposed to howl?!” I asked.

“They do, but the sheep’s howl is a bit different. If you listen carefully, it’s not as fierce.” she placed her palms behind her ears and closed her eyes.

“Awooo!” the ‘sheep’ howled again.

“This world definitely has some strange critters...” I grumbled to myself while wondering how come sheep ended up being more vicious and dangerous than wolves or Dayuks.

“Don’t worry, if any of them mean sheep try to bite you, I’ll protect you!” she smiled and held my hand.

Her cheeks were bright red, and I was quite certain I was also red like a tomato. My pulse was quite high to begin with, and now that I was holding her hand, I could feel it gaining a few more beats per minute.

Being together with her like this, just the two of us, felt... nice. I didn’t get the chance to be with anyone back on Earth, but so far, I believed I did a splendid job as a boyfriend. That or I was embarrassing myself to the point where not even Seryanna could find it in her to tell me the truth.

On another note, despite me being a young adult freshly plucked out of the arms of teenage life, I had a remarkable self-control. I wasn’t constantly thinking of ways to get into her panties and recently I began to think more before I acted. Maybe this was the result of my training, or maybe the sudden change of lifestyle gave my brain a kick in the right direction. Either way, I was glad I wasn’t acting foolishly with Seryanna. The last thing I wanted was for her to hate me for moving things too fast or for being too horny.

Of course, there was a big part of me that wanted to take all of this nonsense, throw it in the garbage bin and just pull the lovely redhead dragoness to my room for some intimate time just between the two of us.

“You know, I was thinking...” she said and looked up at the sky, with her back turned to me.

My eyes went straight to her ass.

Meh, I’m a man. I’ll excuse my no-good instincts. I thought calmly.

“About what?” I asked.

“About us...” she told me.

Oh god, please don’t tell me this is one of those talks before breaking up! I panicked.

“Is it good or bad?” I asked timidly.

“I don’t know...” she tilted her head to the left but didn’t turn around to look at me.

“Well, just say it...” I let out a sigh and prayed I wasn’t being dumped.

“When I saw Kleo and Iolaus, it made me think about the future...” she looked back at me but avoided my eyes.

“The future?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yes... You are a human and not even one from this world, while I’m a dragoness and a knight. Things could get complicated for both of us. Your lifespan, your species, your pedigree... while they don’t matter much to me, for others... it could be seen in various unfavorable ways.” she explained.

I think she said a word there that didn’t translate properly... I thought and then shook my head “It’s bound to happen... Even if I was a dragon, there would still be people who would be against us. You hold a good political position, so from a noble’s point of view, you are their quick ticket to more power. This means many would want to court you or engage you to their children in order to grab hold of this influence of yours.” I said and sighed.

“I do not think I have that much influence and power though.” she furrowed her brow in disapproval.

“You maybe, but those idiots, who knows?” I shrugged.

“Sigh... true. Such things did happen in the past, after all.” she turned around again.

“So, is this what’s been bothering you?” I asked.

“Yes...” she let out a sigh.

“Don’t tell me you have a fiancée?!” I said in shock.

“NO!” she retorted with her cheeks turned red.

“Sigh... That’s good!” I let out a sigh of relief.

“But with grandfather regaining his strength and I being the knight of a princess... It’s not entirely improbable that I won’t have one soon enough, especially once I Awaken.” she said and held a tight fist to her chest.

“I see... What would happen then?” I asked.

“If...” she took a deep breath and looked into my eyes “If the King is the one who orders it, I am powerless to reject it. But if a Duke or Marquess decides upon it, I may still have a chance if the Princess annuls it.” she explained.

“I don’t understand, shouldn’t YOU be the one who decides with whom you wish to marry?” I asked furrowing my brow.

It did sound ridiculous, after all.

“If I am to already have a fiancée, then they can’t selfishly decide to push one onto me. My marriage would also be seen as a way to keep me in the kingdom or a way to restrain me. Canceling an existing engagement of this importance can only be done if the King himself or his Prime Minister approves this course of action. But all of this mess could happen only because I’m a knight and the granddaughter of a powerful general. That’s why, I’m sorry...” she shook her head.

“Hey, there’s no need to apologize.” I smiled and wrapped my arms around her waist. “It’s not written in stone that it will happen like that, and besides, all I have to do is to prove my worth in front of the King, right?” I asked.

“Indeed.” she nodded.

“Then there’s nothing to worry about!” I smiled.

“Does this mean that you are willing to take my hand in marriage when we arrive at the capital?” she asked.

My mind stopped for a couple of seconds as it tried to process the logic behind whatever just happened.

Did I just? What the... I don’t get it... How? HUH?! I thought while the pieces of puzzles were blown to smithereens.

So, the conversation started like this: Seryanna said she had something to talk to me about, then we somehow ended up talking about how I wouldn’t be approved by the King because of a presumed marriage, but then... how did this conversation end up with me proposing to her? When?!

“Erm...” I blinked surprised.

“I’m sorry... This...” she looked down when she saw me hesitating and turned around.

Ah crap! I’ve done it now! I cringed.

The chances of her starting to cry right now were quite high...

The one thing that wasn’t getting into my thick skull was the fact that this was a different society, a different civilization, and a different species all-together. The idea of marriage, relationships, and other similar stuff was quite different from what I knew back on Earth. Our society allowed us to be relaxed when it came to this stuff. The first girlfriend didn’t always mean putting a ring on her finger as well. But here maybe things were different?

“Seryanna... I...” I stopped myself from what I was about to say and gulped.

I have to think this through... What does marriage mean for her in this life? What does it mean for me? Man, I’m just eighteen! I’m too young to die! Erm... I mean get married... Am I being plagued by Earth’s misconceptions about marriage? I thought and struggled to think of an answer, but while I was getting a headache, Seryanna’s back looked ever so lonely.

With a gulp and deep breath, I embraced the redhead dragoness from behind.

Now what? I thought while listened to her fast-beating heart.

“Alkelios?” she asked after a moment, seeing as how I wasn’t opening my mouth to give her an answer.

“This is too hard for me to answer now... I can’t... Back on Earth things aren’t as... strict as they are here. I’m sorry...” I said.

“No, I should be the one who should apologize... Not even once did I think that maybe you didn’t know the way things worked here. Even on the human continent these things are quite similar. Here, the royals and nobles often act as matchmakers for those underneath them.” she replied as she touched my hand.

In that moment, I saw a tear flow down on her cheek.

I made her cry... great! I thought.

“Where I come from things certainly don’t work like that... Is it too much of me to ask of you to wait for my answer until we reach the capital?” I asked and gave her kiss on the cheek.

“No, that is perfectly fine... Unless an order comes from the king or the nobles pester me about it, there should still be some time for us to decide.” she replied in a soft tone of voice.

“I understand, thank you.” I released her from my embrace, and she turned to face me.

“I do love you, Alkelios... That’s why for me, there’s no sign of doubt or hesitation in my heart.” she said with a soft smile as tears kept flowing down her cheeks.

“I also love you... And I know that normally, I shouldn’t even think twice about this.” I shook my head “But I’m a foolish human... Our minds work in foolish ways and unless I clear the fog of doubt between my ears, I won’t have peace. I love you, but the idea of marrying you feels strange. I love you, but when I think of you as my wife, the gears stop turning...” I shook my head and showed that I wasn’t the least bit comfortable with these thoughts.

“Indeed, you are a foolish human. If you love me, if you would give anything to have me and be with me, then why hesitate?” she asked.

“I don’t know...” I looked down.

“I see... Maybe you don’t...” I didn’t let her finish those words and stole her lips in a kiss.

“Don’t say that! This doubt of mine is only here because I’m still young and insecure when it comes to adult things like this. On Earth, people married when they were way past the age of twenty, some even after thirty years old. You are already an adult in my eyes, but I’m too much like a child. That’s why... just give me some time to straighten my thoughts, to grow up. If anything, here! I wish I will have all the time I need to make the right decision about whether or not we should marry!” I declared.

This way, even if I was a fool, I would be able to reach the best decision for us. Even If I waited until the last second, thanks to my Luck, it should still be alright. I was hoping and betting on this.

“Very well, but you know... I’m not going to let you off for making me cry.” she smiled softly and then pulled me into another kiss.

“I’m sorry... How can I repay you for this?” I asked.

“You’ll have a training session with me now, and you won’t use your Luck! Plus, you’ll let me hit you for a few times.”

Her sweet smile sent shivers down my spine.

“Erm... Can’t we talk about this?” I asked.

“You made a poor maiden cry tonight, so no!” she giggled as she wiped off her last tear.

I let out a groan, but she then pulled me into a kiss. This one was very long and had a lot of tongue in it.

When we parted lips, she had a flushed look on her face.

“Don’t run away from me... Whatever adversities we may face, we’ll get through them, together...” she told me and then kissed me again.

I wasn’t allowed to fight back, and her words were sort of an encouragement in the battle with my own doubt and fears. They were very much welcomed.

That night, after she literally beat the snot out of me and made me wonder if I wasn’t actually turning into a masochist because of her, we went to bed in the same tent. Seryanna fell asleep in my arms with a content smile on her lips, while I was thinking back at everything I said today, minus the whining and begging during the training sessions. I also remembered what I told Iolaus and what happened during that night when I kissed Seryanna for the first time.

Indeed, for me, this entire experience was extremely rushed. It was like someone jumped in a sports car pressed the pedal to the metal and drove like a maniac through rush hour. They didn’t stop for the granny crossing the street or for the lights turning red. They didn’t even stop when the ‘No bridge ahead!’ sign popped up. Despite all of this, I had to take notes and absorb all the information around me.

Everything was happening a little too fast for a normal human like me, but... I had the [Hero] passive. No matter how much I complained, I was aware of my fast level increase, not to mention the fact that there were moments when I saw this whole experience more as a Virtual Reality game than anything else. Even so, these feelings I held for Seryanna were the true deal. I really did love her from the bottom of my heart.

Maybe it was because she saved me? Maybe it was because I hanged around her all this time? Maybe it was because she was a beautiful, strong willed, redheaded woman? There were a lot of maybes that could have been the spark that ignited this love, but in the end... what mattered was the result.

I love this woman... I love Seryanna, but... I thought as I looked down at her sleeping face. But you are a dragoness...

In the end... the reason why I was so afraid of this marriage wasn’t because the customs were different... It was just me who was different, who was looking at her with different eyes just because she was not of the same species. It was a biological and instinctual fear that told me I couldn’t be together with her as a human but giving up my humanity was something I feared even more.

I wonder... Can I sacrifice my connection to Earth, the blood of my parents that flows in my veins, my species and everything that I am or could be as a human? Can I sacrifice all of this for the woman I love? I asked myself as I gently brushed off her cheek a strand of red hair.

For some, this was a question they would have answered without batting an eye, but for me it was one I held no answer to. In the end, was it me who was wrong to think like this or was it something normal as part of being human?