My life was a sequence of stumbles where I always ended up face-first on the ground. The debt of 10 coins to Mira, because of the chaos at the Moon Festival, was another burden, and Melina's song about "the stage strippers" was now sung even by the drunks of Vaelor. My head was a mess. Elara, Vespera, and Liriel affected me in ways I couldn't understand. Elara with her shy glances that made my heart race, Vespera with her teasing that made me blush, Liriel with that jealousy she disguised with sarcasm — every moment of closeness turned into a disaster. I wanted to understand these feelings, but with this group, it was like trying to assemble a puzzle in a gale. The amulet, scepter, sphere, tome, orb, crystal, scroll, ring, cube, medallion, bracelet, necklace, royal scepter, cord, orb, and tiara in my backpack glowed together, and Elowen said the Demon King's ritual was approaching. The danger seemed like a distant whisper.
At the guild, I found a mission that could give me some breathing room: "Explore the Ancient Ruins and investigate a mechanical guardian that attacks adventurers. Reward: 100 silver coins." It was a chance to pay Mira. Dragging Liriel from the inn was the same drama. "Dusty ruins? Unworthy of a goddess!" she complained, holding her wine glass. Elara seemed nervous. "I'll use deactivation magic, nothing excessive," she said, grabbing her staff. Vespera, with her bow, smiled. "Ancient relics? This will be exciting!" I tried to be firm: "No crazy magic, no crooked arrows, no succubus charm. Just investigate." They nodded, but I knew it was just talk.
The Ancient Ruins, on the outskirts of Vaelor, were a stone labyrinth with broken pillars and rusted gears, as if time had stopped. Tilda, the inventor, was at the entrance, adjusting a gadget. "You again?" she grumbled. She introduced Zev, an archaeologist with crooked glasses who spoke as if the world were a puzzle. "The strippers? Don't destroy my ruins!" he said, laughing. He was studying the mechanical guardian, which protected something valuable, perhaps linked to the Demon King. Melina appeared, strumming her lute. "My new verse is ready!" she announced, drawing the attention of other explorers. The awkward tension between Vespera and me, since the kiss, still lingered, with Elara and Liriel watching everything. Without extra distractions, their jealousy focused on us.
The exploration began, and chaos came quickly. Elara tried a deactivation spell to stop a trap. "Just to block it!" she said. The spell glowed for a few seconds before she collapsed, gasping. "Mana… gone," she groaned, falling into my arms. Her face was so close I felt my heart race. "Takumi, I… I wanted to…," she began, but the trap fired, shooting darts. Vespera, laughing, tried to dodge with her bow, but her arrows flew crooked, hitting a gear that activated more mechanisms, dropping stones. "What a delightful chaos!" she shouted, while a stone hit her, and she seemed to enjoy it. "Liriel, do something!" I shouted. She raised her glass. "Divine purification magic!" The released energy caused an explosion, shaking the ruins and breaking pillars. I tried to strike the guardian with the borrowed sword, but I tripped on a loose stone, falling with a thud.
In the midst of chaos, Elara murmured, "Takumi, I just wanted to say that…," but Liriel, staring with jealousy, interrupted her. Vespera, nearby, teased: "Relax, Liriel, he's all clumsy." Liriel, annoyed, retorted: "Mortals and their silly crushes!" Zev, with a sigh, deactivated the guardian with a device, but the ruins turned into a mess, with broken pillars. He found a key with markings identical to the amulet, scepter, sphere, and other items, and handed it to Takumi. When I touched it, it released a vibration that knocked down more stones, worsening the scene. Explorers laughed, and Melina sang: "In the ruins, they strip the ground, the strippers fall into fiasco!" Tilda huffed: "You are a plague."
We managed to investigate, but the ruins were destroyed. At the guild, we received 70 coins, deducted for damages. We paid Mira's debt, but Zev charged us 10 coins for the pillars. At the inn, I sat exhausted while Elara and Vespera argued over who "saved" the mission. "My deactivation helped!" said Elara. "And my arrows distracted it!" retorted Vespera. Liriel, drinking wine, huffed. "You're pathetic. I did everything." Elowen passed by, looked at the key, and said: "Another clue about the Demon King's ritual. Be careful, strippers." She left without further explanation. The awkward tension between Vespera and me persisted, with Elara and Liriel making veiled questions, but no one mentioned the kiss.
When Elara and Vespera went out to get food, I pulled Liriel aside. "If you're a goddess, who's on your throne now?" She shrugged. "Celine, my assistant. She's annoying, but she takes care of the rest." She took a sip. "Why? Planning to send me away?" She smiled, with a look that left me confused. I looked at the glowing items — amulet, scepter, sphere, tome, orb, crystal, scroll, ring, cube, medallion, bracelet, necklace, royal scepter, cord, orb, tiara, key. Those moments with Elara, Vespera, and Liriel — near confessions, flirts, jealousy — stirred me, but turned into humiliation. And more clues of the Demon King? My life was a nightmare, and I just wanted a day without being called a pervert.