My life was a comedy where I always ended up face-first on the ground. The 10-coin debt with Freya, because of the fiasco in the attacked village, was yet another weight on my back, and Melina's song about "the hay strippers" was already making adventurers laugh even in the taverns of Vaelor. My head was a whirlwind. Elara, Vespera, and Liriel tangled my feelings in ways I couldn't understand. Elara's shy glances, now deeper after regaining her memories, made my heart race like a wild horse. Vespera's teasing, more restrained since Infernia, still made me blush like a bonfire. Liriel's jealousy, hidden behind sharp sarcasm, left me more lost than ever. To make matters worse, Lyra's letter, filled with passionate praise, burned in my pocket, while Thalira, the elven envoy, gave me looks that mixed interest and analysis, causing Elara and Vespera to huff. Elowyn, with her druidic messages, sent me a carved wooden pendant saying: "For your strength, Takumi." That only made the emotional chaos worse. Vespera's kiss at the Moon Festival still lingered, with her avoiding eye contact, while Elara hesitated to speak. I wanted to understand what I felt, but with this group, it was like trying to assemble a puzzle during an earthquake. The amulet, scepter, sphere, tome, orb, crystal, scroll, ring, cube, medallion, bracelet, necklace, royal scepter, cord, orb, diadem, key, cord, ring, stone, necklace, bracelet, ring, bracelet, medallion, ring, pendant, cord, bracelet, and fragment in my backpack glowed together, and Elowen said the Demon King's ritual was drawing closer. The danger felt like distant thunder, but today, I just wanted to pay Freya's debt and avoid more humiliation.
At the Vaelor guild, after the fiasco with the minions, we were summoned to recruit allies against General Kaelthorn. Elowen, with her enigmatic demeanor, showed the village fragment, which revealed a map pointing to an ancient ruin. "We need more allies," she said. "The elves and the dwarves of Durin can help." The guild gave us a mission: convince Thorne and Sigrid, old allies, to join us while training with them. Liriel grumbled, "Train with mortals? Unworthy of a goddess!" Elara, gripping her staff, promised, "I'll use magic carefully, I swear!" Vespera, bow slung over her shoulder, smiled, "Allies? This is going to be interesting." I tried to be firm: "No crazy spells, no crooked arrows, no succubus charm. Just convince them." They laughed like I was dreaming. Thalira, who accompanied us, said, "Your leadership is… unique, Takumi." Liriel snorted, "Stuck-up elf!" Elara murmured, "Why is she always so close?"
The training took place in a field on the outskirts of Vaelor, a landscape of wide grasslands and straw targets, with a stream in the background. Elowen introduced Sven, a silver-haired elven scout with sharp eyes. "The strippers? Don't destroy my field!" said Sven, in a tone that mixed seriousness and sarcasm. He explained that the training would test our coordination against Kaelthorn. Melina appeared, strumming her lute. "New verse ready!" she announced, drawing glances from other adventurers. Lyra sent another letter with a royal seal, praising my "determination." Liriel tore it up. "Stupid princess!" Thalira laughed, while Elowyn touched my arm: "You bring people together, Takumi." Elara and Vespera exchanged murderous glances. The air was tense, with jealousy flaring like wildfire.
The training began, and chaos came quickly. Elara tried a shield spell to protect the targets. "Just for defense practice!" she said. The spell glowed for a few seconds before she collapsed, panting. "Mana… gone," she groaned, falling into my arms. Her face was so close I could feel my heart racing. "Takumi, I… I wanted to…" she began, but the spell created a crooked shield that ricocheted a training arrow. Vespera, trying to impress, used her charm but distracted Thorne, who knocked over a training tent. Her crooked arrow hit the wrong target, which fell over. "What a delightful mess!" she shouted as Sven shoved her away—and she seemed to like it. "Liriel, do something!" I yelled. She raised her wine cup. "Divine Purification Magic!" The light exploded—but set the tent on fire, spreading smoke. I tried to fix the shield with my borrowed sword but slipped on the grass, crashing into more targets. Sigrid, watching, shook her head. "You're a disaster."
Amid the chaos, Elara, still in my arms, murmured, "Takumi, have you ever felt… like you don't belong?" Her voice was fragile, and I felt a pang in my chest. Vespera teased, "Getting cozy, Takumi?" Thalira, observing, said, "Your dedication is fascinating." Elara blushed, muttering, "Why is she standing so close?" while Liriel, her eyes burning with jealousy, shouted, "Focus, mortal, or you'll burn down the whole field!" Elowyn, glowing with druidic light, touched my shoulder. "You're stronger than you think." Vespera scoffed, "Another princess!" Liriel kicked a target. "Idiotic princesses!" Sven, sighing, extinguished the fire with a spell, but the tent was already ashes. He found a cord with markings identical to the items in my backpack, lying among the debris. "Curious," he said, handing it to me. When I touched the cord, it vibrated, knocking over more targets. Sven, irritated, said, "You'll pay for that." The adventurers laughed, and Melina sang, "In the field, they strip the tents, the strippers fall into confusion!" Sven muttered, "You're a plague!"
We returned to the Vaelor guild with the cord, but the field was destroyed. They paid us 50 coins, minus damages. We settled the debt with Freya, but Sven charged 10 coins for the tent. At the inn, I sat exhausted while Elara and Vespera argued about who "messed up less." "I only used one spell!" said Elara, her cheeks red. "And I only fired one arrow!" retorted Vespera, avoiding my gaze. Liriel, drinking wine, scoffed, "You're pathetic. I did everything." Elowen appeared, examined the cord, and said, "Part of the map to Kaelthorn's ruin. He's moving. Be careful, strippers." She left without further explanation. The atmosphere was heavy, with Elara, Vespera, and Liriel throwing jealous looks, and Lyra's, Thalira's, and Elowyn's words only making things worse. "What's going on, Takumi?" asked Elara, her jealousy obvious. Vespera muttered, "Nothing. Just stuck-up princesses."
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 with a lazy smile. "Celine, my assistant. She's annoying but handles the rest." She took a sip. "Why? You planning to send me back, mortal?" 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, diadem, key, cord, ring, stone, necklace, bracelet, ring, bracelet, medallion, ring, pendant, cord, bracelet, fragment, cord. Vespera's kiss, Elara's memories, Liriel's jealousy, Lyra's letter, Thalira's and Elowyn's flirts, the debt with Sven—my life was a nightmare, and I just wanted one day without being called a pervert.