My life was a comedy where I always ended up face-first on the ground. The 10-coin debt with Sven, because of the fiasco at the training field, was yet another weight on my back, and Melina's song about "the tent 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, softer since Infernia, still made me blush like a bonfire. Liriel's jealousy, hidden behind sharp sarcasm, left me more lost than ever. To make things worse, Lyra's letter, full of passionate praise, burned in my pocket, while Thalira, the elven envoy, watched me with a look that mixed curiosity and flirtation, causing Elara and Vespera to huff. Elowyn, with her druidic messages, sent an enchanted flower, saying, "For your courage, 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 read a scroll during a hurricane. 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, wristband, medallion, ring, pendant, cord, bracelet, fragment, and cord 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 Sven's debt and avoid more humiliation.
At the Vaelor guild, after the disaster of the training, Elowen summoned us to explore the ruin indicated by the map fragment. "Kaelthorn is moving," she said, with her mysterious aura. "The ruin holds a crucial item." The guild gave us a mission: recover the item and avoid magical traps. Liriel grumbled, "A dusty ruin? Unworthy of a goddess!" Elara, gripping her staff, promised, "I'll use magic carefully, I swear!" Vespera, with her bow slung over her shoulder, smiled, "Ruins? This will be interesting." I tried to be firm: "No crazy magic, no crooked arrows, no succubus charm. Just grab the item." They laughed as if I were dreaming. Thalira, who insisted on accompanying us, said, "Your determination is admirable, Takumi." Liriel snorted, "Stuck-up elf!" Elara murmured, "Why is she always so close?" A new letter from Lyra arrived, with a royal seal, praising my "inner strength." Liriel tore it up: "Stupid little princess!"
The ruin was a scene of broken columns covered in moss, with runes pulsing with dark magic. Elowen introduced Nora, an elven mage with black hair and piercing eyes. "The strippers? Don't destroy my ruin!" said Nora, in a tone that mixed seriousness and sarcasm. She explained that the item, an enchanted scepter, was on an altar protected by traps. Melina appeared, strumming her lute. "New verse ready!" she announced, drawing looks from adventurers who had followed us. Elowyn touched my shoulder. "Trust your instincts, Takumi." Elara and Vespera huffed, while Liriel kicked a stone: "Stuck-up princesses!" The air was tense, jealousy flaring like a bonfire.
The exploration began, and chaos came quickly. Elara tried a detection spell to locate the scepter. "Just to avoid traps!" 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 that I felt my heart race. "Takumi, I… I wanted to…" she began, with a look that almost made me forget the ruin, but the spell triggered a trap, releasing magical vines that bound us. Vespera, trying to help, used her charm but distracted the adventurers, who knocked over a statue. Her crooked arrow hit a rune, which exploded. "What a delightful mess!" she shouted as Nora pushed her aside—and she seemed to enjoy it. "Liriel, do something!" I yelled. She raised her wine cup. "Divine purification magic!" The light exploded—but set dry vines on fire, spreading smoke. I tried to cut the vines with my borrowed sword but slipped on a slab, crashing down and knocking over a pillar. The scepter glowed on the altar, but a minor minion appeared, fleeing with a fragment.
Amid the chaos, Elara, still in my arms, murmured, "Takumi, have you ever felt… like you're not enough?" Her voice was fragile, and I felt a pang in my chest. Vespera teased, "Getting cozy, Takumi?" Thalira, observing, said, "Your courage is intriguing." Elara blushed, muttering, "Why is she so close?", while Liriel, her eyes burning with jealousy, shouted, "Focus, mortal, or you'll burn down the whole ruin!" Elowyn, glowing with druidic light, said, "You're stronger than you think, Takumi." Vespera scoffed, "Another princess!" Liriel kicked Lyra's pendant: "Stupid little princesses!" Nora, sighing, put out the fire with a spell, but the pillar was already in rubble. She retrieved the scepter and said, "Curious. It bears ritual markings." When she touched it, it vibrated, knocking down more stones. Nora, irritated, said, "You'll pay for this." The adventurers laughed, and Melina sang, "In the ruin they strip the pillars, the strippers fall into confusion!" Nora muttered, "You're a plague!"
We returned to the Vaelor guild with the scepter, but the ruin more destroyed than before. They paid us 50 coins, minus damages. We settled the debt with Sven, but Nora charged 10 coins for the pillar. At the inn, I sat exhausted while Elara and Vespera argued over 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 scepter, and said, "Another piece of the Demon King's ritual. Kaelthorn is getting closer. 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, 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 she takes care of the rest." She took a sip. "Why? 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, wristband, medallion, ring, pendant, cord, bracelet, fragment, cord, scepter. Vespera's kiss, Elara's memories, Liriel's jealousy, Lyra's letter, Thalira's and Elowyn's flirts, the debt with Nora—my life was a nightmare, and I just wanted one day without being called a pervert.