Chapter 1

I am greeted by the familiar ceiling of my room at the Round-shield Inn where I've spent the duration of my stay in the town of Rosenberg.

"Wasn't I with Sara last night… " 

Shooting up from my resting position, I frantically shifted my torso in search, looking to my sides for any signs of my companion. Only to be met with cold. I was left? Again? Why!

We had fun, didn't we? We bought some weapons, window-shopped at a couple of stores, made conversation about our trip at the bar and went our separate ways….

Oh

OH! 

"Hah… Hah… Hah" Breathing deeply, the onset of yesterday's memories makes me realise that nothing even happened last night!

That's right! After looking like she remembered something Sara left me with a kiss on the cheek, seductively breathed into my ear that she'd see me tomorrow and returned to where she and the rest of her party were staying! We went on one date of course we didn't have sex! 

"hahaha! hahaha!" Whether it was humour at my own wasted panic, relief that I wasn't abandoned yet or a mix of other factors I wasn't conscious of, I continued to laugh "hahaha-OW! " 

Rubbing the back of my head I found that it banged against the side of my bed as I tossed and turned in laughter. It turns out that In my fearful state, the fact that my body somehow rolled over and was now lying on the floor didn't even cross my mind. 

"Divine power is rich and nourishing. It offers the strength to rise again to those who have lost their strength. Healing." Was I using magic to cure a minor head bump? Yes, I was! Cranial damage was serious business.

It was time to start my morning routine and go out to train, rising to my feet and getting a better feel for my clothes raised my awareness of the fact that I had already worked up a bit of a sweat in my panic. Come to think of it, the fact that I was wearing clothes in the first place should've been an indicator that nothing happened last night.

God, I was pathetic

I remember hearing about how trauma could be stored in the body but getting so physically and mentally affected because I got dumped a year ago was agonising..At least if something did happen last night then I could've used the experience to force myself to move on.

But that wouldn't be right, would it? In retrospect, forcing myself to move on like that would've been an insult to the efforts she'd taken to forge a relationship as well as make me dishonest with myself because the truth was that I didn't know if I trusted her enough to sleep with her. Sex became more sacred to me after my time with Eris, It was an expression of the love I one-sidedly thought was nurtured over the six years I'd known her and I didn't think I was in love with Sara.

I had half-assed my relationship with her and the rest of Counter Arrow by refusing to open up to them despite going on a lot of missions together for the past year and It wasn't until a couple of months ago when I saved her from Trier forest, that I stopped half-assing everything and slowly started to try and open up to them.

"Good job Tindalos…..Baskerville…" Finishing my running I head back to my room after receiving odd looks from the innkeeper to continue my routine whilst pondering my feelings.

My romance-related depression means my feelings aren't particularly strong but I still feel 'something' towards her. 

If I had to coin a term for what that 'something' felt towards her then it was ' a blossoming affection', when she smiled at me in gratitude for saving her I wished I could see that captivating expression forever. I felt saved, like everything I had done up until then had been forgiven. When we talked about our shopping trip yesterday I had fun, I realised she wasn't just someone I could project aspects of Eris onto and that she had her own unique skills and interests.

Sara was someone I was starting to get to know better and better and I shouldn't cross any lines with her before spending more time advancing that process and falling in love with her.

"I'm sure the latter will happen just fine but the former is going to be agonising, at least exercise helps me work up that pent-up tension. Isn't that right? Hulk and Hercules." I mumble whilst patting my boys to encourage growth. Hopefully naming them didn't tempt fate to send any Hydra's or Green abominations my way, losing an arm I named 'Hercules' to a Hydra would be some sort of sick joke even the Man-God couldn't conceive.

Speaking of which 

That shady guy hasn't contacted me since Orsted no matter how many times I called out to him.

Meh

Good riddance

Adventurers Guild, here I come

SARA

—A couple of hours earlier—

Whiteness extends endlessly around the mosaic figure in front of her, a grin adorning his face as he appears to regard her with fond exasperation

"You really are Bull-headed, aren't you? You were almost about to sleep with him and lose him forever. I understand that you're too embarrassed to admit your feelings directly but bedding him before confessing is completely backwards "

Shut up! You still haven't told me why that would've been so catastrophic

"If Rudeus still weren't healing from his mental anguish then it would've worked out quite well, the issue is that mental anguish can also manifest unpleasantly during sexual encounters which would've scarred people as immature as the both of you. "

Confusion blanketed her mind, her life as an adventurer gave her a basic understanding of what sex was and how others of her profession engaged in the act but details regarding what occurs during such encounters were usually when she would tune out of either embarrassment or disgust.

"The Man-God himself is giving you knowledge of the human mind, you could stand to be a little more trusting y'know!? Go ask that mother figure of yours and you'll understand a little more"

It's not that I don't trust you but the idea of a divine figure playing cupid for me of all people is somewhat bewildering. Someone like Rudeus seems special enough for that so shouldn't you be giving him advice instead? 

"No need to sell yourself short, you have the potential to be plenty special yourself! Although you are correct in that I would like to give a divine revelation to Rudeus, he's earned it."

Yeah, that kindness of hi-wait why are you talking like you can't show up in his dreams too?

" About that, not only is there a condition that must be met for me to be able to appear in someone's dream, but I can only show up in the dreams of someone who is on the same wavelength as I am. There aren't many who can receive my advice with such fortuitous timing. You're quite lucky."

So we're on the same wavelength… the unknown implications of that are honestly overwhelming…

"Don't worry about it, just take this next piece of advice, Convince your party to leave the city of Rosenburg and take the B rank mission to escort a caravan transporting goods to Gyuranza in the Duchy of Neris."

Wait what was that condition thing about? 

"Who knows? I'm not even sure myself. All I know is that there'll be a sudden 'aha!' moment where I'm like, 'This guy's the one, today is the time.' And that's when I'm able to link up."

__________________________________

Ah

"so yesterday's dream was real after all" I mumble under my breath as I wake up and slowly begin to gain my bearings 

The first time the mosaic figure appeared in my dreams I shot up but I seem to be getting used to it. 

I was nervous about my date with Rudeus and tried to go to sleep when a God appeared in my dreams and told me to part ways with Rudeus after drinking Ale. 

When he first appeared I would outwardly speak with him but I eventually figured out the deity could read my mind since he changed his body language as soon as I thought it reminded me of pompous nobility and made remarks that took insane perception to make so this time I settled for thinking what I would have otherwise vocalised. 

"dreaming about Rudeus?" teased the voice beside me "Morning" 

"Mornin' " 

"..." 

"..." 

"So?" 

"So?" 

The grin on the braided brown-skinned woman widens and I can do nothing but turn my head in embarrassment. 

God

The topic of the conversation I had in my dream was Rudeus so she was technically right

Dammit! 

"About that" I grumble before sitting up straight and doing my utmost to maintain eye contact with my pseudo-parent. "I have a request." 

"And what could that possibly be?" Suzanne replies with a raised brow, that teasing grin remaining on her countenance. 

Here we go 

"I want Rudeus to join counter arrow" 

The grin fades

"Sara," She says gently"I understand your feelings and support your relationship, the whole party does but we both know Rudeus needs to be a solo adventurer so he can build a reputation and find his mother"

"He's already built a reputation! Every adventurer from old to young knows him, I hear some of the parties that leave promise that they'll be on the lookout and even some of the merchants and shop owners we visited yesterday seem to be acquainted with 'Quagmire'.. if… if…" throughout my speech my hands have balled into fists, tightening around the fabric of my blanket.

Suzanne's already made her way to sitting on the side of my bed and resting her hand over the back of my nearest fist. 

"Go on" she urged me to continue 

Take a deep breath 

"If… he's done all that he could here then shouldn't he be leaving soon? If we don't properly invite him to our party then he could be gone for good!" 

"Sara" She starts to say in response to my raising voice "who has Rudeus exclusively been going on missions recently with" 

What was she getting at? 

"us" 

"And do you think that does much for his goal?" 

She isn't… 

"no" 

"Then he won't leave us, he wants to stay even if he isn't willing to admit it and we can continue helping each other without him joining the party" 

How could she!? 

Before I knew it I was leaning forward and strongly challenging her with our faces an inch apart

"THAT ISN'T FAIR! I don't want to take advantage of our bond to keep him from his mother and I don't just want him in our party to keep him from leaving! I want Rudeus in our party so we can HELP HIM!".

A surge of emotion welled up within me. I was livid! Was that why Timothy refrained from offering an invite despite looking like he was about to the day Rudeus saved me?

So we could conveniently use his abilities whilst keeping him from addressing his true goal? 

Huh

Despite the strength of my words, all I'm met with is… a look of pride… 

Of course

I was so caught up in my feelings that I forgot that this was Suzanne

The kind, caring and mature woman who saved me from monsters, took me in when I was orphaned and was the first to reach out to Rudeus when he was all gloomy. 

Her other hand reaches out to ruffle my hair much to my futile protests "Get dressed, we need to speak to Timothy and Patrice about the situation" 

I could only mumble my agreement before getting up

I began changing out of nightwear into my adventurer garb and doing my routine maintenance for my equipment by examining my bows and arrows to make sure nothing was damaged, counting the wood I whittle down before bed and the feathers I use for making fletching before my hand hovered over the string of my bow to the weapons Rudeus had bought me.

A short sword for close-range combat I'd need to hang at my waist and a cheap knife I'd keep in my bag that will be used to whittle down the treant wood I need to make arrows

Rudeus had also bought the same model of shortsword to replace his knife

I was pretty sure my lips had curved into a smile as I began to walk out of my room where Suzanne was waiting for me in the hallway

It was stupid, we were both adventurers who had a responsibility to prioritise practicality in equipment over sentimentality so it really wasn't anything to get worked up over

But still…

We matched!

RUDEUS

It was summer

The streets of Rosenburg were lined with trees as always. Not only did the dense foliage of the trees provide shade and shelter from the sun, creating a cooler microclimate along the street, but the shifting aesthetic it produced as the seasons changed wasn't half-bad. 

Summertime meant that there were also a lot more stalls open than when everything was covered in snow, the snow was eventually cleared away but it was still more convenient to be able to set up shop before that was done.

 Appreciating the scenery, my path to the adventurers' guild nears its end as I'm greeted by the members of Counter Arrow. Did they have a job? Their expressions were serious and oddly resolute so it must be quite difficult, I hope they weren't picking something too difficult because my capabilities were being overestimated.

I doubted that was the case. Counter Arrow was a party that dealt missions above their raw combat strength through sheer coordination and efficiency. It made the party more than the sum of its parts, the complete opposite of Dead End which had absurdly high combat strength but wasn't worth much as a party. 

This meant that the leader of such an efficient party should have enough caution to not overestimate me besides there was always the other leader of the party to make sure they didn't go astray

"Picked a quest already?" I question in greeting before my approach ends and I halt.

"Not exactly, you're half right" The one who responded was Suzanne, she turned to me and scratched her cheek "We need to talk"

What was that supposed to mean? I decided to examine them closer

Upon closer inspection, they seemed kinda awkward. The resolute seriousness was still there but Sara was averting her eyes, Timothy was smiling as always though there was a hint of nervousness present and Patrice was simply staring into the void.

crap

They were totally gonna give me some sort of talk about dating Sara, weren't they!? I mean Suzanne and Timothy were practically her second set of parents and Patrice probably held some sort of similar familial position in her heart. They were totally going into overprotective mode! They said I was half right because the quest they picked depended on my impression! It could range from a lecture to an ass-beating!

"Ma'am" I began slowly after trying to gulp down my nervousness. "I have no intention of mistreating Sara" The blonde in question simply turned to me in apparent bewilderment with a blush on her cheeks. I know this must be embarrassing but I need to make a good impression here! I might die! "I have every intention of taking things slowly to ensure that we don't make awkward drama or risk potential pregnancy when we're in such a dangerous profession."

In an online game I'd played in my previous life, we'd had problems with romantic relationships. Players would meet offline, start dating, and then things would get awkward for the entire guild when the relationship turned sour. We also had trolls who were just there to make trouble.

This, however, was a different world. No one had an avatar to hide behind, and the fallout of relationship drama could endanger adventurers' lives.

The same could be said for pregnancy so it was best to abstain, not that my pull-out game was necessarily weak but do it enough times and you're bound to slip up.

There was also the whole Eris thing 

"I'm glad to hear that '' started Suzanne with a smug look on her face " but that's not the reason we need to talk. Let's go somewhere more private." The look was replaced with a more serious one and she began walking back to what I assume to be their inn, the rest of their party trailing behind after recovering from their states of slack-jawed amusement.

Sara was still standing though. The archeress stared at the ground in what I assume to be mortification and anger. Understandably, I had come out of nowhere and openly talked about our relationship despite the romance between us just starting. Anybody would be embarrassed in her position, heck, I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed myself.

Come to think of it, we haven't even discussed what we were yet

That thought sent me into a bit of a panic

I was confident that she had developed feelings for me as I noticed her making the effort to engage more often but maybe I was being presumptuous. What if I had misread her intentions and she didn't want to pursue anything after yesterday's date? Even if I didn't misread her intentions, the declaration I made before further discussion likely crossed some sort of line, didn't it?

Just as I was about to apologise she turned her head to fix me with what I can only assume is a glare of anger and spoke up "Are you coming or what?" before grabbing my hand and dragging me in the same direction as the rest of the party.

"Um. Sara?"

"What?"

"We're still holding hands"

"Is that a problem?" she replied meekly. Was this her communication we were dating? Hand-holding was telling the public that right?

"Not at all" I reply softly, deciding to tighten my hold in affirmation " I just thought you'd be too angry to want to get close to me"

"Angry?" her initial confusion shifted to realisation and I thought I could detect embarrassment and amusement in her eyes "Oh you mean the way you confessed to being overly cautious in front of everyone? " At my stupefied nod she continued unflinchingly "It's fine, just... maybe next time, don't blurt out everything all at once, okay?"

After voicing my agreement a comfortable silence enveloped us as we headed to our destination. It was strange; all we were doing was holding hands, yet it felt like a monumental step in our relationship. 

The simple act of holding hands created a connection that words couldn't fully express. 

Stealing glances at Sara, her face was still a bit flushed but there was a small genuine smile playing on her lips.

It was reassuring

And extremely cute