42 - Stay

"Yeah, I just died a lot, like I said. Then, after taking down Arutol, my level shot up, boosting my stats significantly," Van explained.

"I'm curious how often you died to get such a huge boost... But killing Arutol must have pushed your stats to 999, huh?" Marcilla surmised confidently. "He must have been weaker than Yagun if he went down that easily, right?" Her speculation met nods from the group. Except Lalyn who simply met her gaze.

'...She's got it wrong... But better not correct her. No need to stir up panic...' Van thought, resigning himself to flow with Marcilla's narrative.

"Solid," Van simply nodded.

"Oh, I see! That makes sense," Marcilla said, pleased with her conclusion.

"So, that would make you the same rank as Magus, right?" She continued.

"Hm... Unsure. My stats are really strong in only three areas, and I don't really have anything amazing aside from my Dark Soul... so maybe not..." Van said, his eyes looking to the stars as he was deep in thought.

"However, I'm still curious about what caused you to die so often and how your stats increased so drastically..." Lalyn mused, her gaze piercing.

Van gulped.

"We'll save that for another time," she decided, much to Van's relief.

"Anyway, Van," Amoria picked up, her demeanor both calm and determined.

"The Goddess also sent me a vision about the Academy after Magus's passing in addition. I think it means whatever The Dragon King wants with us... It must be related to the Academy." she added.

"I was really concerned something dangerous might happen there, so we kept Liz, Marcy's, and Lalyn's daughters away for a month just to be safe. When nothing suspicious occurred, we let them return. Everything seemed normal, except for the usual dragon attacks... until Arutol appeared," Amoria concluded.

"We knew we were basically counting our days after that guy died... Counting our days until a dragon like Yagun came along..." Marcilla sighed heavily.

"But then, you showed up, meatshield," Lalyn added, her tone mixing respect with a hint of forced ambivalence.

"So now... Van. I come to you with a plea..." she continued, taking his palms in hers and locking eyes with him.

"Please... Stay with us and prot—"

"Jesus Christ, stop it already," Van interrupted, his confusion evident, catching everyone off guard.

"W-what...?" Lalyn whispered, her eyes wide as she searched his almost weirded-out expression.

"This is where you guys live. And the place where my cute nieces live..." he said nonchalantly, scratching his head and looking away.

"I know you don't think of me all that much, but I'm not just going to leave after hearing all this," he muttered, a sense of resolve in his voice. As they all sat there, the tension seemed to lift from their shoulders, replaced by a growing sense of relief.

"I'll stay. I'll keep you all safe. After all, I..."

He paused as he averted his gaze.

"...I never repeat a mistake twice, remember?" he murmured softly.

Mika and Rika gasped quietly in the shadows, their cheeks tinged with color.

"Y-you...!! You bastard, when did you learn to be such a smooth talker!!?" Marcy exclaimed, her own face flushing as she pinned him beneath her armpit and noisily ruffled his hair while she bashfully clenched her teeth.

"A-ahh..!! Marcy....!?" Van sputtered, caught completely off guard by her rough affection.

Amoria's heart, previously heavy with worry, now fluttered with a wave of relief.

"Hmph. At least you know your place as a meatshield" Lalyn remarked coolly as she stood, turning to walk away without another word.

The group exchanged knowing glances and understanding smiles as they watched Lalyn's retreating figure, recognizing her tough exterior barely concealed her relief.

'And after I make sure everything's okay with these guys...' He thought to himself, once more recalling Alicia.

'I will—...'

"Now, Van. Let's go back up. You must still be tired, I'll warm the bed for you (with my magic)" Amoria murmured innocently.

Then, Marcilla, Lalyn, and the assassin sisters all froze, their gazes snapping to Amoria with an intensity, previously unobserved.

Van immediately sensed the shift in the atmosphere, his eyes widening as he caught the implications of Amoria's words, realizing she had unintentionally(?) suggested something far more intimate than intended...

'AMORIA, WHAT THE FUCK!!!?'