EXTRA CHAPTER 8: CHARM OFFENSIVE, PART 2

**Kuro**

“Looks like you got your hands full once again, laddie?” it was the halfling prince, the Prince Giuseppe Uhrian. It was an hour after the long sleep when he showed up in my room at the Saint’s Tree.

“Where’d that come from, Your Highness?” I asked as I invited him for coffee and breakfast.

“When I returned from Equality,” the dwarf-prince narrated while he took a nearby chair to sit upon. “I noticed the increased security in this place…as well as the weird, but colorful designs being put up on the trees on the roads that led here.”

“Oh…those?” I smiled, “The saints of Chersea, Cherwind, the Demon Republic, Cherwoods and even the Lady Seirna are all here.”

The Lord Uhrian nearly fell from his chair when he heard me. “H-Huh? The Lady Seirna? You mean the ‘Overseer’ Saint? The one we fought before back in the Imperial War and the Great Rising of the Undead?”

I just nodded, amused at the half-dwarf’s reaction.

“You’re really a man worthy of legends, lad,” he quipped. “No one has ever ensnared the heart of the famous Lady Seirna.”

“I think you’re misunderstanding our relationship,” I countered. “She hates me, though we’ve worked together before, too. So, I guess, the hate is still there, though not as strong as before.”

“Trust me, lad. A lady won’t show herself at her hated enemy’s place, unless she wants something from him.”

“Like killing me?”

“Possible, but has she attempted it lately?”

“Who knows? But yes, I’m still alive.”

“Did she threaten you in any form before?”

“Yes?”

“How about the recent?”

I shook my head.

“She likes you.”

“A good joke.”

“I’ve had my share of women, lad. And even though she isn’t now, she might be later.”

“I do not wish for it.”

The dwarf-prince only laughed. Then, when our breakfast came, I brought him back to our intended topic, “Your Highness, what about the rings I ordered? What’s up with those?”

“Ah yes, that’s the reason I came back so soon, laddie! Thanks for reminding me of that,” the Prince Uhrian washed off the food from his mouth with ale, before continuing, “I think it will take a while.”

“Eh? Well, not that I mind, but is there any reason there’s a delay?”

“My friends in Equality say there’s a problem with the guilds there,” he replied. “I don’t have the exact details, but there’s another infighting among the guild leaders. Still, nothing to worry about, lad. It’s normal among us, dwarves…my people are always greedy for that extra profit, see?”

That’s certainly troublesome, but it’s not like I could do something about it. The issue was among the dwarves themselves, so I was out of the equation. However, like those mischievous ladies, I also had a ‘charm offensive’ of my own.

Nevertheless, if those rings can’t make it my time, how can I surprise them?

“Something in your mind, lad?”

“N-Nothing, Your Highness,” I tried to smile, though I guess the Prince Uhrian still saw the worry on my face. “Well, if I have to be honest, the saints’ plan to celebrate Christmas here coincided with my plans to surprise them with those rings.”

“K-Kri—what?”

“Christmas. A festival back in my world. You saw those decorations being put up earlier? Those are for this occasion.”

“Hmm…I don’t know much about your old world, lad, but it seems the delay will greatly affect your plans to woo the ladies,” the dwarf-prince then stood up and smoothened his clothes. “If that’s the case, then I should be going.”

“Where to?”

“I can’t let you—a dear friend and child to me—fail, laddie!” the Prince Uhrian winked. “I have to hurry back to Equality and get your wedding rings done.”

“Eh? Won’t you stay here, at least, until after the celebration of Christmas?”

The dwarf-prince looked at a nearby calendar, “When is it?”

“We’ll be starting a few days from now, though the greatest celebrations will be held by September 25.”

He shook his head, “No can do, lad. A dwarf’s got to keep his oath to deliver; even as I am a halfling! Besides, don’t fret; I love to help the legendary hero of Chersea!”

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***On the other side of the Saint’s Tree palace…***

“Okay, so now that we got His Majesty preoccupied with the preparations for ‘Christmas’,” Missy began the meeting between her and the saints with those words, “it’s time that we set the schedules.”

“Schedules?” the Beastman Saint asked.

“Err, Your Holinesses, aren’t we going on a date with His Majesty the King on Christmas Day?”

“Oh?”

“We’re going to subtly seduce him, remember?”

Maddie spoke, “I thought we’re going to ambush him and—”

“Shut it, horny girl!” Seirna snapped and interrupted her, gently slapping her head. “Won’t your mouth speak of decency?”

“Decency is boring,” the Human Saint stretched out her arms, not hiding the fact she was bored. “My mom said if you love someone, you have to jump on him and never let go!”

“Your mom is the Seductress, just to remind you.”

“She still has a point,” Maddie countered. “To win, sometimes, you have to observe your foe!”

The Overseer Saint, seeing that she couldn’t convince her human peer to back down, looked for the others to back her up. However, much to her dismay…

“Hey, you ladies…” Seirna looked at them, bewildered after reading their thoughts, “…you’re all thinking of the same thing?”

“Let’s have fun once in a while, Tepphy,” Natasha chuckled, calling out to the Overseer Saint using her old nickname. “And you shouldn’t be so serious all the time. Our enemies are gone, and everyone’s happy. It’s Christmas, anyway.”

Seirna could only shake her head. Then, she uttered a teleportation spell, “You ladies do what you want. Don’t come crying back to me if you failed miserably.” After declaring that, she disappeared in a flash of light.

“Uhm…aren’t we going after her?” Missy asked, looking at her holy companions.

“Nope,” the Lady Hinwe told her. “Besides, even if we try to follow her, we don’t know where the Lady Seirna went. So, the teleportation spell is useless.”

Ruro smirked, sticking her tongue out, “Well, as if we cried to her about my Master.”

“Didn’t we actually do just that,” Noir pointed out, “…when Her Holiness the Human Saint went on a rampage?”

“I-I mean, when Kuro keeps on breaking our hearts.”

“He did?”

“Not in a bad way,” the Beastwoman Saint laughed. “But yes, the longer he keeps us hanging, the more my heart breaks.”

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So, the preparations for Christmas went forward. With the saints’ blessings and proclamations, the celebrations were scheduled, and disseminated across Chersea, Cherwind, the Demon Republic, and Cherwoods. To give reason for the season, the feast was given another meaning, though the principles were the same as the original one from Kuro and Cassandra’s world. Of course, the common folk—still under nostalgia from the reason expositions—wished for more festivities, and so they willingly joined the merry-making.

As for Kuro, the sudden influx of tourists arriving from Chersea and Cherwind made him busy with the security arrangements for the ‘attractions’ in Cherwoods. The ancient forest canopy of the elf realm—while not as dark as Earth’s night sky—was suitable for the lights show, made possible by the light ornaments installed at the tree branches. However, the relative darkness still made it possible for the ‘monsters’ left by the ‘Seductress’, as well as other dangers, to lurk around and pose threats to the guests. So, the Soldiers from the former Elvish Expeditionary Force were stationed at various spots over the entire forest, including the border areas, just to make sure that everything’s safe and secure.

For the native elves of Cherwoods, the human, beastmen and Chersean elf visitors to their land were an unwelcome sight. However, they needed money and other commodities to live, so they had no other choice but to put up with the revelers. The businesses Kuro brought in from the other realms came in handy as well, for the young locals could find work at a higher pay rate compared before. With everyone busy in improving their lives, or sightseeing, there was little room for fomenting dissent and nurturing rebellions. The native elves had a few minor complaints—which they directed to Kuro, but that’s just it.

Meanwhile…

“Erm…Kuro, what’s this?” Maddie’s surprise was written all over her face when her fiancée gave her an envelope.

“Ah, something that I know you’d surely like,” Kuro replied, quite uneasy as he never had done what he’s about to do before.

The Human Saint opened the sealed letter, and when she got to read it, she looked back at her fiancée with disappointed eyes, “It’s…blank? What are you doing? Some kind of a prank?”

Kuro chuckled, “Nah, but please don’t read my mind just yet. Well, can you apply a little heat on the paper?”

“You mean burn it?”

“No!” he nearly snatched it away from her. “Just a little heat would do.”

“Alright…” so the Human Saint did as she was told with her magic. And then, much to her delight, letters started to appear on the paper’s surface. “Can I…”

“Can I ask you to a date?” Kuro continued.

Maddie stared at him; a bit dumbfounded. But then, when her senses returned, she quipped, “You could’ve just asked me straight away, and my answer will be a resounding ‘yes’.”

“Adding a little flair won’t hurt. And I’d like to spend time with you this Christmas.”

The Human Saint found herself unable to speak; she only stared back at her fiancée, as the letter she held dropped from her hands.

“Maddie?” Kuro waved a hand on her face, but she remained catatonic. Amused, he took hold of her shoulders and gently shook her awake.

“W-What happened?”

“Nothing,” he smiled. “I just want to be the one doing the romantic work for once. And seeing that you’re happy about it, my hunches are correct.”

“O-O-Of course!” the Human Saint’s cheeks were blushing, and her ears were beet red. She tried fighting back Kuro’s aggression, but realized she couldn’t look straight into his eyes. “B-But do-don’t get your hopes u-up, you virgin!” she countered.

“As if you’re not a virgin yourself,” Kuro shot back.

“Why do you keep on teasing me?”

“Are you mad?”

Maddie shook her sheepishly, before saying, “We-Well, it’s not like I hate this side of you…I mean, it’s a fresh pace to the usual timid Kuro.”

“Timid, huh?” Kuro laughed. “Well, yes, I’m usually timid, but for some reason today, it’s like something influenced my head. I hope no one’s been spiking what I was drinking, or eating?”

“Wh-Where did that come from? Of course not! We may be scheming something, but we haven’t reached that—oh…”

“Looks like I caught a blabbermouth.”

The Human Saint’s face was redder than before.

“As a teacher, I will hand you your punishment.”

“!!!” However, Kuro never let her speak further; he gently led her to look at him, and without a second of delay, drew his lips close to hers. Maddie’s sense quickly dissolved as the man she loved brought her something she had never experienced before. She tried to push back, to give herself time to think things over, but Kuro won’t let her. And then, when Maddie was about to lose herself in ecstasy, the moment ended.

“I’ll see you later, Your Holiness,” Kuro pinched her cheeks a little, then left the room just as fast as when he came in.

Maddie didn’t know what just had happened. Nevertheless, it was a fun experience for her.

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“What just happened to you guys?” was the question Seirna asked the moment she returned to the Saint’s Tree palace. She came upon her fellow saints—as well as the Usarved princess and the dog-lady, with their minds floating in the air. As she read their thoughts, all of it was blank; the only one who’s conscious enough to be of use was the elf head maid of the Lady Hinwe, Meanor, who was attending to them when Seirna arrived.

“A storm named ‘Lord Kuro’ appeared,” she explained, with an amused look on her face. “As far as to what I can gather, apparently, milord turned the tables on them by his own charm offensive. And now, they’re all like this.”

“That otherworlder…he did this?”

Meanor nodded.

“I’m surprised that guy has a backbone at all!”

“The Lord Kuro has all kinds of surprises up his sleeve,” the elf maid chuckled. “He’s the enemy of elves, though also a dear friend.”

“Yeah, I understand. You elves are monogamous, after all.”

“I don’t mind joining the competition, though. My mistress is in, anyway.”

Seirna just stared back Meanor, and sarcastically grinned. Then, she shook the others awake, “Hey! Get a hold of yourselves, everyone!”

“O-Oh…Lady Seirna, y-you’re back,” the Lady Hinwe quipped.

“What’s going on?”

“Kuro’s…on a charm offensive,” Ruro replied in a dreamy voice. “I can’t believe he can be like that…intense.”

Looking at her peers moving as if in a trance, Seirna peered into their minds, as everyone’s guards—even those of the saints—were down. The Overseer Saint didn’t like what she saw; it nearly made her cringe. She immediately regretted peeking into their thoughts.

“W-Well, ladies…” it was Maddie, already sober. “Since Kuro has taken the initiative, I guess now’s the time to grab the opportunity to pin him down, don’t you think?”

“I agree,” Natasha quipped. “He can’t hide nor run this time. We’ll meet him halfway!”

“If that’s the case,” the Beastman Saint declared, “I’ll get the others and teleport them here. With the Seductress gone and everything’s fine, it’s finally time that we all settle down!”

There was a chorus of agreement with almost everyone in the room, except for the Overseer Saint, who was in her usual, distant self. However, at that moment, Seirna realized something: though she hated to admit it, the time of the Lord Gaius was finally over. If there’s someone fit to succeed him, it was the otherworlder, Kuro…

After all, everyone gets along with each other, as long as he is at the helm.

“…”

The Overseer Saint could only shake her head, but there was a pleasant smile on her lips.