CHAPTER 9.5: DATE

***Hotel Mevingia, the city of Temun, Equality, several days later…***

“Oh? Where’s the otherworlder and the Nerfes princess?”

Lady Hughes, with her eyes focused on the game she was playing on her phone, answered, “As far as I know, Kuro took the princess out on a date. Our tour last time left a sour taste to us, so those two decided to make for the lost opportunity.”

“I see…” Seirna nodded. “But wouldn’t it be a problem? They need tour guides in this place, right?”

“Well, yes…that’s why I asked an acquaintance of mine to watch them. This journey was forced to me by my uncle, after all. So, I’d take a break whenever I like; if you have problems, you better tell the Prince Uhrian.”

“I’ve got no business with him until recently,” the Overseer Saint reiterated. “However, if you think both of you can hide things from me, you’re forgetting that I’m a saint, Lady Hughes. And I’m the one who wrote the spells to make your thoughts hidden from my peers.”

“W-What are you trying to tell me?”

“I know your plans,” Seirna smirked, though she cast a floating spell on herself as she relaxed. “And, I’m just going along with everything…because like the Human Saint, we have the same goals. I’ll protect the otherworlder until his ascension to godhood; that’s according to the Lord Gaius’ will, which is my duty to uphold. As such, I will go to the Queen of the Miners.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t that part of your uncle’s plans?” she pointed out. “The Cole Miners’ Guild is conspiring to launch a rebellion against the Church of the Golden Hammer, forming an army of planes and pilots to attack Hemelin. Likewise, you also need to go to Hemelin…”

“I’ve got no business there.”

“Is it really so?” Seirna laughed. “We have a saying: ‘the mortals say lies, but a heart’s desire never dies’. Think about it.”

Silence. The dwarf lady decided to ignore what the Overseer Saint had said, and just focus on her phone. Likewise, Seirna knew the benefits of being inside a group of people with the same plans, so not only did she never wanted to intervene against the Human Saint and the Prince Uhrian, she would push those plans to fruition.

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***Somewhere in the upper ground district of Temun…***

So far, the experience in Equality—while Kuro was awfully familiar with the technologies present there—was not really desirable. Having come from a ‘technologically-backward’ realm, Lily was taking time to adjust in the modern conveniences of the dwarf land. And to add to their woes, Equality reeked of those ‘SJWs’, people Kuro was bad in dealing with, complete with their noisy mouths, and aggressive attitudes.

“…”

Ironically, their ‘tour guide’ this was the dwarf, Albrecht. Lady Hughes introduced him as one of her underlings in Temun, though he had a gang of his own (which they call a ‘guild’ as opposed to ‘syndicate’, similar to the legitimate businesses in the city). Albrecht’s group specialized in trafficking and creating sexual content, the latter was actually a ‘legal front’ for his guild; it was tolerated by the local church officials.

In order to avoid attracting unnecessary attention to them, Kuro and Lily wore cloaks. Oddly enough, while they were called ‘dwarves’, Equality’s denizens were as tall as the humans of Chersea. The only difference from the usual humans were their stocky bodies, and the prominent beards for most of the male population. Female dwarves were also muscly, though their faces were devoid of beards (which Kuro was thankful for), for they were lovers of ‘heavy’ work and industries.

“It’s the nutrition,” Lady Hughes told Kuro before, when he asked about the height similarities. “You see, dwarves of old were of smaller height than us, including my uncle. When the Golden Hammer arrived, he put emphasis on the food our people eat, so we got bigger and taller.”

Being a teacher himself, Kuro was aware of the effects of good nutrition. However, while he believed in science, he didn’t expect that it significantly changed the ‘attribute’ of one famous fantasy race he only read in books before. Nevertheless, it was logical explanation. For all he could remember, the soldiers of the United States army during the US Civil War were also of smaller height than the Americans of his time, and it coincided with the improvement of the food they eat.

Well, so much for that…

Albrecht, for his part, wasn’t the definition of the ‘traditional’ dwarf. He had a stubble on his chin, instead of a long beard. He also wore a pair of dark-colored glasses, and a colorful polo shirt. If anything, their ‘tour guide’ resembled a ‘yakuza’ more, than a guild dwarf prominent in classic fantasy stories. And to match his clothes, he always wore a sarcastic grin on his mouth, and a feisty attitude to hit on pretty girls.

“This is the highest place in Temun aside from the airship tower,” the dwarf brought them to one of the skyscrapers in the city. “The airship tower was off-limits for regular tourists, unless they’re boarding for a flight. So, this is where I can bring you.”

“It’s fine, thanks,” Kuro handed him a gold coin. “Are there any restaurants in this place?”

“There is,” Albrecht pointed towards the nearest store. “If you’re looking for the fancier type, I suggest you move to another, much bigger city. Temun’s too rural for those, see?”

“Ah, thanks for the help,” the duke gave him another coin. “You can buy food for yourself; come back here after an hour.”

The dwarf remained poker-faced. However, Kuro could see the gleam in Albrecht’s eyes the moment he laid sight on the gold coins he earned.

“Won’t he come and eat lunch with us?” Lily asked.

“I’d like to be alone with you,” Kuro replied. “After all, what’s a lovers’ date for if we are three people?”

“R-Right,” having been in the underworld for long, Albrecht could immediately tell if he was not welcome. Add to that the ‘bad blood’ between him and the duke, he sought to take his leave without much humiliation.

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When the dwarf boss left, Lily questioned her companion. “Why did you send him away? Are you still angry at him?”

“Well, yes,” the duke answered, followed with a nod. “I still haven’t forgiven him for the disrespect you suffered from him and his guys.”

“I see…” the Iron Princess playfully pinched his cheeks. “I was surprised when you acted so cold towards Mister Albrecht. It’s not your usual; though, I don’t hate it. I love you more when you protect me, Kuro.”

“Of course, I’m your future husband, so it’s my duty. Besides, I didn’t like the way that dwarf looks at you. I may not be a saint, but I can tell when a fellow male is removing your clothes through his eyes.”

“Oh? I haven’t noticed he looks at me like that,” Lily exclaimed. “But…more than that, that expression…don’t tell me, are you jealous?”

He nodded once again, “And my job is to protect you, Lily. I will be your husband, and I love you. So, I don’t want anyone to disrespect you…that includes the noble who nearly sold you off as a slave in Hagena.”

The Iron Princess said nothing, though she wrapped her arms around her man. The duke, for his part, reciprocated by kissing the hand nearest to his lips. Their bodies intertwined for a few moments, as they watched Equality’s clouds pass by their spot, along with occasional airships.

“Beautiful…” Lily whispered.

“Hmm?”

“I said ‘beautiful’,” she replied.

“Yes, you are,” Kuro told her.

Lily was speechless for a second once again, for she didn’t know what to say to the duke’s ‘attack’. She originally meant the clouds and the azure skies of Equality, but Kuro saw someone else…herself. Her cheeks were warm, and she gently squeezed an arm of his, while burying her face on his broad shoulders.

“Lily?”

“Yep?”

“Nothing much,” Kuro paused for a second. “Just want to say again, I love you.”

“Mhmm…” the head maid’s heartbeats went fast.

“Thanks for loving me. I mean, I may not be your ‘dream’ man, but I’ll give you my best.”

“Kuro, why are you saying those?” she chuckled. “Don’t be like that; you sound as if you’re going to die again.”

“Haha! You read too much of Lady Hinwe’s ‘girl’ stories,” the duke countered, but he turned serious. “Well, I’m still mortal, thought I returned from the dead because of you guys.”

Lily’s embrace tightened for a bit. “Ah, Kuro, please…don’t make me remember. Those six years without you were sad. Yes, we did smile and laugh, but…there’s a lingering hole in our hearts that we can’t fill up, and we don’t know why. It’s as if we’re longing for someone; it turns out, it’s you we’re missing.”

“Sorry…”

“Don’t be! At least, I know why that thing happened, and why we are here…risking our peaceful lives in Chersea to find a long-lost saint, buried in some mountain somewhere in this land.”

“Thanks for the support as always…”

“I’ll always be on your side Kuro. Maddie, Eris, and the others who loves you, too.”

The duke caressed Lily’s hand, as an unspoken assurance and gratitude for her. Even when he was first summoned in Chersea, the head maid was his faithful supporter. And he would do everything to protect her family and future…

“…”

Meanwhile, in some distant spot from where they were, the Overseer Saint, Seirna Stephanie, watched the two lovers spend their intimate moments. In her hands was a letter from the Human Saint…