When Eidolon opened his eyes, he was back in a soft, warm bed.
The room was quiet, except for the soft breathing of Princess Seraphina. She was fast asleep in a chair right next to his bed. Eidolon stared at her, confused. Why is she here?
The door clicked open, and Sir Leon stepped in. "Oh, finally you're awake! You've been sleeping off that mana exhaustion all night."
"Why is the Princess here?" Eidolon asked in a low voice.
The sound of their voices woke Seraphina. She blinked her groggy eyes and instantly locked onto Eidolon. "Finally! You're awake!"
"When she heard you were injured, she practically begged the Emperor to let her come here," Leon revealed with a chuckle.
Seraphina's face turned red, and she immediately went on the defensive. "You dumb idiot! Why did you go out there alone without waiting for Leon?!"
"Well... exploring dangerous places is part of my job," Eidolon countered smoothly.
"I will kill you if you ever go off alone again without telling anyone!" she shouted, crossing her arms.
"Fine, fine. I get it," Eidolon smiled faintly.
"Kenta is handling things back at the castle," Leon informed them. "Lady Seraphina, we should really be heading back now."
"No! I want to stay in the village for one more day!" Seraphina demanded.
"Princess, it's still dangerous here outside the barrier," Leon sighed.
"I don't care! One more day!"
Leon rubbed his temples. "Alright... one more day."
"Yes!" she cheered.
"Anyway," Eidolon interjected, his voice growing serious. "Where did Gluttony and that other demon go?"
"They left the area last night," Leon replied confidently. "We put up a high-level magical barrier around the village this morning. No demons can get in; only registered villagers are here now."
Eidolon clenched his fist against the sheets. Damn it... if I had just trained more, I could have beaten that monster.
"Speaking of training," Leon smiled, "the Emperor has planned a special schedule for you! Tomorrow, you are set to travel to the Elven Kingdom for advanced combat training."
"Nooo!" Seraphina interrupted immediately. "He needs to stay here to protect me! First, he should practice here for at least two weeks. Besides, I want him to train me so I can become powerful too!"
Leon chuckled at her enthusiasm. "As you wish, Princess."
"What about the construction of my shop?" Eidolon asked.
"It's underway! It should be finished in a few days."
"Finally," Eidolon sighed with relief.
Seraphina hopped up from her chair, her eyes sparkling. "Since you're feeling better, let's go explore the village! I want to show you the flower fields."
"Nah," Eidolon groaned, pulling the blanket up. "I'd rather rest."
Fwoosh!
A small, controlled fireball hit the edge of the mattress, and Eidolon tumbled out of bed and onto the hard floor.
"Let's go, or next time I won't aim for the blanket!" Seraphina threatened playfully.
"Okay, fine! I'm going!" Eidolon grumbled.
Leon waved them off. "I have to finish up some paperwork with the elder. Eidolon, please protect the Princess out there."
"Hmph! I'm not a kid, I can protect myself," Seraphina pouted.
A Walk in the Fields
Outside, the weather was perfect. The sun was warm and the breeze was cool.
"The weather is really nice here," Seraphina smiled, spinning around.
"Yeah, Princess."
She stopped and looked at him. "Stop calling me 'Princess.' Just call me Seraphina."
"But why?" Eidolon asked.
"I don't like it when you use formal titles on me when it's just us. It feels cold."
Eidolon blinked, noticing her blush. "Okay, Seraphina. As you wish."
"Oh look, Eidolon! These flowers are so beautiful!" She ran into a field of colorful blooms.
I hate flowers, Eidolon thought bitterly. My heart is colorless. I can't appreciate things like this anymore.
"Which one do you like best, Eidolon?"
"I guess the red rose is fine," he said, shrugging.
"Oh yeah, it smells so good!"
Suddenly, a slender hand reached into the field, plucked a pure white rose, and held it out to Eidolon. "Smell this one, Eidolon."
Eidolon turned and his breath hitched. It was Emilia. She was dressed in simple villager clothes, smiling innocently.
"Emilia!" Eidolon gasped. "Are you okay? Sorry I ran off on you last night."
"No problem at all! After you left, I just went straight home," she smiled sweetly.
Seraphina was watching the interaction with narrowed, suspicious eyes. "Eidolon... who is this?"
"She's the girl I met by the river last night," Eidolon explained, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You pervert!!" Seraphina screamed, her hands erupting in flames. "You saw a girl bathing in the dark?! What did you do to her?!"
"He didn't see anything, Princess, I swear!" Emilia giggled, coming to Eidolon's defense. "We just talked a little bit afterward."
"Oh. Good." Seraphina's fire died down, though she still looked a bit jealous. "What's your name?"
"I'm Emilia. I'm just a simple villager. I live alone... I don't have any family."
"Oh, it's nice to meet you, Emilia! Hey, since you live here, do you want to join us? You can show us the best spots in the village!"
"I would love to, Princess!" Emilia beamed.
Great, Eidolon groaned mentally. She has no idea who she's inviting to hang out.
A False Heaven
Emilia led them to a massive, ancient tree with sprawling branches that blocked out the harsh sun. It was incredibly cool and peaceful.
"Wow... I love this place," Eidolon admitted.
"Me too! It's beautiful," Seraphina agreed.
"When I feel lonely, I always come here," Emilia said softly, looking at Eidolon.
"This place is like heaven," Seraphina sighed, before pulling a large woven basket out from behind her back. "And I brought picnic food!"
Eidolon groaned. "Are you kidding me? We didn't come out here for a picnic. I'm leaving."
Instantly, both Seraphina and Emilia grabbed one of his arms, locking him in place.
"Stay here!" they both commanded in unison.
Eidolon sighed, realizing he was trapped. He sat down between them on the soft grass. As they ate, the conversation turned personal.
"Emilia," Seraphina asked, chewing on a sandwich. "Have you ever been to the Royal Capital?"
"No, never. I've lived here my whole life."
"Oh, you have to come back with us! You can be my friend at the castle!"
Emilia looked surprised. "Me? But I'm just a commoner. I can't live in the palace with the Princess."
"Shush! I say you can, so you can!" Seraphina insisted.
These girls are going to cook my brain, Eidolon thought, rubbing his temples.
Emilia smiled and leaned closer to Eidolon. "So, Eidolon... have you ever loved anyone?"
Seraphina's ears perked up instantly. "Yeah, tell us about that!"
Eidolon went quiet for a few seconds. The memory of the girl laughing at his bloody body in the mud flashed before his eyes. "Yeah," he said, his voice dropping to a cold, hollow tone. "There was once a loser who loved a girl with everything he had. But in the end, it was all a lie. I don't believe in love anymore. It's just a hollow word."
Both girls stared at him, feeling the sudden chill in his voice. To break the heavy mood, both of them suddenly shoved a piece of cake into his mouth at the same time.
"Don't say such sad things!" Seraphina pouted. "As long as you are with us..."
"You won't have to feel like that," Emilia finished smoothly.
Eidolon chewed the cake, surprised by the sweetness. "Well... this cake is really good."
"You know what we are trying to say!" Seraphina blushed.
"He loves your handmade cake so much, Seraphina," Emilia teased.
Eidolon smiled, wanting to tease them back. "This place really is like heaven. It's so peaceful. But you know, if both of you left, the peace would increase by a lot."
"Hmph!!" Both girls turned away from him, pouting.
"Hey, Seraphina," Emilia whispered with a devious glint in her pink eyes. "What do you say we tickle him for being so mean?"
"That is a brilliant idea!" Seraphina grinned.
Eidolon's eyes went wide. "Wait... what are you talking about? Stay back!"
Before he could run, both girls lunged at him, tickling his sides relentlessly. Eidolon, who was used to life-or-death battles, was completely defenseless against the two laughing girls.
"Stop! Please, spare me!" Eidolon laughed desperately, rolling on the grass.
They played and laughed until the sun began to set, painting the sky in beautiful shades of orange and purple. Seraphina and Emilia sat close to Eidolon, leaning against him as they watched the horizon.
"It's beautiful," Seraphina whispered.
Suddenly, Leon stepped into the clearing, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh boy! You've only been here a day and you've already found two girls to marry?"
Both Seraphina and Emilia blushed furiously and pulled away from Eidolon.
"Not a chance, sir!" Eidolon teased, fixing his ruffled clothes. "These two are way too annoying. I'm charging extra on my paycheck for today."
"You are so mean!" Seraphina huffed.
Leon laughed, but as his eyes landed on Emilia, his smile faded slightly. He studied her closely. "Who is this girl, anyway?"
"She's my new bestie! Her name is Emilia, and she's coming back to the castle with us," Seraphina announced.
Leon's eyes narrowed subtly. "I see. Well, just make sure she doesn't do anything wrong. We can't be too trusting of strangers, your Highness."
"I trust her," Eidolon spoke up, surprising even himself. "She's a good person."
Emilia's eyes widened, and a genuine blush dusted her cheeks.
"Alright, if Eidolon trusts her, I'll allow it," Leon chuckled. "Sounds like you really are going to get married soon!"
"Tch! What the hell..." Eidolon muttered.
As they all packed up and began to walk back toward the carriage to return to the capital, Eidolon felt a sudden prickle of danger.
He looked back toward the dense bushes just outside the glowing perimeter of the village's new magical barrier. Through the dark leaves, a pair of malevolent, glowing red eyes were staring directly at him