CH932

Despite the conversation with the gods going about as well as it could have, Ben still felt worn out as he made it home, left to wonder just what the fallout would be. Warning Phixth had been a whim, something to let him see if it would ease some of the expected angry results, but he was already sure that the next time he enraged the gods wouldn’t be the last, leaving a certain level of stress with it. Time felt so short, he didn’t want to waste it having to defend all of the things he would do nor argue for the sake of his existence, he just didn’t want anyone getting in his way.

Which is going to happen. He already knew. Even if I don’t level my sacrilege anymore, once word eventually gets out, someone’s going to raise a stink and maybe even try to get in the way of what I can accomplish in the time I have left. Ugh, there’s just too much.

It had been nine days since his last level to that particular skill. Considering it had gone up only a week before that, he knew that hoping for another so soon was unreasonable but it just felt so unbelievably slow. Each day he was spending tens of thousands of years using Quox’s soul to try and improve, breaking it down and rebuilding it any time the mental damage became too great but he still wasn’t getting the sort of progress he wanted.

And on a lot of fronts too. He thought with a sigh. I know I’m being unreasonable trying to level a third-tier skill as fast as I can, but I’m never going to get used to how long this is taking considering how I’m training it. No wonder nobody else ever managed to get more than a single level to one.

He tried to keep it from touching his face as he went inside though, finding Thera reading in the living room with Mora asleep against her arm, instantly lightening his heart.

“How’d that go?” she asked him as he went over, gently kissing her for what comfort it could bring before he scooped Mora up to tuck into bed.

“About as well as I could have hoped. Even if it wasn’t much, I think I managed to talk him into working as a healer from here on out which is better than leaving him to wallow in despair and Abel’s going to stay with him for a while till he gets back on his feet which will… probably be fine? No, she wanted to, it will be fine, even if they’ll probably end up bickering.”

“And is any of that related to a notification I got not too long ago?”

“Ah, Velmet’s blessing? Yeah, she was grateful we managed to save Foast instead of taking any potentially easier options. Love a god that knows how to properly show their gratitude, she goes in my good books.”

“Hmm, and are you okay?” she asked, seeing right through him as they put Mora to bed and retired to their own room. “You seem stressed.”

“I think being stressed is currently a pretty normal response to things right now,” he smiled, trying to lighten up amidst thoughts of all of his worries and goals swarming his head. “But I’m fine. Just thinking about how much it feels like there still is to do in the next few months and how it’s all going to go.”

“Ha, what? Suddenly you don’t like working yourself to death?” she tried to joke, making his smile slightly more earnest as he took her hand before she could start to change, to spin her and pull her into a dance in the comfort of their room.

“Working myself to death is only fun when it’s on my terms. When the world’s falling down around me and forcing me into it, not so much. Little moments like this though? Much, much better.”

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“This is nice,” she muttered, resting her head against his chest. “Could use some music to go with the dance though.”

“Coming up.”

A small bit of his power went to materializing a music box, playing as it went and was rewarded with a sparkling smile.

“And showing you’re pretty talented when it comes to romance too, maybe you could get a title for that one day instead of the insane ones you usually do.”

“Ha, maybe Anailia could give me one sometime. Beloved son-in-law of the love goddess has a good ring to it, right?”

“It’s a little wordy.”