Chapter 38: The God of Romance?

It was already past noon, though the amber glow of the underworld crystals hardly varied. The only noticeable changes came from the slight adjustments being made to the spatial barrier covering the camp.

Sae was not tired, but a strange feeling had come over her and prompted her to lie down under the shade of a tree on the outskirts of the camp.

This was another world. Everything was new and different.

Even so, some things always stayed the same.

She was still living apart from the rest, right at the center of her civilization. Meanwhile, Osvel and Ily were still as inseparable as ever.

“In fact, they seem closer than ever now…”

Sae covered her face with both hands.

“Am I a bad person for feeling this way?”

Finding no answer, only the frustration swelling inside her, Sae kicked her legs in the air, trying to shake it off.

“…Is everything all right?”

Sae pulled her hands away from her face, dreading the worst, and a blush flooded her cheeks when she saw that her fear had been justified.

“Lord Nereziel…!”

If there had been a hole nearby, she would have loved to hide in it. The most important being any visiare had ever known had just seen her acting like a little girl.

“I-it’s not what it looks like, Lord Nereziel! I was just…! I was just stretching!”

“Really? Because if you have a problem, I wouldn’t mind listening.”

Nerez sat down beside Sae under the shade of the tree. It was not that late yet, but as had been the case all day, the amber light made it seem as though evening had already arrived.

“I don’t think I should be telling you about things like this, Lord Nereziel… they’re just silly problems.”

Lying back on the grass with his eyes closed, Nerez gave her a reassuring smile.

“That’s exactly the kind of problem I don’t mind getting involved in: silly ones. If we were talking about a divine war, I would’ve hidden very far away by now…”

Although, if I’m being honest, preparing for something like that is exactly why I came to hide in the underworld in the first place.

“I think anyone would hide in the middle of a divine war, Lord Nereziel…”

“Well? I’m not always going to be willing to listen to other people’s problems. This is your chance.”

Sae drew her knees to her chest and buried her face between them for a few moments. But when she finally raised her head, she broke the silence while her gaze drifted toward the horizon.

“I’m scared, Lord Nereziel.”

Nerez slowly opened his eyes. Far above, he could see the ceiling of the enormous cavern, embedded with thousands of crystals, while the mysterious underground breeze carried the scents of the valley with it.

“That’s understandable. You’re in a new world, and everything you knew no longer exists… But… even if your previous world is gone, fortunately all of you are safe. That’s what matters most. And you don’t have to worry. Avelle will make sure things stay that way.”

“That isn’t it, Lord Nereziel… I’m scared of what will happen to our friendship if I confess my feelings to Osvel… If Osvel rejects me, will the three of us still be able to stay friends? And if Osvel accepts my confession, what will Ily say? What does Ily feel for Osvel?”

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The more Sae spoke, the paler Nerez became.

“I see… matters of the heart… Mmm, that’s not exactly my strong suit, to be honest…”

“I’m just being silly, aren’t I?”

Nerez swallowed, regretting the mess he had just gotten himself into.

Compared to the romantic troubles of the young, maybe a divine war did not seem so terrible after all.

“No, no, not at all… If I were in your place, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.”

“Haha, I can’t imagine Lord Nereziel having this kind of problem. Surely you must have many wives and a legion of friends…”

Nerez looked at her as if he did not understand a single word of what he had just heard.

“The only thing I have is a semi-pet that bites the hand that feeds her… Besides, I’ve only had one date in my life (lives?), and let’s just say it didn’t go very well.”

Now it was Sae who looked at him as if she did not understand a single word of what she had just heard.

“How can that be possible? What happened on that date?”

“I don’t remember it very well. It was too many years ago, honestly… Although I can say that, among other things, I died.”

“You… died?”