Chapter 165: The Strange-Looking Mole

- Central Abelis, Marcobus City, The Next Day – Rose's POV –

By the time I was finished catching up with my family and visiting my grandma it was already late in the day. Too late to fulfill my promise with our resident innocent to go with her when she went to visit her boyfriend. The once cowardly goblin had apparently become much more manly since we last saw him, and it made her too nervous to go alone. A fact that made her tear-filled plea all the more adorable and only added to the bit of smug satisfaction I got for being more trusted than her own boyfriend. I was the one she trusted above all else, well our friend group was, and it brought me much more joy than I had expected it to.

[Yeetsil! You’re safe! I-I was so worried when I heard!] - Urz

[U-Urz?!? W-Why are you here?!? I thought you were on the Eastern Front?!?] - Yeetsil

[U-Um, I-I came with Ro- I-I mean L-Lady Rose, when she was transferred. Do you- Do you not want me here?] - Urz

Oh goddess! Those eyes! Those damnable puppy dog eyes!!!

You better say yes you green bastard! If you don’t, I’ll take her for myself! Karen and I can share this adorable shortstack Kappa!

[No! I-I mean yes! I mean... I do want you here. I just...] - Yeetsil

[Just what, lover boy?] - Karen

[Ah! I mean... Umm... I’m just worried for your safety...] - Yeetsil

Seemingly just realizing that he had an audience, the poor shrimp barely managed to pull out a halfway decent answer, his eyes wide as he likely realized why we were there.

Luckily for him, both Karen and I were immensely satisfied with his answer, so, after getting a nod from our sweet roll, we backed off a bit to give the lovers some space. Some chaperoned space. But space, nonetheless.

The sigh of a lovestruck Argent greeting us as we did.

[Hah... if only...] - Argent

[If only a certain boy was here and was smart enough to treat you like that you mean?] - Karen

[W-W-Who said anything about Ogi?!?] - Argent

[I didn’t mention Ogi’s name, now did I?] - Karen

[I-B-But I-!?!] - Argent

Her goose was cooked. She knew it. We knew it. I mean she’d all but confessed about her feelings for the big lug, now she just needed to actually confess. Too bad we had no idea where the Ogre had been stationed, apparently his tribe was loosely affiliated with the Alliance, so they were participating, I just had no idea where.

Speak of the devil though...

[Oh? Is that Argent? And her friends too! Hey guys!] - Ogi

[O-O-Ogi?!? What are you doing here?!?] - Argent

[Well, me and the tribe were asked to shore up Yeetsil and his gang since we know each other. Didn’t think I’d see you guys too!] - Ogi

[That... actually makes sense. Is everyone else here?] - Karen

[None of those pencil pushers tells me anything like that so I have no idea. Not that I’m complaining, I get to smash any head I want in as long as it has a Church helmet on it! Gahahaha!] - Ogi

[W-W-Why are you so nonchalant about it?!? Wh-What if you get hurt?!? What if I... AH! Nevermind!] - Argent

[Argent?!? Argent wait! Umm, it was nice seeing you guys, I’ll see you later! Oh, and don’t forget that you both owe me a fight so be sure to survive so I can cave your face in! Gahahaha!] - Ogi

And there they go...

Seemingly realizing what she was about to say my knight immediately went crimson before bolting off into the crowd, Ogi following immediately behind her with a strange face I’d not seen before. Maybe...?

[You know... For a knight that’s supposedly in charge of protecting you she runs off on her own a lot...] - Karen

[I assure you, Lady Karen, that I am sufficient for that task. No need for some amateur.] - Annabelle

[Riiiight... anyway did you see that expression on Ogi’s face? You think he knows about her feelings?!?] - Karen

[Maybe...? I mean, knowing that big guy, it might just be from him being satisfied with all the new opportunities to fight. Or maybe he’s constipated?] - Rose

[Nah, that’s the face of a man that knows about someone’s feelings and isn’t sure how to react.] - Karen

[You got all that from a facial expression?] - Rose

[Call it... woman’s intuition.] - Karen

[Riiiight...] - Rose

- Central Abelis, Marcobus City, The Next Day – Rose's POV –

That night was uneventful. After meeting up with Yeetsil, and coincidentally, Ogi, we learned that most of S-Class had been called back to this front, the ones actually participating anyway, but the bulk of them had not yet arrived. So, we’d quickly finished our errands and I’d split from the group to have dinner with my family. Karen came too and, despite a bit of teasing from my “now girlfriend” the night passed without drama. Momma, Papa and Grandpa didn’t say anything, but I think they knew that something had changed between the two of us, their knowing looks punctuated the evening meal as they tried to subtly pull something out of the two of us. Luckily, we’d had a discussion to wait to tell them for now until everything was over, so Karen stopped at just a bit of teasing rather than outright flirting in front of my family. The knowing smirk from momma told me everything I needed to know.

And so, we left the rented noble villa in the morning to run a few more errands, meeting up with Argent along the way. Only to fall into a deep discussion after a certain bombshell was dropped.

[Right! And then he asked me to marry him!] - Argent

[Is that so... Wait what?!?] - Karen

[Oh! Congratulations Argent! Did you say yes?] - Urz

It took us a few seconds to comprehend her words, so strange was the revelation, that the both of us just blanked out in disbelief before Urz chimed in with her congratulations.

[W-Well I-I told him that he’d have to get permission from my-] - Argent

[Now wait just a damn minute! Did you just say that Ogi, the giant battle crazy ogre that you’ve been lusting over since we were children, asked you to marry him?!?] - Karen

[Y-Yes?] - Argent

Her confused expression would’ve been adorable in any other situation but in this one it was just infuriating. How could she possibly be shocked by our incredulity? And, as was often the case, Karen shared that same shock as she tripped over her words trying to express her surprise.

[Whe-How-Why?!?] - Karen

[Now now, Karen, let’s ask the poor overwhelmed knight what led up to this development in the first place. Maybe there’s some rational explanation.] - Rose

I mean, there had to be... right? Sure, Karen had thought that Ogi was aware of Argent’s feelings but to actually act on them... And then in such a massive way?!?

[W-Well, as you know, when I ran away from Ogi last night he followed after me.

At first, I just thought he’d come to demand a fight like he always did, and I even welcomed it for a chance to clear my head. N-Not that I had anything that needed to be cleared of course!] - Argent

What was this girl saying at this late date? The look on her face practically screams bliss and dream-like happiness. The looks of incredulity on everyone’s face at her words told me that they all thought the same, her feelings were so obvious she may as well have already confessed. The innocent expression on Urz’s face was adorable though. I wonder how far she and Yeetsil have gone?

[...lies.] - Shade

[Definitely a lie.] - Karen

[Agreed.] - Rose

[I agree with the Young Miss.] - Annabelle

[Ah-I-Uh?!?] - Argent

See?!? Even Annabelle chimed in! Even with Annabelle’s seeming disregard for anyone other than myself and my family she still agreed with the sentiment of everyone involved.

Unfortunately for Argent who wasn’t able to think of a comeback as she sputtered helplessly.

[And then?] - Karen

[O-Oh right! Umm... Well... I thought we were going to blow off steam with a fight after not seeing each other for so long but instead he handed me a club.] - Argent

[A club?] - Rose

[…club?] - Shade

[Why?] - Karen

[Yes, just a big wooden club. I was just as confused as you are. A-At least until he told me why...] - Argent

A club? Our resident tsundere blushed because her crush gave her a stick? Am I missing something? It’s times like these that I miss our resident nerd Malaise the most. Veronica too, I guess.

[I say again, why?] - Karen

[W-Well I guess in Ogre culture giving up your weapon is only done to close family members in the safety of your home. I-It's meant to signify that you feel safe with the other person having power over you. I-It's since be-become a bit more important...] - Argent

[Wait so don’t tell me...?] - Karen

[Y-Yes, it was a proposal.] - Argent

That was it? After all this back and forth and fidgeting it turns out that the big lug literally just handed her a weapon? Did he even mean it as a confession?!? What if that idiot just wanted to fight with weapons this time? Did she even ask? Wait...

[Did... Did you actually confirm that he was asking you to marry him?] - Rose

[O-Of course! I mean, what else could it have meant?!? He even said it was only done for someone important that you wanted to be with for the rest of your lives!] - Argent

[But did he actually say those words? Let’s get married? Be my wife? Any of these?] - Karen

[N-No?] - Argent

Oh Goddess, this moron...!

[You lovestruck idiot!] - Karen

[W-What?!?] - Argent

[Something as important as this shouldn’t be based on an assumption! Sure, maaaaaybe you’re interpreting it right. But are you really willing to possibly lose out on the love of your life for a misinterpretation? Well, are you?] - Karen

[N-No? No. No, I’m not.] - Argent

No lying this time. No “putting up a front”. Faced with the possibility of never getting to be with the one she loved, Argent finally became deadly serious. It was a nice change of pace since, while I was sure I was correct about her true feelings, I’d never gotten a definite answer from the embarrassed noble. She was both too proud and too shy to express her feelings in such black and white ways. Now though, I could almost see the deep feelings radiating off the young woman, although we were all only slightly younger than I had been when I died at this point so calling her “young” wasn’t doing as much heavy lifting as it once did when her deep love was more of a youthful crush than anything serious. She actually meant what she said.

[So... what should you do next?] - Karen

[U-Umm, ask Ogi about his feelings?] - Argent

[...weak.] - Shade

[What she said, that’s too little too late at this point! Let’s bite the bullet and go all the way, confess to him directly instead. Get a definitive answer from the giant lug!] - Karen

[Bite the bullet? What does tha- Wait but I can’t just come out and tell him my feelings directly! What if he thinks I’m just some loose woman that professes her love for men indiscriminately?!?] - Argent

[That’s a bit ridiculous, of course he won’t think that. You’ve never even looked at another man let alone confessed to one.] - Rose

[B-But shouldn’t the man do thi-] - Argent

[We’re doing this because neither of you have made your feelings known! Are you really content with waiting for that emotionally stunted lug to confess?!?] - Karen

[Confess... love love.] - Shade

Okay, we’ve cornered her now. Perhaps from desperation or from the overwhelming peer pressure we were currently putting on her, Argent was gradually losing all of her arguments against confessing! Just a little more and...

[G-Guys!] - Urz

[Eek! Oh umm, what’s wrong Urz? For you to yell it must be important?] - Karen

[I-It is, I mean... U-Umm... I-I don’t think this should be something someone is p-pressured into. W-When Yeetsil and I started dating it t-took a lot of courage for us to both express our feelings. I-I think that nervousness is a part of the experience. S-So... Umm... W-We should let them work it out without us!] - Urz

Damn! Also... she’s right. I think, in our excitement, we were putting too much pressure on Argent to conform to our timeline of how her relationship should work. That wasn’t okay. Luckily, for Argent’s love life and our own sakes, we had the innocent cinnamon roll Urz to warn us when we went too far.  It didn’t help with our frustrations, but it was the right thing to do.

[You’re right Urz, I’m sorry. More importantly though, I apologize to you for pushing you so hard, Argent. It wasn’t a thing a friend should do. Please forgive me.] - Rose

[Me too. I got way too into it and spoke out of turn. Sorry about that.] - Karen

[...apology as well.] - Shade

[N-No it’s fine! I know that you guys just care about me and... while I do feel like I’m moving too slowly, I-I think I still need a bit more time to process my feelings for Ogi. I think... perhaps I might ask him after the-] - Argent

[Nooooooo!] - Karen & Rose

[Ah! What was that for?!?] - Argent

[Phew... We stopped her. Don’t ever say that you’ll confess or get married after a war or battle! That’s a one-way ticket to the afterlife! We don’t need any trauma tags!] - Rose

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. With Argent deciding to wait till an “unspecified” later date to confess to Ogi we didn’t really have much to do for the time being. Although, as always, a bit of preparation for any battles in the future was always in order. One that, as we’d soon learn, would be way sooner than we thought it would be.

- Central Abelis, Plains of Opportunity, Pope’s Command Tent – Undercover Spy's POV –

I had just passed the moment of truth and gotten through it with my skin intact. Surprisingly.

Still though, with my current position it was going to be more difficult than ever to hide my espionage activities, with so many eyes on me moving around would be nearly impossible. But, as an official advisor on military strategy to the Cardinals themselves I’d left behind even the most skilled of spies and basically entered the Feros Spider den directly. Even so, even with all that pressure, I’d kept my cool. Until now.

[This is our newest Hero. As you can see, she’s stronger, faster, and more disciplined than a normal soldier. She’s the prime example of a military asset in action.] - General Mercy

[…] - Masked Hero?

[I see... and she’s the lynchpin of this operation? One woman?] - Beatrice

[Of course not, you foolish anima-!] - General Mercy

[Ah ah ah... What my... less eloquent colleague meant to say was that we wouldn’t stake this entire war on the effectiveness of a single individual. No matter how powerful.] - General Compassion

[R-Right, ahem... We’ve been asked to consult with you for further offensives considering your... familiarity with those animals.] - General Mercy

[I’ve been told that you were born and raised within Church territory? In the Holy City, correct?] - General Compassion

[Yes sire, I came to the outskirts with a... merchant caravan... to support the troops in the only way I could and was lucky enough to gain the affections of your newest colleague.] - Beatrice

[I’ve... heard. I’m sure, as devout as you are, you understand the need for such... merchants.] - General Compassion

[H-Hey?!? That’s...] - General Devotion

[It’s fine my love. To answer your question... I do. While I was... sold by mistake, such merchants are truly doing God’s work by civilizing my ignorant peoples. I’m truly thankful to General Devotion for the opportunity to support our righteous cause in a more direct manner.] - Beatrice

[I see. And what part of the Holy City did you live in, where were yo-] - General Compassion

[Enough of this! Let’s discuss what we came here to talk about. This... woman... has already had her past looked into. We don’t need to waste more time on unnecessary discussions!] - General Mercy

Finally losing his temper, the brusque looking military general changed the topic forcefully. I could tell he wasn’t truly comfortable having me here to begin with and this sort of in-depth discussion wasn’t the kind of thing he was particularly good at according to rumors. I was told of his sound tactical mind but also of his impatience for politics of any kind.

A deeply religious man he truly believed the rhetoric spouted by the Church. He believed in the message of civilizing the wilderness. It made him easy to manipulate.

Unlike this General Compassion. The way his eyes scanned my reactions, the pointed questions, it all told me that this was a deeply logical man. One that, I’d been told, was just as devoted to the Church’s message as Mercy but was much more methodical. The rumors didn’t lie. The man’s gaze was deeply unnerving.

[You are, of course, correct, General Mercy. I bow as always to your prudence. I apologize for my line of questioning Lady Beatrice, I myself was born in the Holy City and spent much of my youth in the gutter gangs, before being saved by the local priest, so I may have gotten carried away with my reminiscing. Please forgive me for making you uncomfortable.] - General Compassion

[It is perfectly fine sire, think nothing of it. Now, if we’re going to discuss...] - Beatrice

Phew... that was way too close for comfort. Since it was a part of my backstory, I knew a lot about the undercity in Fos, but I wasn’t a local and actually trying to pretend that I was with someone who knew that area by heart would absolutely ring alarm bells as to my true identity. And, even though I knew I’d not given myself away, somehow the way Compassion looked at me seemed to see through my lies.

It was terrifying.