85

The night ended and Christopher woke up. He rubbed his eyes and sat up and saw the kids snuggling close to each other. He looked at the surrounding, he was in a large room with a couple of furniture.  

"Ah, I remembered that I drunk a lot of liquor last night…"

He touched his forehead but he didn't get a hangover. Even when he was drinking almost a gallon of liquor and he got drunk and tipsy, he didn't get a hangover.

"So even my Gift can cure my intoxication."

Christopher wasn't sure about the thing that his Gift could do. The Woman of Abomination gave him a powerful Gift and there are still unknown aspects that he didn't know. He still didn't even know what his Side-Effect was, perhaps it had already started and he just didn't know what it was. 

Christopher stood and stretched his body, he changed clothes quietly making sure the kids won't wake up. He yawned and walked outside, he was in a house that was built for guests.… Yeah, he was confused why these bandits had a guesthouse but he didn't ask them. 

After all, this was his first time resting on a soft bed and he was thankful for it. 

He opened the door and found the place where they celebrated, it was dirty. A lot of trashes could be seen and some people were sleeping on the ground. Christopher had a Gift so the liquor didn't hit him hard but the bandits, they got drunk. 

Almost all of the people were tired and Christopher was the only one who woke up early. 

…………………… 

Hours passed and Christopher faced Donovan again. 

"So the reason why you want to go to the Moroni is because you want to use the Gate? And this girl here can activate it?"

Donovan glanced at Rachel which caused the girl to fidget.

"Yes, I received this information from my Goddess."

"Well… Okay, I will not ask you who your Goddess is."

Donovan thought that Christopher's Goddess was the Goddess of Mountain or War so he didn't ask. 

"Thank you."

Christopher replied. 

'The Goddesses made an agreement that they won't help the Empire. However, it seemed that Christopher's Goddess wanted to help them. Perhaps she's moving secretly. Well, I don't know how deities think and I don't care.'

Donovan said inside his mind, based on Christopher's rapid healing, he could deduce that his Goddess treated him importantly. She was fond of Christopher and it's explainable that his Goddess told him about Rachel and the Gate. Donovan believed his conclusion was right. 

"The Gate is heavily guarded, how can you use it?"

A civil war was happening and thousands of Intermediate were on the frontline. But Donovan knew that a dozen of Intermediate would surely protect the Gate even if it's unusable. The Teleportation Gate was an important technology that the Empire had and they didn't want the enemies to uncover its secret while the war was ongoing. 

"… I will find a way."

This was actually one of the problems that Christopher wanted to solve. Even if they reach the Moroni, the guards would block them from using the Gate. 

Donovan saw that Christopher wasn't confident about infiltrating the Moroni. He cracked his neck and grinned.

"Haha, you are fortunate, I can help you reach the Gate."

"Yeah, I'm thinking if you can help me… eh, you want to help me!?"

Donovan smirked, fighting a couple of Intermediate was nothing for him. Another reason why he wanted to help him was because of the things that Vincent did to him, he wanted to pay his debts. 

"Yes, I can help but before that, I want to ask you one thing."

Christopher gulped, they talked a lot yesterday and he acknowledged that Donovan was not a bad guy. However, he still didn't fully know him so he was anxious. 

"You said that you can save the Empire."

"Yes. I can end this civil war."

Christopher said yes, although, in his mind, he was thinking the opposite.

'Yuusha will be the one who will save the Empire, not me.'

"Okay, I trust you."

Donovan nodded his head, for him, it was enough that Christopher had a determination to answer yes. Saving the Empire was hard but wasn't impossible to do. As long as Christopher believed that he could do it, then Donovan would help him. 

"Wait, is that all? You're not gonna ask me about anything."

"No, just start telling your plan."

"…Okay."

Christopher accepted his suggestion. Since Donovan agreed, he told his plan not holding back. 

……………… 

It was night and the crescent moon was lighting the dark. 

Ben and the others got out of the tent. 

The kids were shaking when they heard Christopher's plan. It was a good plan but one thing disturbed them. Rachel almost cried when she heard the surname of Obata. She recalled the woman that tortured her, the woman that smiled whenever she screamed in pain. The image of Luze holding a whip haunted the kids. 

Rachel started to shiver. Ben and Moss held her hands although they were afraid too. 

Christopher came out of Donovan's tent, the conversation ended and it's time to sleep. Donovan was actually surprised when he heard the plan, he laughed saying that if they could pull this off, Duke Obata's forces would crumble in one swoop. 

Christopher found the kids outside.

"I thought you are in the house? Why are you here? Let's go, it's cold here."

Christopher came near and realized that Rachel was crying. Her sobbing started to get louder, Ben and Moss pacified her. However, they too were scared. They didn't want to meet Luze ever again. They felt their scars aching. 

"What happened?"

Christopher kneeled when he saw them trembling. Sure it's cold but it's not cold enough for them to tremble. Christopher saw the fear in their eyes. 

"I-it's……"

Ben paused, he was not confident if Christopher would believe him. Luze was known for being a benevolent and kind woman.

"Ben, you can tell me anything, don't worry I will help you."

Christopher said with determination. 

Ben clenched his fist and his nails buried on his palms. He braved himself and started to open his mouth. 

"L-Luze Obata… she was our Master."

"Waaahhhhh!!!"

Rachel cried out. 

"What!?"

Christopher was surprised, he didn't know how to respond. This was his first time hearing it and he wasn't sure if he would believe it or not. 

"N-no, I mean Luze is a kin-"

"She's not."

Moss interfered Christopher, he took off his shirt and turn around. The scars on his back were brutally imprinted. 

"I tell you she's not."

Tears fell on his eyes. 

Christopher was caught off guard. He knew Luze, after all, he was the one who created her. She was a kind woman, she used her Healing Elements to treat the wounded and sick people… However, Christopher's belief was greatly shattered. He remembered that Pablo was different from what he created, the Pablo of this version was sort of crazy. Perhaps the Luze that he knew was different from the Luze of this version. 

'Oh, fuck…' 

Christopher closed his eyes and immediately dived inside his mind. After some seconds, he detected that the story was slightly altered.

 He cursed the Auburn War, he found that the children were right. Luze was a woman that loves to torture and kill human…

'Fuck!!! Are you telling me that the  third heroine is a crazy sadist!!!!!!!?'

He shouted internally. 

(Okay, Okay. I got nothing to say, Christopher didn't know that Luze is crazy a woman and note that Auburn War always (most of the time) focuses on Yuusha's pov)