Now, I know what you’re thinking. What in the hell happened?! Tell us! Well, I’m sorry, but I simply don’t remember.

All I know comes from what others have told me: the survivors of the expedition into the forest, and the little more that Violetta remembered.

Zereg-Atsum clearly felt whatever was happening to me, and according to Violetta, literally caught fire right next to her. The last she saw of him was a flaming mess screaming and running back into the portal. Everything after that was a blur.

The survivors in the forest said they saw a massive explosion of the same pink light reaching all the way up into the sky. When they found us, it wasn’t a cave anymore, it was a crater.

The demon gate vanished without a trace, and subsequent adventuring contracts mopped up any straggling demons.

Having saved the town a second time, I was bestowed with the title “Hero of Ratia” and yet another feast was held in my honor.

“What are you talking about?” Violetta asked.

We were seated at said feast, on the upper floor of the adventurer's guild. 

"Oh, nothing, just thinking out loud," I replied.

Knight Captain Pyra was also sitting at our table, along with her new deputy commander and other town notables. 

"You're a strange man," Violetta said.

"Is that what I am to you? A stranger?!" I gave her a fake hurt look and shoved her away playfully. 

"That's not what I meant," she said, blushing. It wasn't just for my benefit apparently. 

Pyra was downing another pint to the loud cheers of the guests.

Violetta was visibly uncomfortable.

"Excuse me, I need some air," she mumbled and left the table for the nearest balcony.

I quickly followed her.

The balcony was considerably less loud than inside, and the cool evening breeze was ruffling the girl's lovely long pink hair, as well as her flowery white dress. I learned it was the standard attire for an acolyte of Athena.

She was holding the railing and just, breathing.

"You alright?" I asked, leaning against the railing next to her.

"Yes. It's just, social occasions like this… they're… difficult."

"Mhm. They used to be difficult for me too," I said. "I hated them. It's a lot of pressure. Used to make me shake with anxiety."

She examined my face carefully for a few moments with her usual curious look. "And what changed?"

"I did. I learned and grew, and once I got good at it, I started actually liking them. It's surprising how many things we miss out on in life just because we can't handle them."

"There is much truth in that," she said, turning to look absentmindedly at the streets below, where townspeople were celebrating the victory. 

"You're the expert on that, miss acolyte," I said, my turn to examine her face with curiosity.

I was worried the recent events were a bit… traumatic for the young girl. But she seemed to handle the prospect of imminent death much better than a loud party. She just needed some alone time.

"I'll make sure they don't call you up to give anymore heroic speeches," I said, rose from the railing and turned for the door.

"Actually… I-I don't think I've had the time to properly thank you. F-for everything you've done in the forest and in the cave…" Violetta managed to mumble.

"Well then," I said, turning back to face her.  "Thank away."

I didn't need thanks. But she clearly did. Depriving her the opportunity to give would be unbecoming of me.

We haven't been alone and face to face in such proximity since the cave. But Violetta seemed slightly better at handling it.

"U-um. Thank you." She blushed nervously.

Slightly. 

"That's a pretty weak thank you. Didn't I save your life?" I teased her.

"I'm not… good at it."

"It's really not that hard," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You just have to say it louder and with a smile."

The door to the balcony burst open and two guests stumbled through it.

It was a couple, and they were making out, aggressively.

And not just any couple either.

It was Midas and Isabella! The sonofabitch!

They both slammed against the railing and continued kissing, ignoring us completely.

Midas you magnificent bastard. I left teaching behind, but it still brought a smile to my face to see someone achieve a new height.

"I-I think I need to go," Violetta mumbled, shrinking away towards the door.

"I don't think they'll let you leave the party that easily. Pyra can smell deserters," I said, following the poor girl.

"I-is there a quiet place in here?"

"I actually know just the place."

 

The Knight Captain's office. 

Probably my favorite room in the entire building. 

"Are you sure it's ok for us to be here?" Violetta asked as I closed the door behind us.

Willingly alone with me in the same room. The first time I met her she would barely stand next to me on a public street.

Of the two things most important in the seduction of a shy girl, trust was the hardest. It was intertwined with comfort most of the time. The more trust she has in you, the more comfortable she is in your presence.

And all it took was me breaking ribs and nearly getting tortured by demons for all eternity. 

I wouldn't recommend the above as your go to strategy for gaining a girl's trust, but it was a good way to skip what would have generally been a longer process.

Violetta touched the fancy padded chair I had much fun on with the captain hesitantly, looking over to me for permission.

I smiled and nodded, and she collapsed into it in mental exhaustion.

There was the faint hint of us doing something we weren't supposed to be doing. A little spice of naughtiness and danger. 

I made sure the door was firmly closed and turned to my partner in crime. "So, you were saying?"

"I'm not an idiot," she said.

"A smart person wouldn't have thrown away the grenade," I said, stepping towards her. "So your case is rather weak."

"That's... that's not what I meant," she sighed. "I know why you brought me to this dark, secluded room."

The only source of light came from the windows, where occasional street fireworks lit the room for a bright second. 

"Do you now?" I asked with a smile, drawing closer.

"Yes."

"And why did I bring you here?" I continued, taking a seat on the edge of the table next to her.

"Because you men are all the same," she said, moving away from me slightly with the chair.

"In what way?" I inquired, leaning back casually, giving her the physical space she wanted.

"Y-you know… in what way…"

"I'm a stranger in this land. Maybe I don't know?"

"Ugh. You want…" she struggled. "T-to have sex with me."

Ah. A test.

"Of course. You're very beautiful and I've taken quite a liking to you. I can't help myself from the desire you light inside me."

I could tell she was very nervous. Her breath also changed, ever so subtly. Her heartbeat must have picked up. When was the last time she was alone with a man where something could happen? Has she ever been in such a situation at all?

"A-and… and what if I don't?"

The real test the first one was leading to. One of the truest tests a man can face.

"Then we won't," I replied simply. 

She examined me again in the curious way she had so many times before.

"It's the truth…" she said.

"I don't lie," I replied. 

"You really don't. As an acolyte of Athena, I can tell the truth of what people say," Violetta said.

So that's why she looked at me so curiously every time. An adorable human lie detector this girl was.

"People never say what they really mean, especially men speaking to women. And yet you never lie, never hide your intentions," she continued.

"I vowed long ago that I would try my best to do so," I said. "To never hide who I am."

I leant forward. Violetta didn't seem bothered by it. I could probably get closer.

"And in the cave, when you aimed to deal with the demon. Your wish to turn on the god that blessed you?" 

I laughed. This girl was good. Nothing went past her. "Aphrodite knows very well the game I'm playing," I said, standing up. "It's part of the fun."

"But why? She has given you the touch of the divine, she has blessed you. It's a gift."

She wasn't moving away, still seated in the same spot with the chair, nor did she seem to shrink away as usual. I could get even closer.

"She wants me to worship her, to be her servant, to do her task like a good little boy," I said, stopping right in front of Violetta. "And it lights something primal in me. A desire to not be such a good little boy."

My attention was fixed on the girl as I loomed over her.

Is she afraid? Intimidated? Ambivalent? Intimidated in a good way? 

A small twitch indicated to me Violetta was leaning towards the first, even if her breathing indicated the last.

I sat down before her, so that I was looking slightly up at her. "Do you know that feeling?"

"No."

"Really?" I took her hand gently in mine. Careful to feel the slightest hint of resistance as my fingers began to play with hers. "You always do everything you're told to do without question? Without want, even a little, to rebel? Just because you can?"

Her hand remained with mine. Her fingers even played back.

"What is the task Aphrodite wants you to perform?"

"I am to seduce seven women of her choosing," I said.

"And I am... one of them," she said, her fingers stopping.

"Yes," I said, looking carefully into her eyes. "Have I succeeded in her task?"

"No," she lied. If the demon was right, I made an acolyte lie twice now.

"That's too bad," I said. "I would have tried even if she didn't force me onto your path. You looked so lovely buying flowers. Almost as lovely as you are when you're covered in weapon grease."

The fingers that had stopped playing with mine, one of them seemed to come to life again.

A girl who could not just feel that I was sincere, but could literally know for certain. 

After so much shit Aphrodite has given me since my second reincarnation. She actually gave me a gift.

"I think they might miss us at the party soon," I said, raising myself to one knee. 

Violetta's fingers tightened momentarily on mine as I came to eye level with her. 

Her face was so close to mine I could feel her anxious breaths. 

I took her other hand in mine.

Both were squeezing me, ever so subtly. 

When we first met, she bolted away at the first sign of my interest.

But now all the ingredients were present.

Trust. Comfort. Tension. 

A firework from outside lit up her face. Her beautifully smooth skin.

I gazed into her green eyes, full of everything I saw in her. Kindness, determination, bravery, anxiety, fear, trauma. 

Beautiful.

And I kissed her.