Follow Your Heart (Chapter 14.5)

Rokuro-Sama

This chapter takes place after the events of "Fork In the Road". Volume Two of Ice-Cold Vampire Princess will start on February 13th. I hope you all enjoy it!

"Haruka, are you sure it's a good idea for us to go into Warminster again?" Claire asked as she followed me towards the entrance to the city.

"Claire, I have to formally disown the Hero title." I reasoned as I met her nervous expression with a smile.

"Haruka... you're so serious about things like this." Claire slightly laughed.

As we both approached the gate, a Royal Guard stopped me.

"Excuse me miss, but due to the events of the attack on Warminster and Obril we are no longer allowing Inhumans to walk around the city unless they are slaves." He said to me respectfully, however, there was no way I was gonna oblige with his order.

"Do you even know who you're talking to," I said while brandishing the crest on the sheath of my sword.

Before he could retort, he looked at my blade and I saw his eyes begin to pop with fear.

"My sincere apologies, Hero-Sama!" He bowed and stood to the side so I could walk through.

As I watched Claire quickly follow behind me she grabbed my hand.

"We should probably, hold hands so we don't get lost in the city..." She avoided eye contact with me as she explained her reasoning.

"She is so cute when she acts, like that..." I thought to myself and smiled.

"Alright, Claire." I intertwined our fingers together and began to walk with her down the streets of Warminster.

"Hero-Sama!" I heard a familiar voice and turned around to see Thorne.

"How are you, Thorne?" I asked her with her with an expressionless face. I also did not let go of Claire's hand to talk to her.

"I'm not gonna let anyone ruin this opportunity that Claire gave me." I thought to myself.

"Hero-Sama why are you holding hands with that freak?" Thorne's tasteless words enraged me, but I didn't want to cause a huge commotion. Yet.

I politely slapped her, instead of doing what I wanted to do.

Unfortunately, the polite slap was heard from what felt like everyone.

"Hero-Sama..." Thorne's look of shock disgusted me.

"Claire is not a freak. Should you ever repeat those words to me in my presence..." I let some of my bloodlust slightly leak out.

"What awaits you is far from just a meager slap." I grabbed Claire's hand and continued to walk in the direction of the Church.

No one dared to stand in my way after that and I encountered zero resistance for the rest of the short trip.

As we reached the church, Claire agreed to wait outside of the building as they would not let Inhumans inside of it. I don't trust a single person in this City so I cloaked her with my concealment magic.

As I walked inside the building I was greeted with the face of a woman I knew very well. Her bright violet eyes and golden hair were a known legend on this continent. She was known as the Great Saintess, Quarris. She also looked a lot younger than she was.

When a woman takes the title of Saintess, they are blessed by the elemental spirits with eternal youth. She was the woman who rescued me from the orphanage I was born in. I of course understand very well that she didn't do it for my sake, but I still have always had a very fond opinion of her.

"Haruka, I'm surprised you came back." She smiled and gestured for me to take a seat next to her.

She was sitting in the middle of one of the aisles towards the front of the church. As I sat down next to her neither of us exchanged a word for about a minute before she spoke.

"So, Haruka did you make the decision that we talked about last time?" She warmly asked me.

"Yes..." I clutched my hands together in my lap trying to put together the right words.

"You don't need to tell me Haruka, I already know." She affectionately grabbed my hand and spoke.

"Love takes many shapes and forms Haruka, you're not in the wrong." She said softly.

"I'm renouncing my role as the Hero," I said swiftly. I didn't want to make, Claire have to wait much longer for me.

"Haruka, don't worry about your girlfriend. I have put her under my protection." She smiled once again.

"W-we're not even dating yet..." I stumbled over my words embarrassment.

"Oh. I was convinced that you two had already done it, but I guess I was wrong." She said as she covered her face with her hand.

"DONE WHAT!" I jumped to my feet in response to her response.

"More importantly, Haruka. I have done my best to keep the information of what you did in Obril to a minimum, but I'm sure very soon everyone will know of it." Quarris finally rose to her feet and faced me without the hint of a smile.

"I will relinquish your title right now so hurry up and get out of here," she smirked and spoke once more.

"You wouldn't want to keep your cute girlfriend waiting." With one motion she placed her index finger on my forehead and I felt a huge amount of magic power radiate from it.

The Holy Sword's handle on my waist's color changed from elegant gold to a more sinister-looking violet. I hadn't been wearing my Holy armor since the events of Warminster so I wonder if that changed as well.

"Done." After she had finished I felt almost no change in my abilities. While I had expected to lose some of my power it felt like everything stayed the same.

"Quarris-Sama, are you sure? I don't feel a difference at all." I questioned, but she just meekly smiled.

"The Gods still see you as the Hero, Haruka. I think that should tell you that your heart was correct, Haruka." She warmly embraced me before motioning me off to the door.

"Now go where your heart is leading you, Haruka."