Chapter 252 One Year (Part I)
A week had passed since then, and I still hadn't told the girls I would be leaving. After Constance's recovery, mentioning that I would leave was tough. Constance has just recovered, and making her go through this again would hurt my heart.
I walked around the house in a set of motions, thinking about how I should break the news.
"Charles, is there anything wrong?"
Courtney left her room and found me walking around. She asked me what was wrong, and I hesitated to tell her.
"Courtney, could you gather everyone? I have something to tell everyone."
Sooner or later, I would have to tell everyone at some point. It was hard for me to do, but this was mandatory. I didn't want anyone else to regret not spending enough time with me when I left.
Courtney sensed my distress but had still done what I had asked. Everyone was tense when they sensed my mood.
"Charles, is there anything wrong?"
I sighed when asked that. This was the moment of truth. I took a deep breath and started to say those words.
"In a year's worth of time, I will be gone."
Straight and simple, with no sugar-coated words and no excuses added. No one had reacted, as they thought it was some other matter.
"How long will you be gone?"
"Indiffenitly."
"???"
After hearing those words, their eyes widen, realizing the seriousness of the situation. The room was now stiffly silent, with no one knowing what to say.
"Master. What's the reason?"
Nene's playful tone disappeared, and she asked seriously. Everyone was thankful to Nene for saying those words.
"Let me tell you the story of why this happened."
Before I told them the reason, I had to give context. Where should I start? It was hard when I had to mention Constance's name.
"During my rescue, I had to fight a group of vampires that had kidnapped Constance."
"And when I defeated most of them, one of the vampires summoned the Blood Goddess. The Goddess took an interest in me and was generous enough to give me a year's worth of time."
"Can't you beat the Goddess?"
I'm glad that the girls here thought highly of me, but I felt the difference in strength. I doubt I could catch up to that power level in a year.
"It's impossible. Even if I had three years, I doubt I could beat her. I don't know why, but I felt a wall when I looked at her."
Everyone became quiet upon hearing those words, even though Reina didn't give up and offered a different solution.
"Is there a way for you to hide?"
"She had a tracker on me. I won't be able to remove it."
Out of everyone here, I could feel Nene being the most frustrated. It was understandable since I have been with her the most. It will hurt anyone when your lover tells you that they will leave.
"It's understandable if anyone here wants to leave."
I wouldn't be surprised if anyone here ended their relationship with me. I didn't know much about the upper world, but the chance of me returning would be close to zero.
Taking a glance at everyone, no one left after those words. My heart felt warm from this, but I still had to leave them at some point.
"Charles. Exactly how much time do you have left?"
"358 Days."
That may seem like a long time, but it will be over before we know it. Now that I had said my piece, everyone stayed still, lost in their thoughts. The mood is tense, but I felt something heavy coming off my shoulders.
With that out of the way, I left the room and let everyone take a breather. The news I gave was shocking, to say the very least. I just hope this was the best choice there was.
~
[Third-Person POV]
All the girls were stuck in their seats. The revelation Charles had made shook them to the core. Once Charles had left, everyone stared at each other.
In a situation like this, no one knew what to say. While a year may seem like a long time, it will eventually end. It was like waking up from a dream you didn't want to leave.
"I'm going to talk to Master."
Nene was the first person to break the mold and leave. She had already decided about something and went to Charles to talk about it.
The rest weren't as decisive as Nene. Constance, who had come out of a slump, returned to her room and stayed there. Her mind once again plagued her because she thought this was her fault. No one had time to comfort her, as they all had thoughts.
"What do you girls plan to do?"
Before Reina decided on her own, she asked everyone present. Only four people were in the room, still deciding what to do.
"I will spend time with Charles as much as I can."
Claire confidently said her piece. Like Nene, she went to Charles' room and confidently went in.
[Charles POV]
Returning to my room, I played with Melvin. I had gotten attached to Melvin in a short time.
"Master, do you have time?"
"Nene, come in."
Nene had arrived sooner than I thought. She was straightforward, so I shouldn't be surprised by this.
"Nene, do you need anything?"
A frown can be seen on her face. Of course, she needed something, but that was my default line.
"Master, you still owe me!"
"???"
Owe? I don't remember doing something like that. But if that makes her happy, I will hear what she says.
"What do I owe?"
"Master~! Don't you remember~?"
"Remember?"
"I said I want your child~! Now that you're leaving~! We need to make one now~!"
Even if we do it now, having a child is impossible. I would have to return to Earth to make that possible.
"You would have to wait a bit longer for that to happen."
She knew that, too, but was getting a little impatient. Now that I think about it, child making would only be effective this year.
"Charles. Are you there?"
"Yes, I am here. Could you wait for Nene to finish?"
Claire was the next person to arrive, a few minutes after Nene. She sat next to me and let Nene continue.
"Master, is there truly no way for you to break the goddess' promise?"
"I could try, but it would bring harm to everyone, and I would rather have everyone here stay out of harm."
doubt it would work. I didn't want to give her false hope, so I told the truth.
Nene gave up in the end and took the other side of my arm. She rested her body against mine.
"Charles, do you think I could poison a goddess?"
Those were bold words coming from Claire. She could try, but I doubt it would work. I didn't want to give her false hope, so I told the truth.
"Claire, I don't doubt your abilities. Unless you find a god-killing poison, there's no way for you to do what you want."
Besides, if she did try and the assassination failed, then my being compliant with the Goddess was worthless.
We stopped talking and changed the subject. I could feel Nene's and Claire's body heat as they snuggled close to me.
"I heard what you said to Charles earlier. Charles, if possible, I also want a child from you."
It seemed like she had eavesdropped earlier, but none of us cared. These two had stated their purpose, and I could only accept knowing this year might be the last time I see them in a long while.
"Should we go back to Earth now? Or do you girls want to prepare?"
I needed to get a drug to make my seeds more effective. Earth was previously overpopulated. With the fusion of two other worlds, there was more than enough space.
"Master~! We're going now~!"
Nene didn't need to think and urged me to go. Should I call Linsey to get a specialist? I didn't want to go to the doctor and be put in the news because of this incident. Leaving the room with Nene and Claire, I could see Reina alone.
"Reina, do you need more time? Claire, Nene, and I are going back to Earth."
"Go on ahead. Please give me more time to think."
Since that was the case, we left and went to Earth. When I went to her office, she was slacking off.
"Charles? It's been a while. What do you want?"
Linsey sounded like she was stoned. All of us looked at her, thinking that she wasn't okay.
"I want you to get a specialized doctor."
Before Linsey could ask why, I told her what had happened. She then got me a doctor, and we proceeded with our plan. The session was short, and Linsey wanted me to stay after it was done.
"You're leaving, right? I know there's not much option, but let's drink!"
She probably wanted to use this situation to her advantage. Since it was her asking, the four of us drank to our hearts' content.
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