“Look, Cermin. This orchid resembles a butterfly a lot, don’t you think?”
Cermin was grinning as he peered over the flower cluster Marigold was watching.
“Oh, a Platanthera chlorantha! It’s been a while since I’ve seen one.” His eyes beamed at the white flowers that indeed looked like butterflies from afar.
The priestess blinked. “Plantan….?”
“Ah, it’s just a scientific name for Great Butterfly orchid. Possibly something you wouldn’t know.”
After all, such scientific names don’t exist in this fantasy world. Which was a shame, Cermin thought, as many of them have interesting meanings.
“Oh, I see.” Marigold nodded. “Yes, I never knew about that. We just call this Bianca where I’m from.”
“I see. Then what do you call those Psychopsis mariposas over there?” Cermin asked with great interest.
The truth was, he had always been fascinated with botany and flowers in general. Back when he was still Min Cheng and not Cermin or anyone else.
He was bored with everything Science related, but never flowers. He was aware that he was not the sharpest tool in the shack and usually have Ds and Fs.
But his Science/ Biology class grades would go up when botany was finally their lesson topic.
He can’t tell when his obsession with flowers started. Maybe he just found them nice to look at, just like women..
He was planning to study that for college, and he was in his last secondary year before he transmigrated.
One night, he found a ticket that made him a Hero transmigrator…
From a trash bin.
That was how he joined the HTM and ‘The Quest for the Golden Finger’ contest.
No one would really believe he found it in a trash bin, so he usually says that he got it from winning Shimeifen games just like most people did.
He still wondered who in their right mind would throw a ticket to be transmigrated and have their own perfect world.
He even gave up his future career for this. Flowers are pretty and all, but they’re not as pretty as women.
“Psychopsis, hmm.” Marigold observed the bright orange flower. “These are mostly called Zirafa.”
They continued to walk along the garden and observe more orchids in full bloom. Like two butterflies prancing and fluttering by.
“Your name is also a flower, right?” Cermin prompted. “Or do they call marigolds different here too?”
“Oh, I know marigolds.” The priestess chuckled. “My mother said my hair reminded her of pink marigolds in her house. She offers them to the Goddess Seele.”
“Mn. From the genus Tagetes.” Cermin mumbled.
He then covered his mouth, and chuckled. “Sorry, ignore me when I say weird things like that. I tend to geek out around plants and flowers.”
“No, no. I am actually fond of it, how passionate you are when it comes to things you like.”
Cermin was a little surprised by this, and his cheeks flushed red. He had never felt this way towards a girl in the HTM before.
Of course, he had some level of attachment to all of them. But with Marigold…
It’s just different.
He wasn’t even thinking of lewd thoughts towards her at all.
The first thing that came to his mind was not her boobs, or how pretty she was. The first thought he had…..
Was that he wanted to protect this girl, and always be by her side.
Every movement she makes, every word she spoke, just everything….. It tugs at his chest and makes it a little difficult to breathe.
And she doesn’t even seem to notice it, or just rather ignore it.
It felt like a good thing and a cruel thing at the same time. It saves him from the embarrassment, but at the same time…..
He just can’t understand what Marigold thinks of him.
She likes him, yes, but most harem members make it clear from the start that they like him romantically.
It makes him go crazy guessing and guessing if this person really was part of his harem, and anticipating when they’ll get past the barrier of friends to lovers.
“Mari, I—“
As he was about to say it, a loud booming sound interrupted him!
Thunders rumbled just a few miles away, and the once blue skies were suddenly being mixed with black.
Marigold looked up in shock. “A storm is coming?”
She lifted her hand up, and soon felt the trickling of water. At first, it was just a light drizzle…
But soon, it poured so much that it almost felt like they were hard rocks falling at them!
Wild, ferocious winds came, almost blowing them away! This surge was the strongest she may have ever encountered in her life.
Cermin was also alarmed by the sudden storm. He wrapped his hands around Marigold protectively.
“We need to get inside the Temple now! It’s not safe!” He exclaimed.
The newly bloomed flowers were wrecked to bits, the petals being blown in swirls by the winds. Even Marigold’s clothes were being blown to tatters.
Soon, her veil was also taken away by the strong gust of wind!
“My veil!” She exclaimed as she rushed to catch it.
Cermin tried to catch up to her. “Mari, leave it be! We need to go now!”
“No! You don’t understand, that veil was woven by Goddess Seele herself!” She ran and ran to catch it—
And eventually, her foot got stuck on muddy ground, sinking her up to the knees!
“Mari!” He reached to help her up.
He managed to save her, but the veil was now lifted up to the air, flying off to be never seen again.
Marigold and Cermin went to the Temple. The poor priestess was shivering and crying, not to mention her white clothes were dirtied and dripping pools on the floor.
He tried to comfort her. “It’ll be alright, maybe you can ask for a new one—“
“You have finally returned. We need to talk.”
A cold voice appeared behind them.
He turned to see Zeriav, his hood up and holding a large scythe.
Cermin was confused as to why he was holding such a thing. But his slow brain still managed to piece it together.
The sudden storm….. The scythe….. Demetri as the God of Rain…..
“Zeriav… What have you done? Why did you do this?”
Zeriav grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him all the way to the door to the Demetri’s Temple!
“Hey! Don’t touch me until you explain yourself—“
Zeriav had thrown him inside, and slammed the door behind him, locking it.
“I had to do what I must as your friend, Cermin. To keep you pure.”
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