The next morning, when I woke up, Fang was no longer in my bed. Looking around, she wasn't anywhere inside the room either.
"Did the others take her back or something?"
I muttered to myself, rising from the bed and stretching my body. It was a bit cold, though, as it was early morning and I was naked. I moved to the dresser and checked for some usable clothes, but everything inside was just priestly garb. There was one that was usable, but it looked like a janitor's jumpsuit, similar to what God-tamer Ajax was wearing.
"Well, better than the robes, I guess?"
In the end, I borrowed some underwear before wearing the jumpsuit. It was baggy and a little uncomfortable, but it's pretty breathable. Honestly, I'm starting to like wearing it already.
As I was now properly covered, I walked out of the room and wandered. After all, I did not know where I was, so going randomly was the only way I could follow.
"Master! Over here!"
Just as I was passing by a balcony, I saw Ember waving from below. It seems like I was staying on the third floor or something since she was pretty far down. Looking around, there were no stairs nearby, so I just jumped over the railings straight to the ground floor.
To avoid damaging the floorboards, I quickly used [Shadow Movement] as an intermediary, eliminating my inertia, before appearing out of the shadow under Ember's table.
"Kyaah! Master, where are you popping out from!"
Ember released a shrill voice as I appeared under the table, worming out of it between her legs.
"Keke, surprised?"
I looked around, but Ember was alone. The rest were nowhere to be found.
"Where are Fang and the others?"
Ember opened her mouth, then blocked it with her hand. With a suggestive smile, she commented.
"Well, she's currently talking with them. They've already finished breakfast too."
"So you're the last one?"
"I was busy with something, so I wasn't able to sleep... I'm about to rest after eating, but now that Master's here, I want to show it to you first before sleeping."
"Hmm?"
Knowing Ember, it must be one of her little trinkets again. Speaking of little trinkets...
"I recall you talking to us while inside the Dragon King... How did you do that?"
I asked her, but Ember stiffened before slowly turning her gaze away.
"I-I did nothing, Master!"
She muttered, trying to feign ignorance, but it was undeniable already. After all, she managed to contact us through the powerful spatial blocking of the Dragon King.
"Ember...?"
I pressed her for answers, but she stayed quiet. Cold sweat was pouring down her head, as if uncomfortable under my gaze.
"Ah, my food is here! Time to eat~!"
Noticing the approaching nun, wearing a pure white outfit fitting the church, Ember stood up and met her halfway, taking the tray in her hands and bringing it back to the table.
"Alright, I won't ask anymore."
I gave up after looking at the food that Ember was eating. It was a LARGE serving—probably enough to feed me ten times over. The entire table was almost filled by her food tray alone. I was always wondering why my girls were all such large eaters. Is it really related to the Flame of Evolution?
As I was watching Ember eat, a nun approached me and asked what I would like for breakfast. I just asked for the recommended serving and specified a normal-size serving, just in case. The nun chuckled a little before walking away. She must've found it funny that I was emphasizing that I don't need such an extravagant meal like Ember's.
A few minutes later, when Ember was halfway through eating her portion, my order came. Along with the nun who brought it to me, Goddess Blanc was following along with a portion of her own food in her hands.
"Mind if I share a table with you?"
She asked with a smile, but I felt like refusing wasn't an option. Ember moved her large tray silently, giving enough space for the two of us to place our tray on the table.
"Sure, please help yourself."
I pointed to the seat beside mine, the only seat where she could claim a tiny spot on the table. Sitting down and placing her tray on the table, she then glanced at Ember and chuckled.
"You girls really have a large appetite; I'm slightly envious."
Ember, hearing her words, blushed and proceeded to eat more slowly, as if she were shy. Goddess Blanc didn't intend to be sarcastic, however, as she meant her words as they were.
For a while after that, only the sound of a spoon and fork scratching the porcelain plates lightly echoed in the almost empty dining hall.
"Right, Will..."
As if recalling something, Goddess Blanc gracefully wiped her mouth with a napkin and turned to face me. She had a thin smile on her face as she mouthed her words slowly.
"Procreation is a sacred act, so I wouldn't really admonish you. But please take into consideration that the walls, ceiling, and floor aren't soundproofed."
"Pfft!"
I choked on my food.
Wait, does that mean...
"... You... Heard?"
"Everyone around your room, up to the third connected room, heard it. Tamers have a very acute sense of hearing after all."
She said this matter-of-factly, but I felt like I had been dropped into a pool of ice. I recalled how Fang was acting the entire night, howling in both excitement and pleasure. Ah, I should've realized this instantly and erected a sound-blocking barrier!
As I was covering my face, embarrassed to show it to Goddess Blanc, she chuckled lightly.
"Don't worry. Most of the girls here are chaste and have no idea about the act itself. They might've heard it and thought it was strange, though."
That's not reassuring at all! In short, our carelessness might taint their career choice, isn't it? Just as I was thinking of how to apologize to those who heard and knew, Goddess Blanc continued.
"Anyways, I have news for you too. It's actually urgent, and we received it just a few minutes earlier."
Her tone turned serious, and the constant smile on her face vanished. I gulped as I waited to hear what sort of news she would be telling us.
"The Dragon King died; I guess you know why, but that's not the problem. Alongside its death, the barrier protecting Cleaver Kingdom vanished, so they're exposed to Demon attacks now."
"...!"
"Furthermore, since the King lost his mind and the queen was missing, the entire kingdom was in chaos. The prime minister took it upon himself to request help from the other kingdoms nearby."
I listened attentively and processed the ordeal. A single conclusion came to me as I took a deep breath.
"Everything's my fault, right?"
She slowly nodded at my words, confirming them.
"Thankfully, King Leonard was hiding the fact that you had a hand in this matter. Even Queen Thalia was under his care right now, with a client ring given to her by Ember."
"However..." She paused her words, hesitating whether to proceed or not.
"King Leonard required me to provide help, didn't he?"
"... Yes. I was tasked to take you there later."
I deliberated on the situation a little. It hadn't been that long since I was fighting over there for my life, and Fang almost died too. And now, were we to return there again? Fate sure loves to play around.
"Well, it's mainly my responsibility, so I'll go."
"Master!"
Ember interjected with an angry tone.
"Don't you mean [We. Will. Go.]?"
Her words were emphasized, especially the "We" part. I recall them scolding me last night regarding the fact that I always move around alone. Scratching the back of my head awkwardly, I corrected my statement.
"Right, right. We will go."
Ember then nodded her head firmly, as if satisfied already, before continuing to eat her meal. Three-fourths of it had already vanished into her stomach, but it wasn't even bulging one bit. A complete mystery.
"And so, it seems like we'll be going with a large group. Sorry about this, Goddess Blanc."
I turned to her and apologized in advance. She just shook her head with a wry smile, completely cool with the idea.
"It's fine. We'll be using a portal anyway. Also, just Blanc is fine; adding the Goddess part all the time makes me feel estranged."
"I-Is that so…?"
I was honestly lost for words. Was she like this when I encountered her during the kidnapping incident too? I feel like she was more motherly than this. Right now, she feels more like a lady in... It must be my imagination.
We soon finished our meal and arranged to meet again around an hour later. With that out of the way, Ember led me to her little "workshop" and presented the object she spent an entire night making.
"This is..."
I turned to look at the tool she presented. A flat, rectangular object. On its surface was a crystal releasing various ranges of colors, arranged to show a single image. It was a nostalgic gadget that I used most of the time in the previous world.
"... A smartphone?"
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