Life Keeps Moving

It was late in the afternoon when the four travelers arrived in Lindow. They had made good pace on foot, arriving on schedule with no delays along the way. During the trip, Rosalind and Earnest continued to train and spar whenever there was downtime, but were careful to avoid exhausting or injuring themselves.

Once they stepped past the Lindow gates, the group headed for the inn first. Before they arrived, Alesia said that she would obviously stay in her shop. She continued, telling her companions that her humble home had a small guest room that one of them could stay the night in. It wasn’t a bad idea since it would save one night’s cost at the inn, but Rosalind didn’t like how Alesia was looking at Earnest as she proposed this arrangement.

Rosalind suggested that Coltia take the guest room. That way, Rosalind and Earnest could share a single inn room. Rosalind emphasized that she and Earnest had been close since they were kids, and would be comfortable sharing a room. Alesia seemed displeased, but she couldn’t fight back, doing so would reveal her motivations too plainly. The only thing she could do was accept Rosalind’s plan and go home with Coltia instead of Earnest.

Earnest felt awkward listening to them. He could tell what was really going on under the surface, what Alesia’s offer really meant, and what Rosalind's refusal meant as well. Thanks to Haziel, Both Earnest and Rosalind knew what Alesia did while she was in control of Earnest’s body. While neither of them confronted her about it, they weren’t going to indulge her either.

After setting down their belongings in their shared room, Rosalind and Earnest split up to make use of their short time in Lindow. Rosalind visited the holy mother of the Lindow church, Adeline, while Earnest went to the market to resupply for their upcoming travels, restocking on spices at Coltia’s request. Time flew by quickly, as Rosalind and Adeline chatted and Earnest haggled prices, and soon the sun was drooping lower and lower in the sky.

All four reconvened in the inn dining room for dinner. It served as a somewhat celebratory meal, since Alesia would be staying in Lindow while the rest of them left for the capital. This farewell wouldn’t last too long though, since Earnest had agreed to work in her shop once the tournament was over. Regardless, they had a round of cheers in her name and thanked her for the role she played in saving Rosalind.

After they finished eating, Coltia and Alesia departed to her shop for the night, while Earnest and Rosalind went to their room. While they were on the road, the two of them had very little privacy, since they were traveling in a group of four, but now they finally had some time to themselves. Rosalind didn’t hesitate to address the hanging question in the room first.

“Earnest, you know how Alesia feels about you, don’t you?”

“Well, I suspected something when she asked to marry me right after we met.”

“And how do you feel about her? Honestly.”

“Well, she’s cute, and she’s pretty, and even though she can be kind of weird and say unexpected things, it… sort of fits her. But there’s one thing about her that’s more important than anything else. She isn’t the woman I love. That’s you Rosalind, and that won’t ever change.”

“Oh you smooth talking-”

Rosalind gently pushed Earnest back onto the bed, and Earnest let himself get pushed. She got on top of him and started speaking in a sultry tone.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t dislike Alesia, in fact I could say that I’d like to be friends with her. She’s very good at what she does, and helped me by providing me with some… potions. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to get any more of that type of potion after we leave… so I think I’ll have to trouble you with helping me… manage my symptoms.”

Rosalind brought Earnest into a passionate kiss, her **** desire for him was clear with her movements. After Rosalind separated from Earnest, she began to undress him, and spoke with the most seductive voice Earnest had ever heard.

“I’ll make sure that you can only think of me.”

The two of them shared a passionate night of love, vigorously satisfying each other’s desires for one another. They were so focused on each other that they made the mistake of staying up too late and losing out on sleep, waking up late the next day.

When the two lovebirds met up with Alesia and Coltia, their companions could guess what had happened last night. The way they acted to each other, waking up late together, and a host of other obvious signs gave them away. Coltia lightly teased them about it, while Alesia seemed awkward and unsettled. She knew from the beginning that Rosalind was the one closest to his heart, but there was still a tiny hope, a little fantasy that she might get a piece of Earnest too. But to see Rosalind and Earnest together like this… to witness reality… it was unpleasant to say the least.

The group had planned on leaving earlier in the day, but due to Earnest and Rosalind’s little sleep-in, they needed to hurry up and get going. They all exchanged goodbyes with Alesia before they set off from Lindow on a path back to the capital. Alesia felt a bit lonely from the separation, but quickly threw herself into her backlog of work to distract herself. Besides, Earnest would be coming back soon enough, so there was at least that much to look forward to.

…

Earnest exited the arena, exhausted after a hard fought match that unfortunately ended up as a loss. He had won every match up until the quarter finals match, where he faced off against the tournament favorite. It was a bit unlucky to meet him before the grand finals, but the other remaining competitors were by no means a guaranteed win. If anything, it was at least a good opportunity to fight against one of the strongest knights in the whole kingdom. Despite the loss, he had done his job, earning plenty of respect for the 7th squad. He even received some personal acknowledgement from the tournament favorite himself, as much as “not bad, keep training” counted for.

After he left the view of the cheering crowd and entered the back halls of the arena, he was met with the imposing figure of his commander, Roland Betin. He looked at Earnest with a stern expression.

“Earnest, you lost.”

Judging by his tone, commander Roland didn’t sound happy. Even if Earnest was satisfied with his placement, maybe his commander didn’t share the same sentiment.

“Sorry sir, I did my best.”

Earnest was more confused than anything else. He didn’t think that commander Roland expected him to win the whole tournament, did he? And also, if Roland was mad at him, he would be yelling right now. Before he could think more, Roland slapped Earnest on the back and his serious expression broke into a big smile.

“It was a damn good loss though. Just don’t get used to losing okay? That was some good stuff out there, best I’ve seen from you in months. Looks like your lady friend really motivated you huh? Well, don’t let her be a distraction going forwards, she’s joining our squad. On her own merits, I should add.”

Roland gave Earnest another slap on the back before leaving. As Earnest watched Roland exit, he saw Rosalind leaning against a wall, waiting for their conversation to end. She stood up as their commander passed, and Earnest approached her. She looked over her shoulder before speaking in a comically deep voice while attempting to wear a serious face.

“Earnest, you lost.”

Earnest grinned as Rosalind started giggling at her own impression. Earnest managed to play along and respond in kind.

“I’m sorry ma’am, I did my best.”

Rosalind dropped the impression of Roland, but continued to play the role of their commander.

“Well, I know just how you’ll be able to make up for it. Your new duty is to watch over your new squad mate, and make sure she’s well taken care of.”

“Of course ma’am, I’ll keep a close eye on her. She can be quite the tricky one, I should know. There was one time that she caught me off guard and pinned me down…”

Earnest could see that Rosalind was starting to get a little embarrassed so she interrupted him.

“Hey! Uh, Ahem. Enough of your personal life. Do you swear to perform your duty to the best of your abilities?”

“Of course.”

Rosalind’s tone changed from playful and flirty to a bit more sincere. She looked Earnest deep in the eyes and spoke her next words.

“Even if your duty lasts a lifetime?”

Earnest could feel the weight of her words, and responded with his own sincerity.

“Of course, on my honor as a knight. I swear to stay with you for a lifetime.”

There was a pause, a tension building between them as they both knew what was coming next. It was Earnest who broke the silence.

“I love you Rosalind. Will you marry me?”

Rosalind looked like she was about to cry tears of joy as she gave her answer.

“Yes, I love you too Earnest. Yes I’ll marry you. Yes.”

The two of them leaned in and kissed each other. Rosalind wrapped her arms around Earnest’s back and Earnest did the same to Rosalind’s waist, holding each other close. Even after the kiss ended, they stayed in each other’s arms until someone reminded Earnest that he had to leave since the next fighter was going to enter the arena soon.

…

Earnest, Rosalind, and Coltia were sitting in an incredibly ornate room. It was a guest room in the royal mansion, currently occupied by Coltia. In Knottori, when Coltia pulled out a ring with the royal family’s seal to show the knights and priestesses, Earnest didn’t expect it to be real. He expected it to be another one of Coltia’s many tricks and deceptions, but there was no denying her very real connections now. The room was the utter opposite of the plain barracks rooms that Earnest and Rosalind were staying in, filled with luxurious decorations and art. The purpose of their visit was to get the black mind slime removed, since the recommended two weeks had elapsed. Earlier that day, a letter arrived from Coltia, inviting them to meet her in the royal mansion.

“Come on out now~ It must be fun in there, after all, those village boys were so obsessed with getting in~ but it’s time to leave now~”

The black slime started to emerge from Rosalind’s forehead, pooling into Coltia’s awaiting hands below, taking a short amount of time to fully exit. Just like it had with Earnest, it seemed to “look” at Rosalind, despite not having eyes or any facial features, and jiggled at her. Rosalind was still weirded out by the whole experience, but she awkwardly responded to the slime.

“Uh, thanks- Thanks for the help, uh, little buddy.”

The slime jiggled again, making both Earnest and Rosalind wonder how intelligent these slimes were. Coltia informed Rosalind that her treatment had successfully concluded, and to come see her if anything felt wrong in the following days. Coltia then asked Rosalind to wait out in the hall for a bit, so she could talk to Earnest privately. Before she left, Rosalind seemed to remember something, and asked Earnest to give her the quartz pendant that he always wore. He took it off and gave it over while asking her why, but she only assured him that he would get it back soon enough, before she left the room.

After the door closed, Coltia started asking Earnest some questions about Rosalind. Was Rosalind acting like Earnest expected her to? Was she experiencing any headaches or memory loss? What did she remember from the extensive time that she was possessed? Were there any noticeable after effects from the possession spell that the black mind slime didn’t fix?

Earnest answered the best that he could. Rosalind was acting just like he remembered. She never complained of any headaches, and she seemed to have no issue remembering anything from the past. He didn’t know how much Rosalind remembered from the time that she was possessed, since she didn’t really talk about it much, and Earnest didn’t want to pry too hard. The last question’s answer was a little more… intimate though.

The physical changes to Rosalind’s body remained, and even though her libido was lower than its peak, it still remained relatively high. Rosalind and Earnest would end up having sex quite often, to the point that Earnest had to hold back during his day exercise to ensure that he had enough energy left for Rosalind’s night exercises. Even when they went out together to do other things, he noticed her getting flushed and distracted, leading him to suspect that she was using the pink vibrating crystal as well.

Coltia listened to all of Earnest’s answers, and concluded that there was nothing to worry about with Rosalind, but also told Earnest to come see her if anything changed. Earnest thanked her for all her help, and got up in preparation to leave. Coltia stopped him though.

“Hold on there~ I certainly did help quite a lot didn’t I~ So I think it would be fair that I ask a little favor from you~”

Earnest sat down, a little suspicious of what Coltia was going to ask for. It was true, Coltia did so much for work for very little in return. She did deserve more, but the way she was asking for this favor made Earnest concerned.

“What kind of favor?”

“Well~ How about… you?”

“...Me? What do you mean by me?”

“You~ All of you~ You didn’t think that getting help from a dark sorceress wouldn’t come without a cost did you~ Now it’s time to pay up~ And you are the payment~”

Earnest felt his blood run ice cold. Coltia had been friendly to him this whole time, to the point that he forgot how dangerous she was. Was she just playing with him the whole time? Could he somehow talk his way out of this? He had nothing to bargain with. Coltia enjoyed the look of dread on Earnest’s face for a few more moments before she let out a cute giggle.

“Don’t worry so much Earnest~ It’s nothing you haven’t done before~”

Earnest’s expression of dread turned to that of confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve come to be quite fond of your cooking during our travels together. I hate to admit it, but my tongue would be a little lonely without you around~ I’d love to keep you for myself, but I’m also quite fond of you and Rosalind, and I wouldn’t want to pull apart my favorite little couple~ That’s why, I want you to give me a copy of you.”

Coltia raised her hand which the black mind slime was still perched atop. Earnest understood what she was asking for, but was still on alert, not allowing himself to feel relief just yet.

“So let me get this clear. You want the black mind slime to copy my mind so that you can make another me? An Earnest to cook for you?”

“Yes, that’s right. Did you think I meant something else~?”

Earnest considered what Coltia was saying. A copy of him. So there would be another Earnest out there, with his personality and all his memories, cooking for Coltia? Would this copy also be in love with Rosalind? How would his copy feel about its own existence? Earnest made his concerns known to Coltia, who assured him that she would make some modifications to solve all those problems. Earnest wasn’t really convinced, but he begrudgingly agreed, hoping that this decision wouldn’t come back to bite him. He didn’t have much of a choice anyways, he did owe Coltia for saving Rosalind. If anything, this was a small price to pay for what he had already received.

“Okay, I agree.”

With that, Coltia moved the slime to Earnest’s forehead for a second time, and it eagerly re-entered its old home. Coltia told him that this time, the black mind slime would finish much faster, and to come back in two days. It was designed to simply copy minds, but what it had done the first time was construct an artificial personality based on his memories. Coltia proudly stated that this was probably the first time it had ever been done. Coltia stood up and guided Earnest over to the door, telling him to remember to invite her to the wedding.

Rosalind was waiting in the hall, and the two of them walked back to the barracks together. Earnest didn’t tell her about the questions that Coltia asked about her, but did tell her about the black mind slime and Coltia’s “favor”. Rosalind showed concern for Earnest, but was relieved that Coltia’s request was something that didn’t really cost him anything, even if the idea of there being a copy of Earnest out there was strange.