Refusing My God’s Advances

"Is he really going to be okay?" Candace, the healer, asked Aria, but the princess just smiled.

"I think that you should have more concern for that poor monster," Aria said with a giggle as the bear rushed at Leon, who was making no attempt to move.

"That bear is going to run right over him! I wouldn't even try that with the Grizzled Bear!" Gruff exclaimed, but then the whole group froze except for Aria, who just sighed as the bear was backhanded into a wall.

---

Damn. I really tried to pull my backhand, but this bear was a friggin' pushover. I knew I had gotten stronger, but this bear was a joke for a unique rare!

I turned back and sighed as I saw Aria smiling and shaking her head at me while the rest of the party was still frozen in shock. I waved for them to come over, as I headed to the bear, but Aria got to me at first.

As soon as she reached me, and then others couldn't see her face, an infectious smile like nothing I had seen on Aria's face before appeared. I don't think I had ever seen her this happy, and I could feel it come off in waves.

"You really did try to go easy, didn't you?!" Aria asked with excitement, but then the pain dropped me to my knees. I tried not to scream, but Aria had grabbed my hand, crushing every bone in it.

Aria and her hand vanished from my sight as I tried to get my thoughts to work through the unending pain. Blood was leaking out of my fingernails, and my hand was ballooning up and changing colors.

After only a few agonizing seconds, I activated restore and gasped out as the pain vanished. I flopped down on the ground, and rolled onto my back as I caught my breath, my mind still a mess from the shock.

After a moment, I felt much better and got up. Aria was on one side of the cave, and the party was still in the tunnel. The looks on their faces were nothing short of pure terror.

I ignored them, and walked over to Aria, who wouldn't look at me, until I turned her face to mine.

"I am fine," I said, and tears filled her eyes as she tried to step back, but I grabbed her shoulders. "I am fine."

Aria stared at me, and then slowly tipped her head down into my chest. I wrapped her in my arms, and she hugged me back, breaking and cracking a few ribs, but I just gritted my teeth. A few days ago, this would have probably left a hell of a mess behind, but now I could survive a bit of Aria's affections with only serious injuries.

Out of all the things Aria had wanted to show me to help me feel better, her breaking my hand and ribs had the greatest impact. I actually felt a lot better about my progress if I could at least enjoy this much of a woman that I was clearly in love with.

Once she let go, I used Restore on my rib without making a fuss.

"I am sorry. I will try to be careful next time. I was just really excited that you have gotten so strong," Aria explained, and I laughed.

"I am not mad! Hell, my hand made it through a legit hand grab, and wasn't vaporized, or turned into soup! This just means I am that much closer to being able to love and care for you just the same way I do with the others" I smiled, and Aria blushed, looking away with a small smile.

"Thank you."

I grinned and turned back to the others. "Alright, you lazy bones! Go get your material, and let me know what you find," I called out, and the party finally started moving.

It had to be pretty intense to see someone like me backhand that bear like it was nothing, then have that same hand crushed by my beautiful partner. Hell, we probably looked more like monsters to them than the beast I just killed.

Aria and I walked over to the group, and they already had the items on the ground from it. I looked over everything and then reached down to pick up the green crystal, Identifying it. It was a unique rare so I wanted it, but I also felt back about the trauma we just put this party through. In light of this, I pulled out my daggers that were all but useless to me, along with 3 units of (Epic)Dragon Scale Leather, and 2 units of (Epic) Manticore Hide, leaving me with one.

"Since we probably put a mean fear into you after our little performance, I would like you all to take these as gifts. I can't use these daggers, and there is enough epic-rated material here for you each to get some nice armor made. You also have these other drops, so you should be able to make good weapons as well," I explained, but the party looked at each other nervously. Gruff finally cleared his throat, but he looked to have started sweating.

"Umm, do we have to use these for armor?" He asked, clearly worried that the question might offend me, but I just shrugged.

"I personally don't care. They are just gifts, so you can sell them if you want," I said, but then the party suddenly jumped for joy and started cheering.

I just looked at them with a stupid look until I heard Aria giggling, so I turned to see her covering her mouth as she giggled at me clearly.

"What? Did I say something funny? Why do I feel like I am the only one missing this joke?" I asked, but that only made Aria giggle harder until tears came.

I crossed my arms and waited for Aria to get a hold of herself, but the group in the back had not stopped cheering. I ignored them, knowing I was going to get my answer from the giggling princess as soon as she calmed down.

After a moment, and a few tears wiped away, Aria dropped her hand and smiled at me. "I don't think you understand the value of what you just gave them. The reason why they are cheering is because they know they don't have to be adventurers anymore. Some of them will probably retire, or do what they want for the rest of their lives. They will be able to live off what they get from the epic-rated items you just gave them. The daggers will probably become someone's family heirloom."

I pursed my lips and glanced at the cheering party. So, I just paid for these people's retirement? Well, we couldn't just let that one slide. If I didn't get the easy route, then I sure as hell wasn't giving it to anyone else!

"So, I do have one condition, so you all might want to stop cheering. Seems I don't quite understand the value of things here," I said, and then the party froze, probably assuming I would take the items back. "You can keep the items, and I might even give you more, but you are all going to work for me. I want you to all take up positions in Halcon and Mortallin. Your only job is to report to me anything worrisome going on in those countries."

I continue on with, "You are all free to refuse, but any that do will have to return the epic item and I will give you a rare one to replace it like I had originally promised. I am not the type to give people an easy path, but I will settle for just brief reports on the two kingdoms."

The party stared at me in shock, their expressions quickly shifting from joy to uncertainty. Gruff scratched his head, clearly processing the unexpected offer.

"Work for you? Doing what exactly?" he asked, cautious but intrigued.

"I need eyes and ears in Halcon and Mortallin. You'll be my informants, reporting anything suspicious or important. In return, you get to keep the items, and I might even provide additional rewards in the future. Consider it an investment in your retirement plan," I explained, my tone firm but not threatening.

The adventurers exchanged glances, silently communicating their thoughts. After a brief moment, Gruff nodded.

"We'll do it. We're not afraid of a little work, especially if it means we can retire comfortably," he said, and the rest of the party voiced their agreement.

Aria watched the exchange with a mixture of amusement and approval. Once the decision was made, she stepped forward.

"I'll provide you with communication crystals. They'll allow you to send messages directly to Leon. Use them wisely, and only for important matters. This way, you won't have to physically travel to deliver your reports," Aria said, conjuring a set of small crystals and distributing them to the party.

As the adventurers took the crystals, they seemed to grasp the weight of their new responsibilities. I nodded at them, satisfied with the arrangement.

"Remember, this is a serious task. Lives might depend on the information you provide. Don't take it lightly," I warned, and the party nodded solemnly.

With the deal sealed, they gathered their newfound loot and communication crystals, expressing their gratitude before heading back toward the dungeon entrance.

Aria turned to me, a thoughtful expression on her face. "That was an interesting way to handle it. You're not exactly a conventional ruler, are you?"

I chuckled. "I never signed up to be a ruler or a hero. I also am not a fan of giving people what I desire. I can be a bit childish that way sometimes, but this is for our good. I made a deal with Garland to stay out of the East and North during the war, but that only counts for me, and not for people that work for me. If I can use these people to gather information and contribute to the safety of those I care about, then why not?"

Aria smiled at me, with a warm and genuine expression. "You truly are something special, Leon."

"That is one way to put it," I grinned back at her. "But, I wouldn't be here without you and the others. Let's head back to Emberfall. I want to check on Danielle's progress with the magic condenser project and get something to eat! I am starving!"