Refusing My God’s Advances

It had been a long day filled with too many good things to count. I had got to spend time with all the girls save Aria, but that would come in the future. Now, the sun was down, and Lyra and I were lying in bed.

"Did you have a good day?" Lyra asked as she cuddled into my side, and I ruffled her hair and then kissed her forehead.

"If every day could be like this, I wouldn't complain. Considering how things had been going, I had been worried it would be a long time before I was able to enjoy a day this much," I smiled and then opened my system menu. "Would you like to look through my notifications together and help me pick a new skill?"

Lyra's eyes lit up with excitement. "Of course! I'd love to help you choose a new skill." She scooted closer, nearly climbing on top of my chest, and we both gazed at the holographic interface displaying my notifications.

System Notifications:

[Level 20 acquired!]

[Increase to all stats]

[+1 Character Point]

[+175 Stat Points]

[+9 Skill Points]

[10th Skill Slot unlocked]

[1st Passive Skill Slot Unlocked]

[+125 Material Points]

[Divine Quest Received!]

Quest: Elite IHSR Member Recommendation 1/5: Demon Lord Hades of the Underworld has requested that you collect certain items for him.

Quest Requirements: Horns x2 and Wool x2 from a Divine Flying Wool Horn Sheep, Ruby Heart x3 from the Crystal Flame Island War Drakes,  Eyes of the Cataclysm Class Abyssal Rift Behemoth.

Reward: Platinum Hades Hotspot Membership, 1/5 Elite IHSR Member Recommendations, (Unique) Underworld Fashion Crystal x5, 3 Character Points

[Progressive Quest Received!]

Quest: Raising a Virgin Hero: Garland requests that you train the new hero, Misty Cardin. For every 10 Levels, you will be rewarded with Experience and 1 item. These rewards increase as Misty levels up.

Quest Requirements: Increase Misty Cardin's Level to 100

Reward: 1,000 XP, 1 random item per 10 levels gained by Misty. 10 Platinum Coins, 5 Epic Crystal Material Lottery Coupons, 1 Day Off Sanctuary on completion.

It was nice to see that I had gotten to level 20 finally, but the quest from Hades looked a bit out of my reach. My best bet would be to focus on the quest from Garland, but I found it hard to believe that he would give me such good rewards. It could be possible that he doesn't get to set the rewards, but I had no way to tell without asking him.

"Asking who? Little old me?"

Both Lyra and I put up our hands to block the evasive light that had filled my bedroom. I didn't need to see who it was, but it was annoying that the old man could read my thoughts.

"I see that annoyed look on your face, Leon!" Garland's silhouette laughed, and the brightness turned down to a manageable level. "You are probably thinking, "How does he know what I am thinking?" It is only when you think my name am I drawn to you, and I see you had your blessing open! I figured you were probably wondering, "Why would the mighty Garland give me such good rewards?" Right?"

"Ooo," I mocked, grabbing my chest. "You got me. So why are you giving up the big coins for this?"

"No choice and I didn’t even make a request for a quest. None of your blessing’s abilities or traits have anything to do with me. It is clear that He finds interest in you, whatever that means. Anyway, I hope that you are enjoying your days of peace! But! How long will you ignore the surface?" Garland mused with a smug look, and I shrugged.

"For as long as humanly possible. I have a hero to train after all," I said, stroking Lyra's hair, who was peaking over my chest.

"I suppose that is the case, but The Halcon Empire has started its march to Reshan. The Reshan King will have just received the declaration of war from Halcon, and there is a very good chance that Mortallin will join them. Just to be clear, Halcon and Mortallin are kingdoms under my rule, even from my divine place," Garland explained, pacing.

The stupid god stopped and then turned to me with a smile. "You do know what this means, right? That warship, Danielle, Daryle, Mary, and your precious Princess Aria will all have to return to fight! Will you still ignore the world's problems?"

"War?" I asked, and Garland nodded, rubbing his hands together.

This was annoying, but it made sense for him to do something like this. With Mary and Aria around, there probably wasn't much Garland could do to me. On the other hand, if he could draw me into big conflicts, there was a much greater chance that I could be killed. Add some demons in there and my new little partner and this would be one hell of a battle. I sighed, realizing that the peaceful days on the island were coming to an end.

"I'll think about it," I said, not wanting to commit to anything just yet.

Garland chuckled. "That's the spirit! Now, onto more important matters, like your quest to train the virgin hero. How's that going?"

I rolled my eyes, not liking where this conversation was heading. "It's going fine. Misty is settling in, and we're getting along."

"Good, good. Keep up the good work, my boy. And don't forget the rewards. I have a feeling they'll come in handy," Garland said with a cryptic grin.

With that, he disappeared, leaving Lyra and me in the dimly lit room. I turned to her, an annoyed expression on my face. I knew this day was too good to be true!

"What are you going to do now?" Lyra asked, and I let out a long sigh.

"Something, even if I really don't want to. I can't ignore it if it will pull my girls and friends into it. Still, I am not really ready to stop a war yet..." I said, and then paused, taking a deep breath. "GARLAND!"

"What? I can hear you even if you think of my name! You don't have to yell!" Garland complained as he reappeared.

"How long do I have before the conflict starts?" I asked, and Garland tapped his chin.