My life was a comedy where I always ended up flat on my face. The 15-coin debt to Ylva, because of the fiasco in the cave, was just another weight on my back, and Melina's song about "the crystal strippers" was already making adventurers laugh even in the taverns of Vaelor. My head was a whirlwind. Elara and Vespera messed with my feelings in ways I couldn't understand. Elara's shy glances, more intense after her memories returned, made my heart race like a wild horse. Vespera's teasing, softer since Infernia, still made me blush like a bonfire. Liriel, with her sharp sarcasm, left me confused, but today her gaze seemed more determined than jealous. To make matters worse, Princess Lyra had sent another letter, with a passionate tone praising my "unshakable courage," while Thalira, the elven envoy, threw me looks that mixed fascination and flirtation, causing Elara and Vespera to huff. Elowyn, through her druidic messages, sent me a cord of carved roots, saying, "For your perseverance, Takumi." That only added to the emotional chaos. I wanted to understand what I felt, but with this group, it was like trying to read a scroll in a hurricane. The amulet, scepter, orb, tome, crystal, scroll, ring, cube, medallion, bracelet, necklace, royal scepter, cord, orb, diadem, key, cord, ring, stone, necklace, bracelet, ring, bracelet, medallion, ring, pendant, cord, bracelet, fragment, cord, scepter, pendant, necklace, bracelet, bracelet, cord, stone, cord, ring, amulet, fragment, pendant, stone, fragment, medallion, cord, ring, fragment, scepter, pendant, stone, fragment, medallion, cord, ring, and fragment in my backpack were all glowing together, and Elowen said that the Demon King's ritual was about to be completed. The danger felt like a deafening thunder, but today, I just wanted to pay my debt to Ylva and avoid more humiliation.
At the Vaelor guild, after the ambush in the forest, Elowen summoned us for the final confrontation. "Kaelthorn is in the dark fortress," she said, her aura mysterious. "He begins the ritual now. Attack at dawn." The guild gave us a mission: invade the fortress and defeat the general once and for all. Liriel grumbled, "A stinking fortress? Unworthy of a goddess!" Elara, gripping her staff, promised, "I'll use magic carefully, I swear!" Vespera, with her bow slung, smiled, "The general? This will be interesting." I tried to sound firm: "No crazy spells, no crooked arrows, no succubus charm. Just finish him." They laughed as if I were dreaming. Lyra sent a royal pendant as a "symbol of glory," and Liriel threw it to the ground: "Uptight little princess!" Thalira, who accompanied us, said, "Your leadership is inspiring, Takumi." Elara muttered, "Why is she always so close?"
The dark fortress was a scene of twisted towers, icy winds, and an oppressive magical aura. Elowen introduced Nora, a human warrior with short hair and fierce eyes. "The strippers? Don't destroy my fortress!" Nora said, her tone a mix of seriousness and sarcasm. She explained that Kaelthorn was in the throne hall, protected by minions and a ritual altar. Melina appeared, strumming her lute. "New verse ready!" she announced, attracting looks from allies. Elowyn touched my shoulder: "You lead with soul, Takumi." Elara and Vespera huffed, while Liriel kicked a stone: "Stupid princesses!" The atmosphere was tense, rivalries burning like fire.
The battle began, and chaos came fast. Elara tried a containment spell to block the runes. "Just to weaken the altar!" she said. The spell glowed for seconds before she collapsed, panting. "Mana... gone," she groaned, falling into my arms. Her face was so close that my heart pounded. "Takumi, I... I wanted to..." she began, but the spell stirred a rune, releasing minions that attacked. Vespera, trying to help, used her charm, but distracted Nora, who tripped over a minion. Her crooked arrow hit a pillar, which collapsed. "What a delicious chaos!" she shouted, as Ylva pushed her away, and she seemed to enjoy it. "Liriel, do something!" I yelled. She raised her wine cup. "Divine magic of purification!" Light exploded, but it set the tapestries on fire, spreading smoke. I tried to hit a minion with my borrowed sword, but slipped on ice, crashing and knocking down statues. Nora, fighting minions, shouted, "You're a disaster!"
Kaelthorn emerged into the hall, in black armor and flaming red eyes. "The Demon King shall be freed!" he roared, activating the altar with the stolen items. Elara, still in my arms, whispered, "Takumi, have you ever felt... that we're in this together?" Her voice was soft, and I felt a tightness in my chest. Vespera teased, "Getting cozy, Takumi?" Lyra, who joined the mission, said, "Your bravery is charming, Takumi." Elara blushed, muttering, "Why is she so close?" Thalira laughed: "Your chaos is almost epic." Elowyn, with a druidic glow, said: "You're stronger than you think, Takumi." Vespera huffed: "Another princess!" Liriel just rolled her eyes, sipping wine. Nora sighed, extinguishing the fire with a spell, but the tapestries were ashes. She found a scepter with markings identical to the items in my backpack, fallen among the rubble. "Curious," she said, handing it to me. When I touched the scepter, it vibrated, knocking down more statues. Nora, irritated, said, "You'll pay for this." Allies laughed, and Melina sang: "In the fortress, they strip the statues, the strippers fall in confusion!" Nora muttered, "You're a plague!"
The clash with Kaelthorn was the climax. He launched bursts of dark energy, which I barely dodged. "You are weak!" he laughed, but Ingrid blocked one strike, giving me time. Elara, recovered, cast a weak spell that cracked his armor, Vespera hit a precise arrow into his shoulder, and Liriel, with perfect magic, purified his energy. The items in my backpack glowed, and I used the stolen scepter to counterattack, weakening Kaelthorn. Gunnar and Leif attacked with axe and spells, Thorne sliced minions like grass, Sigrid healed wounds, Sven tracked openings, and Freya fired precise arrows. Kaelthorn roared, summoning a wave of shadows that toppled pillars. "The Demon King will come!" he shouted. But I, with my last breath, charged, piercing through his armor with my sword. Kaelthorn fell, screaming: "This isn't over!" His body dissolved into black smoke, and the altar exploded in white light. The fortress trembled, but the ritual was destroyed forever. My allies celebrated, but I collapsed, the world fading to black. "Takumi!" Elara cried, running toward me. I felt hands holding me, voices echoing. "Stay... safe," I murmured before everything went dark.
I woke in a white void, the same space from the start of my journey. No sound, no light, just infinite nothingness. "Died again," I thought, sighing in relief. At least, no debts, no chaos from Elara, Vespera, and Liriel, no pompous princesses, no Demon King. A voice echoed: "Takumi, you have a choice." A divine figure appeared, a goddess of soft light with a serene smile. "Reincarnate in another world, with a new life. Forget this chaos." A screen appeared with world options: one of pure magic, another of advanced technology, another of eternal peace. My finger hovered over "accept," relief washing over me. No debts, no humiliation, no... them. But an image flashed in my mind: Elara's shy smile, Vespera laughing at a disaster, Liriel huffing with her wine. The void tightened my chest like a claw. "No," I murmured, my voice hoarse. The goddess smiled: "Then, return to them." Light enveloped me, and the void dissolved into a swirl of colors.
I opened my eyes in the Vaelor inn, with Elara crying beside me, Vespera gripping my hand tightly, and Liriel, eyes moist, murmuring something. "Takumi!" Elara shouted, throwing herself on me, hugging me as if I'd vanish. Vespera joined, laughing through tears: "Idiot, don't scare me like that again!" Liriel, reluctant, touched my shoulder, her voice low: "Don't do that again, mortal." Their embrace was warm, tight, and I laughed — a mix of frustration and relief. Back to the chaos, the debts, the sabotaged flirts, the Demon King's whispers. But happy, more than ever. "I... came back," I said, holding them close. The guild paid 70 coins for the victory but deducted 50 for accumulated damages. Twenty left, enough for a week at the inn. Elowen nodded: "The ritual was broken, but the Demon King still whispers. Be careful." Lyra, Thalira, and Elowyn, who were there, smiled, but the jealousy in the air was palpable. Elara murmured, "You're ours, Takumi." Vespera laughed, "Don't get used to it." Liriel just huffed but squeezed my arm. My life was a nightmare, but it was my nightmare.