[Moments Later]
The group switched locations from Alicia's room to a private suite—the new residence of the Otherworlders.
As one would expect from the heroes that were now officially recognized by the Alliance and all of its citizens, it was pristinely designed and spacious.
It had a base color of silver-white, with gold linings and purple fabric as designs. There were murals and structural choices that made the entire area pop out more. A glowing chandelier hung high on the ceiling, and a constant aura of royalty oozed in the space beneath it.
Just as in their previous living quarters, there was a common parlor, with each Otherworlder having their rooms.
Rey was shown his room, and it was at least three times bigger than what he previously had. He had to ask if this was how everyone's room was, and they all shook their heads.
"Mister Ater refused to place you on the same level as everyone, so he personally took responsibility for your room."
"I… see…"
Rey couldn't really complain about the room, though.
Not only did it have the kind of bed he always desired, but the fragrance within the space was so good that he felt like he was floating just from taking a whiff. The minimalist design, study desk, and mini-library that were positioned appropriately there were also sublime.
It seemed Ater truly understood his tastes and made sure his room reflected that.
As such, despite the uncomfortable idea of his room being much larger than his friends', Rey couldn't say anything bad about it.
It was perfect for him.
'No one seems to be complaining about it, so… I guess it's cool…' He thought to himself in silence.
He could always blame the decision on Ater while enjoying all the benefits his space had to offer.
'Though, I'm still interested in turning that Grand Calamity Class Dungeon into my fortress.'
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})It would just take quite the makeover to convert it into a suitable place for him, but the idea still lingered in his mind.
After he was shown around his room, and the entire premises in general, Lucielle and Brutus had to take their leave in order to inform the Royal Council of Rey's revival, as well as organize an official meeting between the Otherworlders and the Alliance's upper echelon.
Once they left, Rey and his three friends—along with Ater—decided to settle in the parlor and have a casual discussion.
Despite all of them having their proper seats, Ater stood behind Rey's sofa; almost like a well-trained guard who meant business.
Even after he was prompted to loosen up, Ater still didn't sit with anyone. Instead, he sat in the air, right by his Master' side. Thankfully, he didn't have a scary expression on his face, so neither Clark, Justin, nor Belle could get intimidated.
… Or so one would think.
'They keep staring at Ater in a cautious manner—especially Clark and Justin. Just what did this guy do to them?' Rey wondered to himself.
He couldn't have them being so stiff around him too, all things considered. Not only was he more powerful than them, but his Familiar also seemed to strike fear into their hearts.
All of a sudden, it felt like Rey was being subconsciously ostracized by his mates.
Thankfully, that didn't last very long.
"You know, we tried to see you, but… well, HE wouldn't let us."
Justin's words contained a hint of annoyance as he spoke, but it was suppressed by the playful manner that he was known to indulge in.
This did a lot to break the tension, and the wheels began to turn from there onward.
Clark sighed and nodded in agreement to Justin's words, but Belle flared up the moment she understood what was being implied.
"S-Sir Ater was just trying to protect Rey! Besides, we were busy with our training and the revival of the city. It was for the best!"
Almost everyone sighed the moment they heard Belle's reply, but it wasn't like she cared for their perception of her.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})There was only one person she stared at once she was done speaking.
"Thank you, Belle. Indeed, it was all for my Master's sake."
The moment Ater rendered words of thanks, even going as far as flashing her his smile, her face turned beet red and she quickly hid it in both of her palms.
Once again, almost everyone sighed.
It had become pretty clear that Belle was crushing hard on Ater. At first, they weren't really sure that was the case, but after observing their interactions for the past couple of months, it was obvious.
Ater didn't seem particularly interested, neither did he seem to be encouraging her feelings. However, he wasn't actively discouraging it either.
As a result, it appeared to be a one-sided infatuation.
"Well… it's probably for the best that you didn't see me until I woke. I was… ahem, not decently dressed." Rey coughed, remembering how purely naked he was when he first woke up.
He couldn't even imagine everyone seeing him in such a state.
"Oh… you know we've seen you naked already, right?"
'E-eh?' Rey's eyes nearly bulged the moment he heard those words from Justin.
"Yeah… back when you fought that thing. You… well, you were naked after you were first killed…"
'Oh fuck…'
Justin addressed it with levity, while Clark seemed a bit bashful when speaking about it. But what about Belle? What did she think?
"Don't look at me. I looked away before seeing anything like that." She responded, swiftly returning her gaze to Ater.
Despite her provocative appearance, it seemed Belle was a lot purer than one would expect. Perhaps it was simply because she didn't want to sully her eyes with the nakedness of another person.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})One could only wonder what she would have done if it was Ater that was stripped naked.
Well, she must have wondered it, considering the fact that her face turned even redder and she shook her ehad violently despite not being asked anything.
As she did this, and the others ignored her, Rey felt himself trying his hardest to suppress his emotions of mortification.
'If everyone saw… does that include Alicia?!'
He struggled to come to terms with it, but he had to—at the very least, for his sake.
Rey already knew he was average down there. No matter how toned his muscles were, and how in-shape he was in geenral, he still hadn't been able to get rid of his average face and average 'equipment'.
He knew he couldn't be greedy; after all, he already had so much power—far more than anyone he knew.
It would perhaps be too much to ask for if he also desired a pretty face and a large tool. Still, the idea of Alicia seeing his… his…
'Argh… I can't deal with this!' He locked those thoughts in a vault somewhere, and right as he did so, he remembered something.
'Trisha and Lucielle were also present. Oh damn…'
He also chose to lock those into his mental vault. He couldn't have them as intrusive thoughts at such a moment of his life.
'Let's change topics, please.' His entire being pleaded as he stared at his friends.
'Anything but my nakedness!'
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Thanks for reading!
Slice of life components here and there never hurt, but, well… I can remember the previous arc starting on a similar tone.
Ah, by the way… do tell me the character illustrations you'll like to see next.
