His Responsibility

The next day.

As the first rays of the sun entered the hut, Add as usual woke up, his long standing habit of being an early bird was as apparent as ever. Just as he was about to get up from the not so uncomfortable bed of leaves, he felt a weight on his body. Looking beside him, he saw a beautiful angel like face next to his, the owner sleeping soundly with soft breaths, using his arm as a pillow. This of course was Lilliana or Lilly, whose figure under the dim rays of dawn looked ever so beautiful.

"Right…..we did it after all huh..."

Add sighed as he saw that they were both in their birthday suits and that their clothes were lying around. He lied down quietly again and closed his eyes in thought. It had very rarely happened that he, had lost his calm, and succumbed to emotion like it had happened last night. At least in all his years as a soldier, there had been many instances were beauties had tried to seduce him for some reason or other, but never had he been moved. But this Elf with her tears, had so easily broken all his self-restraints, it seemed that this girl was somewhat special, in the sense that she had caused him to fall so easily.

Add was usually cold and aloof, his emotions were generally close to nil, not that he didn't have them, rather he was trained to keep them in control. At all times. He had had no time for any soft emotions in his previous life, since he had been raised to be a soldier, in an environment where sentiments and emotions were unneeded. So he had never experienced any form of romance. And that was because his job dictated that he could not afford to love. Ever since he was a kid, his world revolved around daily training, drills, studies and repeat. Even when he was a fully fledged soldier, the only thing on his head was to ensure the completion of the tasks given to him and to defend the mother land.

Although there had been many occasions for him to have a romantic relation, he didn't do it, he truly didn't dare do it. The weight of family can be a hard thing to carry for a soldier to his grave, whose fate is more than often to die for his motherland. And so, a soldier isn't able to die in peace knowing that he/she is leaving their family, their loved ones behind.

Not that he had not seen any beautiful women back on Earth, in fact during his various missions and other instances, he had come across numerous beauties, but they had never left much of an impression on him. He would forget them after a few moments. But now he realized that he could never do the same to Lily. Add stopped his thoughts and looked at her angelic face. She normally was calm and composed, but but her face appeared to be of unmatched beauty at this time. And, his heart filled to the brim with a feeling of responsibility and care. . And though it was her who had initiated it all, his responsibility was never less, in fact, it was much more than hers.

This was the Responsibility towards his actions. Responsibility to this woman lying beside him!

This was not the so called love, which made your heart go sugary. Of course only a night of intimacy was nowhere near enough to make him fall in love, but he realized that although he didn't love Lilliana Nostariel, it was now impossible for him to cast her aside. His conscience would not allow it anymore! He could not reject this strange unknown feeling, but he also dint hate it. He understood that this feeling of care and tenderness he had developed towards her was not something he should or could reject, and he even felt these feelings particularly warm and comforting.

It was at this moment that he had first accepted a person as his own in both of his lives. He was not aware of Lily's exact feelings, on this matter, but in his heart he had decided that she would be his woman and only his, from this moment on and forever, and unless she herself, really wanted to leave him, no force in this world could take her away from him. Add gently caressed the soft and long hair that glistened like gold, and felt at peace I his heart, as if the weight of all those years of killing and war was slowly melting away.

"Looks like I have found a companion in this world…..at last…."

The life of a soldier was lonely, especially so for hi who belonged to an Elite force that was always under strict training and discipline, and while the comrades can be your only buddies, some, rather a large part of your life remains empty. But now he felt that the emptiness he had been carrying for so long had reduced, if only by a little amount.

As he stroked her hair with gentle movements, he could not help but recall the events of last night. He was after all a man, and having such a wonderful woman like Lily in his arms had indeed felt like a blessing. Her body was so soft and supple, he almost wondered if she was made from tofu. The two of them had directly crossed the final line just after a day of their meeting. Add could only blame himself for being weak willed. If he could have firmly rejected her, she would be hurt, but perhaps that would have been better. Being with a man such as him, would be a waste for such a kind and beautiful girl. He felt that he had harmed her greatly. As if aware of his thoughts, Lily who was sound asleep, began waking up.

"Nnn….."

The first thing she felt on waking up, however, was pain in her lower abdomen. For a moment she wondered why she was feeling hurt, but then her eyes fell onto the human boy lying beside her, on whose hand she had been resting. Lily rubbed her eyes once to ensure that she was not seeing things and still saw the familiar boy beside her. In an instant, the events of last night came rushing back to her. How she had tried seducing Add, how she had succeeded, and the things that had happened after that. Recollecting all of which dyed her face in red. She couldn't believe herself having done all those things.

"So you are awake…."

Add's voice broke her chaotic thoughts, as she struggled to steady her feelings. Meanwhile Add left the bed of leaves, and picked up his clothes and quickly dressed up, without saying anything else. Lily was too embarrassed to look him in the eye and hurriedly tried to wear her clothes but the immense pain in her body made it quite impossible for her to move. Still she somehow manage d to put on her dress and stood up shakily only to fall down with her first step, but a hand caught he from the waist and pulled her into an embrace. She felt a familiar scent and warmth as she subconsciously leaned onto Add who was holding her.

"You need to rest….just lie down and don't move needlessly…"

Add helped her sit down. Apparently last night he had been too intense on this girl, and she could not even stand on her feet properly now.

"I am sorry for hurting you Lily.."

Once she had sat down, Add also kneeled beside her, and apologized while bowing his head slightly, causing Lily to become flustered. She hurriedly tried to stop him by holding his hands.

"No what are you saying! It….it was me who started it....please don't apologise…"

She smiled bitterly, this human was not so bad after all. Thinking what she had done, she felt that she had been very selfish using a honey trap to have Add do her bidding. She knew what grave dangers she and her people would have to face from now on and they would have close to no chance of surviving. But dragging Add who was an outsider and owed them nothing was really a sin. Although she had lost her virginity, it was her own fault. She felt very guilty and decide to come clean. With a forced smile, she told Add;

"Mr. Add….whatever happened last night, I am very sorry for that. It was so shameless and wrong of me to seduce you….I am really sorry…. You should leave now….. staying here would only bring you trouble….humans will keep coming after us…and I don't want you to risk your life for us anymore….we will manage somehow... We already owe you a lot, if possible I would definitely repay you someday…..but for now we have to run away as far as possible from humans…. so please leave…return to where you belong..."

She steeled her heart and said with a smile, but on the inside her heart was trembling. Her heart wanted him to stay but her conscience told that he should not be involved in her troubles, and that this would be the best way to ensure his safety. This was the best choice. She repeated in her mind. What happened last night was just a mistake, but she would keep the memory of this mistake in her heart till her death. Add looked at her for a few moments before giving a light sigh.

"I refuse…. I won't leave you like this…." He said simply.

"What?" Lily was startled by his reply. Although her heart felt immense joy, but she and was going to try and persuade him again, when he pulled her into his embrace tightly, resting his head on her shoulder and her head on his.

"I know…what you are thinking…..and I know how hard it is for you to say such words, but I want to make a few things clear. First and foremost, I will take responsibility for what I have done. Even if you say that it was your fault alone, it is not. Now that we have crossed the last line, from the moment we did it, you are my person, my woman. And that is all you need to know."

Lily trembled in his arms. The tears she had been desperately holding back began to trickle down.

"I cannot say that I will solve all your problems, nor can I promise you that I will save all Elves out there."

"I probably will never be able to give you the love you deserve, I may not be able to give you the warmth you deserve, because I do not know how to love. I do not kow any sweet orsugary lines which will put your heart at peace. But what I can promise you is that I will protect you. Now that you are my woman, you are my responsibility. I am not a good man, in fact it can be said that I am the worst kind of man there is. But I can give you my word, any and every harm coming to you will have to go through me first."

"I am an Elf…. Why would you go so far for me…why don't you just abandon me and go….pretend this all never happened....return to wher eyou belong....." she said with sobs. Add kept embracing her with one arm, while he gently caressed her head, trying to calm her.

"Let me make this clear again Lily, I will protect you! I don't care as to who you are, and Elf, or a human, or a demon. I only know that you are my woman and that's all! If I cannot stand for myown woman, what kind of man will I be ? "

Add's eyes were still emotionless, but if one looked closely, they would find a spark of dense killing intent within those eyes, which only got brighter with every passing moment.

"And so for as long as i am alive, no one, not even god can dream of harming my woman!"

His voice was filed with killing intent, but instead of feeling fear, Lily felt a strange sense of comfort and sweetness inher heart.

(Is this what it means to have a man…..)

(Is this what it feels to have a husband…)

But then she realized the true meaning of his words and her face paled.

"B-But….humans….your own race…..they will be against you….for me….you….."

"Heh!" Add smirked coldly with arrogance.

"So what if the humans are against you? So what if I have to kill them all ? Even if the world is against you? I will support you….even if it means that I have to kill all beings in this world, even if the god and the devil are against you, I will not stop!"

"I have kiled before and I will kill again if need be. Even after a million deaths have stained my hands, even after I am called a traitor, murderer or whatever, even if I have to flow seas of blood, I will never stop or retreat from my responsibility, and that is the responsibility I have towards you Lily! And that alone will never change."

Add was not a good man, nor was he a hero like many great soldiers were hailed to be. In fact he was a very selfish man. There were very few things he cared for. In his past life he had fought for his country just because it was his birthplace, his motherland. He didn't care if he had to kill innocents for his motherland, as long as it ensured the safety of his country. He could kill millions of innocents for that purpose. But in this world, till now, he had no such devotion, he felt no sense of belonging anywhere, he was like a dangerous Ronin; A wandering samurai without a master, dangerous as well as pitiful. But now, Lily had changed that. She was now his one solid connection to this world. So he wouldn't care how much evil deeds he had to do, if it meant keeping his loved ones safe.

Hearing his flat but deep words, Lily could no longer hold herself back broke into tears, and her quiet weeping was, very heavy. She hugged Add and wept like a child. Even when her parents had died, she had not wept so much, yet the words he had said today had made her so emotional, that all the pain and sorrows came flowing out.

(This man is not speaking any sweet words of love, neither is he pledging his undying love to me…yet…for my sake he is ready to turn against his own kin…no…..he has already done that! He has already killed hundreds of humans and is ready to kill more, for me he is willing to stand against the world for me….)

(Which man would go to such lengths for his woman….)

The worries and fears in her heart seemed to melt away with her tears as she tightly buried her face in his chest and wept not for a moment did she feel that Add was lying to her. His words were simple an plain. But they conveyed his intentions in their entirety. This was a man who would stand beside her, protect her from the world and if need be slaughter the world. What more could she ask in a cruel world where the weak were food for the strong. She knew that she could not always hope for what she wanted. In her dreams she had wanted a kind, gentle, caring man who was worlds apart from Add, but now that she had him, she felt that he was more than enough.

Add kept still and let her cry her heart out. Only after a long time had passed did Lily stop crying. He separated from her and wipe her remaining tears.

"Cried enough ?"

She nodded while wiping her eyes. As she looked at him, she felt as if she realised a little as to what this man really was. To some this teenage human boy would be exceptionally cruel and dangerous, but on the inside was a lonely boy, who had no one to depend or rely on. He only needed some love and care to show his real self, but he himself probably never knew it. She reached out her hand and stroked his face which now looked to be the most handsome face that she had seen, his skin was a bit cold and so smooth that it almost made her jealous. Further those two eyes of his were like to crystal balls of blue and red, looking so captivating as if she would lose herself in them. She realised that in her heart Add had taken a very special face. However realising his gaze on her, she soon withdrew her hand feeling shy

"Now then, let me introduce myself properly first. I didn't mention it first but my full name is Adolf Kaiser Weismann, but you can call me Add as usual."

This was Add's real name, in his previous life. In the beginning when he was just a cadet, he and his fellow cadets only had their identification numbers and no names. It was only much later when he became an official soldier did he receive a name, which was given based on the cadets performance and personality by the instructors, who were somewhat classic. However his comrades and he himself rarely if not never used such a large name. and hence the shortened version of his name 'Add' came to be.

"I am an orphan for as far as I can remember…..no family…no friends….and I don't have any attachments with humans so as to speak of, save the fact that I belong to that race…so you don't need to worry for that…."

" I was born in a distant land called Germany, and spent much of my life there, but due to some circumstances I had to leave and have been wandering this world for some time now. "

Speaking of his homeland, a trace of deep nostalgia welled up in his heart. The scenes of a country he would probably never be able to see again. Sceneries so beautiful, yet no longer reachable, the culture, the countless stories of his people, the daily lives and the various little things which he will never see again threatened to moist his eyes. He shook his head. Bygones should be left as bygones. He wanted to focus on what was before him.

Hearing his monologue, Lily realised that her feelings were indeed correct. He had no family and no one to depend on. She felt pain in her heart, at least she had been able to receive the love of her parents, but he had not had such a fortune. The thought of how he spent his life until now, all alone, caused her heart to ache. She wanted to say something but fund no word to speak . She had no idea what to say so she could only stay quiet. Add cleared his nostalgia and said;

"So once again, Lilliana Nostariel, it is my pleasure to have your company."

But jus then, a new system notification popped up before him.

[Ding! Criteria for unlocking Main Mission has been fulfilled.]

[The system has deemed that the Host is ready to undertake the Main Mission now.]

[ Main Mission : Harbinger of Salvation

Description : An unprecedented danger lurks upon all of Iseria, which threatens to end the very world itself. As the time of peace comes to an end, death and destruction are imminent. The fate of Iseria lies on your shoulders, for you carry the only hope for its salvation.

Should you choose to accept this mission, you will be dragged into a conflict the likes of which has never been seen before. If you succeed, the world will be saved and you will be its ruler. But if you refuse this mission, you would not be affected immediately, but the world would come to an end soon, and with it, you too will perish.]

[Accept Mission : Yes / No]

He didn't say anything but his face turned serious, the few lines were enough to show how serious the matter was. Although it sounded just like something from a fantasy novel, it was reality for him.

(System, what is this danger you are speaking about ?)

[Apologies Host but I am not allowed to give you any details until you choose to accept the mission.]

Add didn't like the vague information, the system gave him, but he knew that the system never joked. He once turned to look at Lily who was looking at him curiously, and decided to accept. If he was alone he would have had to think more, but now that he had decided to take care of Lily and the Elves, his choice was evident, he clicked on yes and a new notification panel appeared.

[Thank you for accepting the mission. The Main Mission is a collection of many independent mission which are all linked to each other I some way. The first mission will begin immediately!]

[

Mission : Makings of a Leader (1)

Description : Assemble a 20 person strong force, and train them to be a proper soldier. The system will automatically determine whether or not a person meets its criteria as a qualified soldier or not.

Time limit : None

Rewards : 100,000 Exp. & 50,000 CP.

]

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