Romance 101: Even Gods Need a Little Help

* * *

Meanwhile, as Richard drained all of his Ether, the Strength Enchantment Magic turned off, leaving him to support himself with his arms resting on his knees.

His chest undulated as he breathed heavily, and with a slightly hoarse voice from fatigue, he said to Arion, "You… you b*stard. Stop dodging around if you are a man."

It was incredibly annoying for Richard; Arion moved like a slippery eel, evading every attempt Richard made to land a hit.

In fact, he couldn't even touch the hem of Arion's clothes, which was infuriating.

Tilting his head, Arion looked closely at Richard, and the realization struck him.

Richard was weak. At least, that was how he felt at that moment. Yet, Arion clearly recognized that without his training with Shera and the Soul Flame that had enhanced his strength, there was no way he could win this fight.

If Arion had taken the normal route of using Ether, without meeting Shera, he would undoubtedly have been injured by now.

Somehow, Arion could feel a raging emotion inside his heart – an unknown feeling of a need to get stronger.

More. He needed more. He needed to get stronger. Faster.

Not ready to give up yet, Richard attempted to throw a punch one more time.

But alas, without his superior strength from before, Arion dared to take the attack head-on.

He grasped Richard's fist with his left hand, using the momentum of Richard's punch to lead his arms to the right and then circle it around to Richard's back.

As Richard found himself unable to stop being led around, Arion seized the opportunity to grab the front of Richard's shirt and subsequently threw him to the ground.

Before Richard could hit the floor hard, Arion made sure to gently lower him, ensuring his head wouldn't take the brunt of the impact. It would hurt, but Arion figured it wouldn't do much damage.

The crowd erupted in cheers, especially the girls, who screamed happily.

"You're amazing, Arion!" one girl exclaimed.

"You are my prince, Arion. I know you can do it!" another girl added, her voice filled with admiration.

"Arion, marry me!" This declaration earned her a glare from the other girls, who were not amused.

"Dang, he's good," one of the boys exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Right? Now these girls are getting crazier too. It isn't funny at all," another boy commented, his tone dripping with jealousy as he watched his crush cheer for Arion.

The air was thick with envy as they wished Arion would just drop dead right there. 'Why do you need to awaken your Magic Sense? Can't you give us poor fellas a chance?'

Meanwhile, Rhea, who had slowly moved to Nesa's back, whispered something in her ear.

"Oh, I guess our hero defeats the villain to save our princess. What's next, a kiss from the princess? Such are the tropes these days, isn't it, princess?"

Hearing that, Nesa's heart began to race, and her face turned as red as a tomato from Rhea's teasing.

"What are you talking about? You are so annoying!" she protested, though she was starting to become aware of her feelings, especially after last night's conversation with Rhea, who had suggested that Nesa might have a huge crush on Arion – more than any of his fans did.

She denied it completely, but deep down, she felt nervous when she recalled their recent interactions. Especially how she and Arion had been growing closer each day.

'Did I really like him? A woman's feelings for a man? That lovey-dovey thing? No, no way. It isn't possible at all,' she thought, subconsciously reaching up to touch her cheeks – as if trying to cool down the heat of her embarrassment.

* * *

Seeing Nesa's reaction, Rhea found herself gazing at her with a knowing smile.

Inside her mind, she thought, 'Don't worry, Your Highness. The two will fall in love in a jiffy. Nesa is somewhat like a piece of wood, but it's easy since she already likes him from the start. She just doesn't understand her own feelings after all these years. The real problem is him. Arion is even more of a blockhead. He's at least comparable to an iron!'

"You're right," surprisingly, Shera's voice chimed in Rhea's mind.

"Even though his mind is somewhat lecherous, he somehow always manages to control his thoughts and actions to a minimum level as a decent guy."

Shera sighed, never expecting to be troubled by a man who had so much control over his own libido. 'Aren't his parents rather passionate in that regard? I remember how the two were practically at each other all day during my stay.'

"Don't worry, Your Highness. It's just a matter of time. I assure you," Rhea reassured Shera, trying to calm her thoughts.

"Actually, we don't need them to reach that level, though. It's enough for the two to have positive feelings toward each other, so the art will be learned smoothly. Besides, they're still only sixteen."

"Sorry to interject, Your Highness," Rhea jumped in, "but didn't you say the closer their feelings are, the better? I mean, we should really go all out on this! You know, just to guarantee we can locate your real self-faster. Isn't that right? And about age – sorry, Your Highness, if I might offend you again – but we live in the modern era! Everything is different now! I mean, have you seen how kids these days are? They're practically dating before they can even tie their shoelaces! All we need is for them to fall head over heels for each other. The next step will come naturally! Who knows, we might even end up with an unexpected little, cute baby!"

"Um, I guess you are right," Shera replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"I don't know much about relationships, so I'll leave it to you when it comes to planning things ahead."

She felt stunned as Rhea's reasoning seemed to be plausible. She didn't understand much about romantic feelings after all.

All she knew from her experience watching the people around her was that they were sometimes having, 'Se, se, se. S*x.'

She always blushed hard and felt abashed when she recalled the things she accidentally saw during couples' special courses.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I'm famous for being a love expert. Sixty percent of the man-woman relationships in this academy are because of me. Even the teachers ask me for advice!" Rhea declared proudly.

"I see. Maybe you could help me too in that regard," Shera said, her voice barely above a whisper, a slight embarrassment creeping into her tone as she finally managed to gather her courage.

"Huh? Come again?" Rhea was now the one stunned, her mind racing.

"You know, about those romance things. I don't know much after all. You… you don't get me wrong, okay? It's not that I'm interested in those things. It's just… for research. You know, for research purposes only. You… you get it?" Shera stuttered, panic filling her as she kneaded her own fingers.

"…Yes. Yes. Of course, it's for research only. Don't worry, Your Highness. I'll help you through thick and thin if it's necessary," Rhea replied, a knowing smile spreading across her face as she understood the meaning behind Shera's words – and much more than that.

"Right. Thank you, Rhea."

"You are welcome, Your Highness."

After making sure she had lost the connection with the supreme being inside her head, Rhea almost jumped up and squealed from her bafflement and shock.

'So, a literal god also has that kind of interest. I see. I see. I thought they were the kind of beings who looked coldly at everything below them, then with a sway of their hand, all who were in their presence would kneel and tremble from the pressure of the divine being. Guess those movies and novels couldn't be trusted after all,' Rhea thought to herself, chuckling at the absurdity of it all.

As she imagined Shera, the divine being, blushing over romance like a schoolgirl, Rhea couldn't help but laugh to herself.

'Who knew gods had an interest in that part too? Maybe I should start to extend my matchmaking service for the divine too!'