NOVEL WEB Chapter 103: Two Offers
Connie teleported back to the Dimension of Discounts, landing just outside of the hot spring. She had excused herself from the games early so as to have her talk with Jerry, so she hoped that Lia and her lovers would still be playing. Fortunately, it seemed that they had taken a shine to the games, and were currently playing pool.
“Amelia, can we talk?” Connie asked, poking her head into the room. “A-alone, please.”
“Sure thing. You guys keep playing without me, okay?” Amelia said, placing her cue down on a table and walking over to Connie.
Connie guided her out the door, carefully shutting it behind her. “Um, can we…talk about this in a more private room? The hall isn’t a great place for a discussion like this, and if Rose or Lia want to go use the bathroom or something we’ll be in the way.”
“Where’s the nearest room?” Amelia asked. “It just has to be anywhere they won’t go, right?”
“This way.” Connie said, leading her down the hallway to a room that would be used for massages in the future, when Lia had saved up enough Blood Money for that function.
Once they were securely inside, Amelia turned to Connie. “So…I’m assuming this is about the relationship?” She asked.
“Well…yes.” Connie admitted. “I –”
“Before this conversation goes any further, I would like to ask that you read my mind.” Amelia interjected. “Use as much god power as you need to make sure I’m not manipulating things with my magic or anything. I’m aware that you very rightfully don’t trust me, so I’d like it if we can talk with you secure in the knowledge that I’m not lying to you.”
Connie hadn’t been planning on it, it was far too rude an action to do to someone who might theoretically become her lover, but if Amelia was offering, she was absolutely going to take the opportunity. She gave Amelia a nod and reached into her reserves of Worship and drew out a not insignificant chunk, somewhere in the realm of ten units, then used it to fuel a powerful mind-reading spell.
Amelia’s own Worship automatically resisted, but between the decent amount of Worship Connie had used, the fact that Amelia very clearly was deliberately trying not to put up any defenses, and the fact that Amelia’s Worship was bound, she was able to slip in and get a complete grasp of Amelia’s mind.
She was as non-invasive as possible, staying out of memories and other irrelevant sections of Amelia’s mind, but she nonetheless occupied most of Amelia’s consciousness. To her surprise, Amelia was still holding onto a spell like she had told Lia, and a quick glance over its construction revealed that it would, indeed, make Amelia love Connie. She hadn’t been bluffing earlier; she was ready to commit.
“Done.” She said. “As I was going to say, you’re right in that I don’t trust you. Even so, I think we can work something out between the two of us. But, before any of that, I want to know exactly why you’re so keen on moving this forward. What’s your game?”
Amelia shrugged. “I won’t lie and say I’m completely altruistic, because I’m not. I believe that having a god dating us would greatly aid us in smoothing relationships over with the other gods, and potentially even in other ways, though I’m less certain that would be allowed. That being said, you and Lia seem to get along pretty well, and if another person gets added to the relationship, that’s only a good thing, god or no.”
Connie frowned. Amelia was indeed telling the truth, laying her raw, unfiltered feelings bare. “That doesn’t bother you at all? That someone new is coming and changing things?”
“Why would it?” Amelia asked, giving Connie a strange look. “Falling in love is fantastic, and the more love that’s in my life, the better.”
Connie could tell that by “falling in love” Amelia meant the spell she used to make herself love someone. It was a bit of an odd way to refer to the process, but…it wasn’t necessarily incorrect, either. “I just…I don’t know, I feel like I’d have a hard time loving you.” Connie admitted. “My trepidation is just too strong, and I feel like no matter how I try, there’ll be a wall between us, and that’s not fair to everyone.”
“Is that all?” Amelia asked, tilting her head. “Because that’s a pretty easy problem to solve. I can just copy and update my spell so it has me as a target instead of you, and then cast it on you. I’ll even modify the one I’m casting to fall in love with you and add a trigger that’ll go off if I undo the spell on me and duplicate the effect on you, so if things don’t work out you won’t be locked into pining for someone you’ll be unable to have a relationship with.”
Once again, Amelia was being completely honest, something that puzzled Connie. There was no intention to use it to gain an advantage over Connie or to try something tricky, just the desire to make something work.
“I’ll tone it down from what I usually give myself, keep it in line with your desire for Lia.” Amelia suggested. “That way you don’t need to worry about suddenly loving me more than them or something.”
The idea was, admittedly, attractive. Finally admitting to herself that she had feelings for Lia had broken the barrier created by the lies she told herself about being happy alone, and she could no longer ignore the fact that she desperately wished for companionship. And…if things went too far, Jerry would step in, so…what was the harm?
She heaved a sigh. “Fine.” She said. “But if it goes beyond acceptable limits, know that Jerry will fix it.”
Amelia beamed. “Great!” She said enthusiastically. “Give me half a minute, and it’ll be ready, okay?”
Connie watched in nervous anticipation as Amelia began to weave a spell, myriad magic circles appearing in the air behind her. As she worked, Connie quietly filled the gaps in the spell where Amelia would normally insert her Worship with some of Connie’s own; though she hated to spend it, Amelia’s spell would need to have some Worship in it if it was to have any hope of affecting the mind of a Higher Being like Connie.
After an eternity of waiting, Amelia finally finished her spell, holding it just before the point of casting it. “I’m going to cast it now, okay?” She said. “Once we do this, going back isn’t going to be easy. So…last chance to back out.”
“Do it before I change my mind.” Connie said, squeezing her eyes shut, ending her mind reading, and bracing herself for the spell.
She could feel the magical energy discharge, and, contrary to her expectations, it didn’t hurt, wasn’t even the slightest bit uncomfortable. Instead, it felt sort of like being lowered into a pleasantly warm bath, as the sensation of love bubbled up within her, strengthening her feelings for Lia and the sprouts of her feelings for Rose, and then adding more love in for Amelia.
She could see why Amelia didn’t have a problem with it; being filled with more love made her feel…happy, almost giddy in a way that she hadn’t felt in so, so long. It was as if her horizons had been broadened in all of the best ways.
Opening her eyes, Connie smiled at Amelia, then grabbed her and pulled her in for a hug. Amelia gladly reciprocated, melting into Connie’s embrace as she pulled her closer.
Connie wasn’t sure how long the two would have stayed like that, but they were unfortunately cut short by the sound of the door opening.
“Um…” Lia said. “Are we…interrupting?”
“L-Lia!” Connie said, hurriedly disengaging from the hug. “W-why are you here?”
“I felt some powerful magic happen.” Lia said. “And we came to make sure everything was okay.” Her face darkened slightly as she looked at Amelia. “I’m guessing Amelia cast her love spell on you.”
“Before you say anything, I agreed to it!” Connie said hurriedly. “She literally couldn’t affect me unless I consented, the gods have innate resistance to mind-altering magic. I even had to give her some of my power to make the spell work. We can get Jerry if you need, he’ll back me up on this!”
Lia groaned. “So, I’m guessing you’re going to say that your hang-ups are now resolved, and everyone agrees that we want to try this out, right?”
“Yup!” Connie said happily. “That…is okay, right?”
“Yes, I suppose it is.” Lia sighed. “If you both consented, then I can’t really get on your case about mind altering magic.”
Connie’s heart pounded joyfully, and she rushed over to Lia and Rose. She would have pulled them into a hug as well, but she realized that they might not be ready for that yet. “Um…can I hug you two?” She asked.
Lia grabbed Connie, pulling both her and Rose into a hug. “Of course.” She said. “We’re dating now, this is normal.”
“Me too!” Amelia exclaimed, jogging over and getting in on the group hug.
While it was nice, the logistics of the hug were somewhat awkward with four people, not helped in the least by Lia and Rose’s sizeable assets. Especially Rose, her chest felt far bigger now that Connie was actually feeling it up close. And, though she loved the sensation, it certainly did complicate things.
Eventually, Connie ducked out of the hug. “So…games?” She asked. “I know I sort of dipped on you in the middle, I was making sure things were alright with Jerry.”
“I assume they were, then?” Rose asked.
“Yup, nothing to worry about.” Connie confirmed happily. “It seems I was just misunderstanding his stance on things.”
“Games it is, then.” Rose said. “Do you want to sleep with us tonight?”
Connie blushed fiercely. “A-already?” She asked. “I’m not sure I’m ready for sex yet.”
“Not sex if you don’t want it.” Rose said quickly. “Just…sleeping in the same bed.”
“Oh. Then, yeah, sure, sounds like fun.”
“Great.” Rose said, smiling. “Let’s get started!”
When Lia awoke, she found herself alone. Or…not alone, the others were just further away than she was used to. She had become accustomed to falling asleep in Rose’s arms and waking up in the same way, but Rose had apparently rolled over and grabbed Amelia, as had Connie.
Lia smiled faintly as she looked at her lovers sleeping peacefully, then sat up and tried to get out of bed as quietly as she could. It seemed that she wasn’t quiet enough, though, as the moment she got off the bed, Connie began to stir.
“Lia?” She mumbled sleepily. “Why are you here? And why am I…oh. There’s…no taking it back now, right?”
Lia gave her a smile. “If you don’t like it, you’re free to leave whenever you want.” She said. “But if you do like it, then I would encourage you to stay; relationships can be scary, but I personally find them to be worth it.”
“Give up, and let yourself be loved.” Amelia said, tightening her grip on Connie and snuggling up closer. “I’m gonna love you so hard you can’t even think of going back to how things were before.”
“What’s going on?” Rose asked sleepily. She opened her eyes, looked at Connie’s rapidly reddening face, then let go of her hug. “Morning, Connie.” She said. “How are you feeling?”
“A little overwhelmed.” Connie admitted.
Amelia instantly stopped hugging Connie. “Sorry.” She said. “You should have told me, I didn’t realize.”
“It’s fine, Amelia.” Connie said, sitting up. “Why don’t you two go relax in the hot spring for a bit?” She suggested. “Lia and I need to meet with the God of Heroes, and he would like it if we were alone.”
“Sounds good to me.” Rose said. “Amelia?”
“I’m always ready for some alone time with you, Rose.” Amelia purred. “You two don’t leave us waiting for too long, though, the more the merrier, after all.”
“U-uh, right.” Connie said shyly, fully stepping out of the bed. She snapped her fingers, and her pajamas changed into her regular outfit. “Lia, do you need to change or anything?”
Lia transformed the sleepwear she was wearing back into her kimono. “Ready.” She and Connie left the hot spring, walking back into the Dimension of Discounts proper. Once they were a good distance away from the hot spring, Connie turned back to Lia.
“I’m going to call him now, are you ready?” Connie asked.
“Ready.”
Connie looked off into the distance, and a moment later Hector, the God of Heroes, appeared in front of them. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today.” He said, giving Lia a lukewarm look. “I have a proposition for you.”
“I’m listening.” Lia said warily.
“I have been informed that you are no longer planning to convert Ira, and will be unceremoniously killing him instead. I would like to propose an alternative.”
“Oh?” Lia said, raising an eyebrow. “I was under the impression that he was deemed a threat to the world and should be stopped. I know you’re against conversion due to the mental alterations it entails, so I fail to see an alternative that wouldn’t leave him free to continue his wrongdoings.”
“You misunderstand.” Hector said. “He needs to go, that’s non-negotiable. I was thinking that, instead, you could have a proper deathmatch with him. A one-on-one fight to the death.”
“Absolutely not!” Connie spat. “Leave, now. You are well aware that the two of them are not comparable in power yet. You’re basically asking her to commit suicide, and we won’t be discussing this topic further.”
“Woah there.” Hector said, holding up his hands. “Hold your horses. I’m pretty sure there’s a chance she could win. And if she does, I’m willing to offer my full support, and my Blessing.”
A shimmering portal appeared in the air next to Hector, and Matthew, the world strength tester, stepped out. “Hector, we discussed this.” He said. “This is a borderline insulting offer. If you insist on going through with this, then I will personally throw in my weight to make sure she has a fair chance before the match.”
Hector frowned. “Matthew, you can’t possibly be serious. I’m giving her an opportunity to gain the full support of an influential god, such a thing has always come with great personal risk, that’s how it works. Many people would jump at this offer.”
“And many people don’t have you actively displeased with them.” Connie said, putting her hand on her hips and leaning forward. “Only a fool would accept such a task from a hostile god.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.” Lia said. “This isn’t a risk I can afford to take right now.”
“Are you sure?” Heroes asked. “Every god that defects to your cause will make your job that much easier.”
“How?” Lia asked. “Okay, I get your Blessing, sure, but in the long run I don’t think that changes anything. I might grow personally more powerful, but that’s not what the swarm needs.”
“And any future summoned Heroes would be predisposed to join you.” Hector replied. “And I could likely make the argument that the bindings from everyone but Rose should be completely lifted.”
“I could make similar arguments now, if we consider Amelia an exception.” Matthew pointed out. “Hector, you’re being petty. If you truly wished to make her an offer, you wouldn’t have given her a suicidal task, or you would have modified the terms of this deathmatch.”
“Hector, you knew this was going to happen.” Connie accused. “That’s why you wouldn’t tell me what you wanted to talk about. What were you thinking?”
Hector shrugged. “I had to give it a shot.”
“No, you didn’t. And I’m not going to sit around and let you try and kill off my girlfriend like that.”
“Your what?!” Hector gasped.
“Girlfriend, significant other, lover. We’re dating. Deal with it.” Connie said testily. “And before you say anything, I passed it off with Jerry first, and he told me he fully supports it. So, you can take your judgement somewhere else, mister. Even if she did win your little challenge, that isn’t going to actually change your mind about anything, so get out of here with your weaselly offer.”
“Fine.” Hector said frustratedly. “I can see that you’re not open to discussion. I thought it was an offer worth the risk, but apparently no one else agrees.” He unceremoniously disappeared, leaving the three of them alone.
“Sorry about that.” Matthew said. “I tried to talk him out of it when he proposed the idea to me, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“It’s not your fault, Matthew.” Connie said. “Thanks.”
Matthew nodded. “I’ll go talk to him, get him calmed down.” He said. “He has a bad tendency to get stubborn about these things. I’ll catch you two later, and…congratulations, you guys make a cute…quadruple? Have fun!” He stepped back through the portal, and it closed behind him.
Connie sighed. “Sorry about this.” She said. “I knew something was up, but…well, it was an opportunity for you, and I figured I could prevent him from doing anything crazy.”
“It’s fine.” Lia said. “For now, let’s go back to Amelia and Rose, start the day off a little better, what do you say?”
“I say…that sounds like a good idea.” Connie said. “Let’s go.”
