Refusing My God’s Advances

Aria's eyes widened in surprise, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of red. She seemed momentarily taken aback by my sudden proposal. I couldn't blame her; it was a bit out of the blue.

"I... um, join your family?" she stammered, her gaze flickering between my eyes and the floor.

Shit. I meant to say, group! I had already slipped that up once because I assumed that she liked me, but after seeing her face. I wasn't confident in myself at all.

Before I could say anything, Aria looked up at me with a determined look. "Yes! Please let me join your family, Leon!"

I held my ground, not wanting to take another step back, even though it was hard. These girls had some passion in them! 

Oh! The other girls! The demons!

"Let's get going, I want to go check on the demons really quick," I said at the same time that the shop owner came out. I turned to him. "Gramps! Can you send that stuff to the tailor shop? I have friends that are at the bathhouse next door that will take them."

"Oh? Yes, no problem at all! My name is Gil! I hope to do more business in the future!" The old man said, and I smiled as I took Aria's hand, making her squeak. 

"I'm Leon, and I think that we will be seeing a lot of each other in the future," I smiled, dragging the blushing Aria out of the shop.

Once we got outside I pointed us in the direction of the warehouse. I had a knack for remembering locations and making maps in my head, but in this world, it felt heightened. It was almost like I could see the map in my head if I really concentrated on it, and the more I explored, the more I could see. 

I was about to start walking, but I could hear heavy breathing coming from beside me. I looked over to see that Aria had surpassed the tomato, and was now encroaching on the beet's territory! She was breathing hard and had a dizzy look in her eyes. 

Not sure what was wrong, I let go of her hand in panic, but then she gasped for air, and put both hands on her knees to brace herself. I moved toward her to see if I could help, but she put up her hand to stop me.

"Please... Just... Give me... A moment!" She exclaimed, and I backed up, very confused.

After a short moment, and a few awkward looks from people walking by, Aria stood up straight. She still looked flustered, but she looked me in the eye, then bowed to me again, holding the position.

"I am sorry! You are the first man that has ever taken my hand like that!" She exclaimed, still bowing.

*Awkward looks increase and intensify!*

"It's okay! I am sorry for grabbing your hand like that without even asking!" I blurted out, but Aria straightened up.

"I should have told you I was a virgin!" She declared, and I slapped my hand over my face.

"Not in the middle of the street!" I complained as a crowd started to gather. "Come on! The second time can't be nearly as bad!"

I walked over, grabbed her hand, and started to walk, with her following me. It might be okay if I kept on moving. After we got away from the crowd, I looked back at Aria.

She was turning blue!

"Aria!" I exclaimed as I let go of her hand.

She gasped in the air like she had almost drowned, and I felt horrible watching her, but seriously. 

How did she get this far with such an unsteady composure!?

I waited for her to catch her breath, and decided that I would keep my hands to myself. Unlike with the other 2 girls, hand-holding must seem like censored material to Aria... so cute! Still, just how sheltered was this girl? Maybe she grew up in a library? A convent?

"I am sorry, again. I just get really nervous holding your hand. I was raised... Well, I didn't get to meet very many people..." Aria explained, seeming hesitant about talking about her past.

"It's fine. Let's just walk, we are not far from our next destination," I said, waving for her to follow.

A relieved look passed over her face, and she came up beside me as we started to walk. Dusk was on us as we walked in silence, but I could see the warehouse.

Once we arrived, I walked in without knocking and froze at what I saw. Then everyone froze when they noticed me.

The guards and demons were playing some form of dice, and none of them were tied up. Did I miss something here?

"Hero!" The man I assumed was the guard captain said as he shot up and faced me.

His get-up consisted of some actual metal plates for armor, unlike his men who only wore some kind of leather armor. The man had brown hair, and rough stubble on his face. If I had to guess, he must be in his thirties.

"At ease, boss. I am just surprised at what I am seeing," I said, looking around as I walked inside with Aria behind me.

"Well," The man started, clearing his throat. "I came to check to make sure none of my men were disobeying your orders, but I found all three men talking with one of the demons. I was concerned at first, but it turned out he was just explaining a dice game. One thing led to another, and we decided to untie them since a person as strong as you spared them. They are pretty friendly. Strange."

Strange was right, but I wonder if it had something to do with Lyra talking to them. I assumed she told them to be nice, but from my observations, they don't seem too different from humans. It wasn’t unreasonable for them to get along. 

Not that I was not complaining. I was glad that more people than I assumed seemed to have heads on their shoulders.

"I am happy to see this, but do you mind watching them for a bit longer? I have to fetch food and the girls before we head out of town," I explained, and the captain frowned at me.

"You are leaving?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Just to the cave outside of town," I explained, and the captain nodded.

"Be careful. Some monsters in caves will regenerate, while others are drawn in from outside. Setting up camp there might prove risky," the captain explained, but I chuckled, pointing to the large group of demons. 

"I should be fine with all of them," I said, and then left with Aria following me, keeping my hands to myself.

Once I closed the door, I turned to the place Aria walked over to. She had a strange look on her face.

"Is everything okay, Aria?" I asked, concerned about her sudden change in expression.

She bit her lower lip and looked at the demons with a mix of curiosity and wariness. "I've never been so close to demons before. They seem... different from what I've read."

"Well, I don't think they're not the mindless, evil creatures some stories make them out to be. From what I have seen, they have their own personalities and feelings just like us," I explained, looking up to the sky where two moons were visible.

Aria took a deep breath and nodded. "I trust your judgment, Leon. If you say they're okay, then I believe you."

"Thanks. Now, one more stop," I said with a smile because I was starving. "Please take me to the butcher's shop."