Chương 31: The Kingmaker

Embrace sure knew how to throw a party. After the departure of Sid's dear dad, Allani was lauded for her bravery. Dalisay started planning a celebratory feast immediately. Sid and Allani were still new to the sanctuary, so Allani's will to stop the villainous witch for its sake was even more commendable. In reality, the woman had no idea why she scared the great witch. There was no way Minato couldn't bear her in a fair fight. Sid only had a theory, but it was a solid one.

Rina's system should've been able to measure anything. His mother was nothing if not stupidly powerful. But Allani's resonance was immeasurable. Anyone Rina couldn't fully analyze had to be something terrifying. Allani just didn't know it yet. Of course, his friend was no gentle sheep to guide towards his own goals like the other mystics. Allani would never go along with this if she knew what Sid was planning. Luckily, they had shared childhood trauma that bound them together.

She would subconsciously look the other way to a certain extent when it came to Sid. He'd just have to be subtle enough to make her think things were moving naturally.

"I know the Rose lent you some of her power!" Sid exclaimed from the top of a cafeteria table.

"I mean, the witch was actually shaking whenever you took a step forward. Only divine power could inspire such fear in the wretched."

"Yeah…sure." She chuckled.

"I'm just happy I was able to help." One of the older residents of Embrace stood up with her hand raised.

"What did it feel like to be a channel for the Rose?" Allani smiled awkwardly and tried to brush off the question. Man, these people were really looking for a savior. Sid felt bad about throwing her straight into the proverbial holy fire. He didn't expect some residents to be quite so down with the clown. He probably just couldn't comprehend how threatening Minato's presence was. He was Sid's doting father who would never raise a hand to his son.

To everyone else, he was an angry witch that could snap a finger and turn them into ash. Sid tried to shoo some of the more eager admirers away.

"Come on now, the Rose doesn't choose vessels who kiss and tell. She only chooses humble people." Allani stepped away from the crowd and started hurrying towards the exit.

"You've all been so kind to me today, but divine channeling really takes a lot of energy. I'm gonna head to bed for the night. Please give me some space for the time being." The people seemed to understand, and they actually backed off. It was good to see that they weren't quite so rabid yet. Sid could use that level of devotion later, but right now it risked scaring Allani off. Most residents stayed in the cafeteria to finish the feast. Sid left to follow Allani, who was going to be absolutely pissed at him.

Well, that depended on if she thought Sid believed the things he was saying. She did think he was a proper mystic. He considered rolling with that lie. It would lower her suspicion of his motives, but she'd also think he was a freak. Even after everything that had happened, Sid still dreamed of a future where he and Allani ended up together. But could a guy really have it all, or was that just wishful thinking? He found her lying in bed with her hand on her forehead.

She sat up a bit once he walked in, her eyes sagging with exhaustion.

"Oh, hi Sid. You didn't want to stay at the party? You seemed to be having a good time talking me up."

"Yeah…" Sid rubbed the back of his head with a pained smile.

"Sorry about all that. I really do think there's something special in you. It feels like your magic energy is almost endless." Sid didn't feel shit. Board Vision was the only reason he could tell. The mystic magic sense was the most reasonable explanation for his behavior, though. Allani sighed and moved to sit on the side of her bed. Sid sat next to her. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"You're not wrong. I don't know how to explain it myself, but the system wasn't able to calculate my resonance score. It just says error. Every time I use a skill that should use resonance it just says error. The number never goes up or down no matter what I do." Yes! Thank fuck he was able to coax that out of her! He was so sick of pretending he didn't know that she was an endless skill machine. Now he could actually use that fact to his — their advantage.

They could step up for more missions and show off her unique ability.

"Wow, that's…my mom couldn't calculate your resonance score?" Allani shook her head.

"I mean, it's your mom, so maybe she's just fucking with me? I wouldn't put it past her."

"Well, she's definitely fucking with me. She told me I needed to take over the flock. Made it an objective and everything."

"Pfft! Are you actually gonna try to do it?" He leaned in towards her face.

"Why not?" She stared at his hungry eyes. He let a bit too much slip there. Time to dial it back with something more reasonable.

"I mean, I'm a reformist, remember? I don't really agree with the way we do things. Why wouldn't I try to make my mark on the faith? It's not like I'd ever get another chance like this." Allani's posture relaxed, and she looked away.

"You have a point. There's really no space for anyone that's not super traditional like Davine right now in Rosaeceanism."

"Yes, exactly!" He grabbed her hand.

"We can change that, Allani! I know you don't follow the Rose, but I'm trying to build roads between Rosaeceans and all of the good people on Earth. We need each other." It was a beautiful little idea. It really was a shame that Sid didn't care at all about it. Especially when it brought tears to Allani's eyes. She squeezed the hand she was still holding and leaned in with her eyes closed. Oh God, it was really happening this time. Sid leaned in himself and let the rest happen naturally.

After two seconds of glorious lip contact, Sid perked up and ran to shut the door. Shirking the no-contact mystic rules was one thing, but being caught in a full kiss would be political suicide.

"Okay. Now where were we?" The kiss lasted for a few minutes. It was as far as they got that night, as Allani actually started falling asleep afterwards. At least she didn't start snoring in the middle of the kiss. Sid gently lowered her back into a supine position and tucked her in. His first kiss finally happened, and it was in some random shared dormitory. How romantic. He got up and left the room, feeling more alive than ever.

His plans were in motion, his relationship with Allani was blooming, and the people of Embrace were more inspired than ever. [Rina Ring!] How romantic! I remember my first kiss. I went up to the neighbor and said I'd sleep with him just to piss off my family.

"What the fuck?" Anyway, that was some fine work today. You've gained +150 XP, which means you're now level six!

"You're not even gonna mention how dad showed up and told me about your secret children?" NO! Shut up and take your rewards. You get +2 [Presence] and +2 [Resolve]. [Board Vision] reached level three. You can now target one more ally and enemy with it. Try to keep those stat sheets in order! Keep it up dear. You're doing great. Just make sure you never bring up your father again.

"What about my brother?" Oh fuck, he went and told you about Milan. Look, your brother is dead, so there's really not much to say about him.

"The other one! He said there were two!" Oh. Rolan. The thing is I'm not very proud of what he's become. He decided to join the hunters. Can you believe that? Killing his own family, and he doesn't even limit it to just the witches that suck!

"Can you blame him? You're his mom and Minato's his dad. I'd hate witches too. I do hate witches." Well, your little friend Haruya can tell you more about your dear brother, if you really want to know. It won't be a pretty story. Rolan runs a tight ship and isn't one for compromise and understanding.

"Why should I trust a single thing you say about him? You told the world I wanted to run off and join a coven!" You don't have to trust me if you don't want to. I know you may find yourself yearning to meet him. Morbid curiosity is a plague that curses us both. Just don't say I didn't warn you.