The Wrong Hero

Chapter 14 - An Annoying Twist

To give Sadeena a nice reward, Dante went ahead and unlocked his Brewing Shield last night. It had nothing to do with the fact that she kept asking him about it until they went to sleep. Honestly, he was a little curious about the shield's equip effect. Since his shield could make anything he had a recipe for, he wanted to know what the difference would be.

That, however, was a problem for later. His current problem stood before him, reaching a little below his chin. The clothes she got from one of the female mercenaries was more filled out now, actually seeming a little tight. Her blond hair now reached just below her shoulders, much like his own. Her golden eyes shone as she stared into his.

And, of course, she had a huge smile on her face.

"Mister Dante!" Rifana said, her voice excessively chipper. "Look! I've grown!"

"I...can see that." Dante looked at the girl...woman in front of him. At least, he thought she was a woman now. It was a little hard to tell. He wasn't exactly familiar with demi-human height averages and builds. "I think you might have a little growing left to do."

"Nope!" She smiled, showing her teeth. "Now we can talk about getting married, right?"

"Uh..." Dante looked over at Sadeena. Damn it! I can see you laughing behind your hand! She was obviously going to be no help to him. "Maybe we should talk about this later?"

"Right now seems good." She said. "Actually, we can talk while we prepare breakfast!"

"Good idea~." Sadeena came over and wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders. "Doesn't that sound good to you, Dante?"

He sent a glare Sadeena's way. She returned it with her signature smile. Rifana clasped Dante's hand between hers, regaining his attention.

"Listen," he spoke before her, "I'm not really prepared to have this talk yet. I wasn't expecting your growth to happen so quickly." Or at all. I thought most demi-humans grew to around 15 or so with levels, with some exceptions. Rifana might have been one, but I see Keel over there.

The boy-turned-man stood about the same height as Rifana. Perhaps he was a tad younger physically, but Dante couldn't tell for certain. His hair did grow out a little, but still looked much like it was before. Raphtalia grew as well, reaching about the same height as both of them. Keel looked at Dante with a smirk on his face, while Raphtalia had an expectant look, like she was waiting for him to have this talk.

Seriously, what the hell? I mean, overall, this is a better situation. With these three all adults, they can more easily function in combat, but it was wholly unexpected. I relied on my book knowledge again to my detriment. And—Sadeena, stop smiling at me like you know I messed up!

Rifana brought Dante's hand up and held it to her face, as if he was cupping it. "I can wait until you're ready to talk. But, until then, I still want to stay close to you. So, when we sleep, I want to be next to you. I've finished learning a spell, so I can stand behind you while I cast."

"You learned a spell?" Dante asked. "Really? That fast? I'm impressed."

"Thanks!" She let go of his arm and stepped forward, embracing him. "I meant what I said. I want to be close to you."

"Y-Yeah." Dante looked to Sadeena, who had taken a step back after Rifana moved in. Her smile hadn't faltered for even a moment.

"Oh, one thing." Rifana said, looking up at Dante. "You should think about which of us you want as your first wife."

"What?" Dante let his jaw hang open after saying that. He looked at Sadeena again and would swear he saw her eyes sparkle.

"If I remember right, there's something about which wife is first for a hero." She held her head against the top of his chest. "I know you like Sadeena, but I'd really like it to be me, if she doesn't mind. I know it's something we all need to discuss together."