CHAPTER 547: THE FINAL DAYS OF PEACE

After spending a few minutes lying motionless, both women stood up and glanced around. Their eyes widened in surprise as they looked over the destruction stretching before their eyes.

The ground was covered in a layer of silvery metal, while dozens of plants grew all over the walls and ceiling. The wall, which they leaned against now, had a giant crack on its surface, and where the windows should’ve been, now only broken pieces of glass shards remained.

"Well, shit..." they both said simultaneously.

With heavy sighs, Bea summoned their usual dresses, and then they began the arduous cleaning process. Sadly, this last session caused destruction across the entire mansion, which increased their workload by a lot.

First, Bea removed all the plants, then went outside and cursed in annoyance. The green field around the mansion was now covered in large trees and blooming flowers. She stayed outside for the next few hours, removing any traces of the new forest.

Sera stayed inside and tried her best at damage control. She used Angelic Metal to fix the cracks and changed their colors to match the wood panels and the painted concrete structure.

Afterward, Sera moved on to the windows. She summoned sheets of Angelic Metal into the window frames, then made them see through. They looked exactly like glass, but they could now survive a direct hit from a Transcended.

When everything was done, Sera used her golden flames to burn away the dust, glass shards, and any broken pieces of furniture. She then remade the said furniture and grabbed the nearest mop.

While her flames burned away any unsightly bodily fluids they left behind, Sera didn’t want any traces to remain. Who knows, someone might use a UV light for fun... Seeing the kitchen glow would be extremely awkward...

Hours passed by, and when the sun began touching the horizon, both women plopped down onto the nearest sofa. They lay there in silence, snuggled close to each other.

Their burning desire finally got satiated, so no impure thoughts appeared in their minds. Instead, all they wanted was to hug each other in silence as true lovers.

They stared towards the ceiling with droopy eyes, while yawning with exhaustion. Sleep threatened to overwhelm the women when the lounge room door slammed open and Lucy sauntered in with a wide grin.

"Found them!" she shouted while seating herself in an armchair. She leaned back with crossed legs and continued staring at them with a foxy grin.

"What the fuck’s on your head?" asked Bea while everyone else entered the room, each wearing the same stupid hat as Lucy.

They all wore round metal helmets with a pair of horns or antlers sticking out on the sides. Everyone who went to Asgard had one, including Hestia and Faith, which made them look kind of adorable, especially combined with their cold, emotionless expressions.

"These are souvenirs given to us by Thor after we beat him!" declared Cass proudly, ignoring the pale expressions of Sera and Bea.

"Please don’t tell me... I told you not to cause any fights!" said Sera with furrowed eyebrows. She then turned towards Hestia and Faith. "You two were supposed to keep them under control!"

Cass chuckled while David sighed beside her. They sat on the couch, next to a bored Leslie and a giggling Sarah.

"Don’t worry, Sera. She’s just teasing you. There weren’t any fights, only a drinking contest."

Sera breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing David’s words, albeit she gave a scornful look to Cass, which made the young Succubus choke on her laughter.

"Oh, and get this! You won’t believe who won against Thor!" said Kim, her voice full of excitement. "It was a free for all, so all of us participated... Well, except Faith, because she’s a buzzkill... Anyway, all of us began drinking mead and gradually, everyone either passed out or began violently vomiting!"

A few members of the group chuckled, as if recalling a happy memory, while most looked sick and pale. Curiously, Sam was the one who continued the story.

"By the end, only Mr. Thor, Leslie and Hestia remained. Each was close to passing out, yet they kept drinking more until their bellies bulged out! Leslie was the next to fall, and finally, after hours of constant drinking, Thor was beaten... Hestia won!"

A loud cheer went up in the group, but the petite maid’s eyes stayed emotionless. Sera also didn’t care about Hestia right now. Instead, she eyed the lanky goblin with intrigue.

He seemed much more energetic as a constant smile brightened his usually gloomy face. His dark green eyes kept jumping to Kim, which caused his smile to widen.

They continued telling stories as Sera’s eyes narrowed. She glanced over both individuals. They stood awfully close, which wasn’t unusual, but they also seemed more at peace.

While searching for anything out of the ordinary, she finally saw it! On the right ring fingers of both Kim and Sam, golden rings with dark red gemstones glistened...

"...yeah, then he gave us these weird hats, which are supposedly kept for parties—" said Will while tossing the metal helmet into the air, but he couldn’t finish his sentence as Sera exclaimed, "What’s on your hands?"

She pointed at Kim and Sam, which caused everyone to turn towards the pair. Bea’s eyes went wide in surprise, while everyone else exchanged knowing, joyful glances.

Kim and Sam both stared at Sera in confusion, then their eyes moved downward. Upon looking at their hands, both of them began grinning. Sam reached over and embraced Kim’s shoulder, while the half-snake woman hugged the lanky Goblin’s waist.

"Oh, we forgot to tell you!" said Kim, while glancing up at her partner. "We’re engaged!" continued Sam with excitement.

"When... or more like. How did it happen?" asked Sera, her voice still shocked.

The newly engaged couple smiled at each other as they began telling the story...

"Late at night, after getting shitfaced, we went back to our assigned rooms... or at least tried to..." began Kim, and Sam soon continued.

"We got lost in the area outside of the castle, and as we stumbled around, a few nasty individuals stood in our way. They tried attacking me since I was a Goblin, but Kim beat them all to a pulp! However, their words were more hurtful than any physical damage they could’ve inflicted..."

Sam’s eyes turned sad for a moment, yet Kim’s reassuring presence and beautiful smile quickly changed the Goblin’s mood.

"That’s when you stormed off into a random alley, and I found you a few streets away crying..."

This time, shame appeared on Sam’s face, but he continued with the story anyway...

"Yeah... I felt depressed because of my current state... Because of everything I’ve been through... Out of desperation and self-hatred, I pushed Kim away and tried ending whatever feelings were growing between us..."

Kim laughed and, using her tail, gently smacked the back of Sam’s head...

"You’re such a dummy! As if you could escape me!... Anyway, instead of leaving him to suffer alone, I got on my ’knees’ and summoned a small box with these rings inside!"

A genuine smile stretched across Sam’s face as he leaned down and kissed the top of Kim’s head.

"As it turns out... this beautiful snake has been carrying these rings with her for the past few weeks! With Agnes’s help, she turned them into Items, so they can be summoned and dismissed whenever we desire! They can also locate each other, and we can communicate through them!"

Kim crossed her arms while pouting her lips, faking an annoyed expression...

"It sounds like you’re more excited about the rings than the actual proposal! You know how long I’ve waited for the perfect opportunity? Then my drunken self accidentally ruins it!"

Sam chuckled awkwardly, while everyone else glanced together, trying to hide their laughter. Kim just giggled and hugged her fiancé’s waist once more.

"So, have you chosen a time for the wedding yet?" asked Bea, finally regaining her ability to speak.

However, after exchanging a quick, meaningful glance, they both shook their heads.

"We don’t know, but not anytime soon," said Kim. Then, Sam dropped a new piece of information nobody inside the room other than his fiancée knew about.

"First, before we begin planning, I want to change back to human or at least into something different from a Goblin..."

Kim’s hands reached for his and gave a reassuring squeeze, which lessened the melancholy in Sam’s eyes. He glanced at the curious faces and, after a deep breath, he elaborated further.

"When I was turned into a Goblin, I vowed celibacy. My very blood craved physical satisfaction, but over time I drowned out those horrible feelings... This decision stayed with me even after meeting Kim, and... I’m afraid those feelings, the craving, might resurface, and I do something unforgivable by losing control..."

Everybody gave Sam sympathetic looks, while Bea and Sera both glanced at each other with cunning smirks.

"Well, I guess we’ll just need to find a way to change your Race!" declared Bea, surprising everyone, most of all Sam.

"It’s not that simple. Unlike humans, Goblins can’t change their Race... It might be impossible—"

"Nah, I’m sure there’s a way," said Sera, while leaning onto her lover’s shoulder. "I’m the definition of going against the impossible. Don’t worry, Sam. We’ll find a way... I promise!"

The room full of people nodded in agreement, including his own fiancée. Sam sniffled as tears began running down his face.

"Thank you... For accepting me... For wanting to help me... For being my friends..." he said, then began weeping from the overwhelming support everyone gathered there.