Edmund was again in a shop, eating an afternoon snack while writing on his tablet. His surroundings were full of cheerful families having lunch. Letting out a small smile, the young man remembered how far he had come; now, he even had money to buy things.

  A female chatzi sat on the chair across from his table and called for one of the staff. He recognized Leah but sighed. He was there instead of in the duchess because nobody would talk to him about things he didn’t care about.

  When one of the staff members got her cake slice and tea, Edmund didn’t understand why Leah sometimes did that. It seemed like she had no friends or nothing better to do, but it was not like that; she was just fulfilling the duchess' orders to ensure he was working.

  ‘Edmund, her Highness wants to talk to you about what you will do with the crystals you got on the fortress and your opinion on the current situation.’ She took a bite out of a cake.

  ‘I’m working right now, but so you know, I want to make a new weapon for the transports and maybe later for the troops after we conquer the dungeon.’ He looked at her while writing on his tablet.

  ‘?? Interesting; you should show your ideas to her, and she can even give you more resources as she does for my projects.’ Leah took a sip of her tea.

  ‘Wait… what? I need to beg for pocket money. Do you get resources? not that I care; I bet your things are much more important than mine.’ Edmund sigh.

  ;

  ‘No, the majority are things from your notes; I just make it so they get to see the light of day with the help of the new and old students. She gives me money too because the duchy needs more sources of revenue, which is an investment for her.’ She continued to eat her cake.

  ‘I understand that everything around us wouldn't have been possible without those investments she and the companies made. Well, the break is over; I’m going there now.’ He gets up and hurries out of the shop.

  She continued to eat, but a staff member stopped beside her table and dropped a tablet with the amount she should pay. She was shocked because the tablet was so expensive and had a hole.

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  ‘I’m sorry, I only asked for a cake and tea.’ Leah looked at the staff member, a Shafran with blue eyes, wearing a blue outfit with the shop's name on the jacket.

  ‘He left, and you are here. This is the third time he does this to someone.’ The staff member sighed.

  ‘Fine, I will pay this time; now I know why the duchess gives him such a hard time.’ She gets some coins out of her purse.

  ‘There is no way he will prove his love for the goddess with an attitude like that is a lost cause.’ The staff member got the coins and walked back to the counter.

  ‘More and more people see the duchess as divinity; I understand, but she is no god... just our duchess.’ Leah murmured to herself.

  Edmund ran to the mansion; his speed dazzled everyone in the way they were. Kids were used to him coming and going around the city occasionally; he didn’t notice it as he was always in a hurry, but they were looking up to him. The boys were pretending to be him, and the girls were pretending to be Ariadne. The parents always laugh at the kids playing; to him, nothing of this existed; he was just running towards another task.

  At the door of Ariadne’s office, the door opened by itself. Eliza was the one he saw; she gave him a smile and a nod before walking away. Edmund entered and stood before the duchess's desk like many times before. He waited for her words with his hands behind his back and a serious expression.

  ‘I received the report from Alon and wanted to confirm with Eliza. Interestingly, her magic worked better on the ones who saw me as a god; it needs more confirmation. What do you have to say about that peasant?’ She began to tap her desk with her index finger.

  ‘Alon wants to transform your army into a bunch of religious zealots. That is what I have to say about that. Before, I thought that it was a good idea, but as I was walking back with them, I felt that some of them were completely different people from before.’ His eyes fixated on hers.

  ‘How different? You are not a bar for normality; why are they seeing me as a god, a bad thing? I can feel the connection even if it is weak, like those on the fortress; even now, I can feel a weak presence in a Velvent’s direction.’ She continued to tap her desk.

  ‘Do you know if they are good people? From what you said, you know their feelings towards you; it doesn’t mean they are good; I’m just saying, maybe writing a book of your godly teachings would be a good idea.' Edmund shrugs his shoulders.

  ‘Humm… I understand what you are saying; I will consider it.' Ariadne lay back on her chair, crossing her arms.

  ‘Wow, you embraced all of this God thing, hum? Again, it is good, but be careful; last thing you know, these people will start a war in your name.’ Edmund sat on the chair to his side.

  His words made sense. It was something she had thought about before. The connection she had with people sometimes acted like a drug she was never too high on to stop. The more she has of it, the more she wants to do it, but she has no drawbacks. But Edmund put a missing piece in the puzzle; it doesn’t have for her. What about those on the other side, the worshipers? That question was populating her mind to the point of forgetting that she had another person in the room.