The Goddess' Champion

It was such an intricate complex of streets that Constantine was starting to get suspicious.

Scarce clouds covered the sun ray and stopped it from shining on the otherwise 'beautiful' streets, the height of those buildings, at least five stories each, also prevented the light from hitting the darkest corners.

"We're close." Andre said while noticing his suspiciousness; entering a building after pressing a key against a door.

Going up all the way to the third floor, he knocked on a door and it opened.

A pair of children, boy and girl, opened it cautiously, but all that cautiousness went through the roof the moment they noticed the man's expression.

"Daddy!!" The girl yelled, her hair fluttered with tears as she jumped into the bulky man's arms in a single impulse.

Andre embraced a girl not older than ten years old, it was clearly his daughter, the two didn't look similar, but her raven hair and his matched wonderfully. Behind her was a boy of similar age holding what resembled a club that was bigger than his own body, yet he was wielding it with courage.

The moment he saw the man, he shivered slightly before lowering it.

"Anya, I missed you." Andre tightened his embrace around the girl, feeling her warmth, he had really come back here after so much.

"D-Daddy! why did you take so long?!" The girl continued to sob as both Constantine and Zamira smiled at the reunion.

There were some sobs before everything went back to normal, for some moments there was a gaze of reconnaissance as Constantine and Zamira evaluated the entire situation, the nearby doors were opened slightly with some gossiping eyes trying to see what was happening in the hallway.

Andre lowered the girl before throwing the boy a dangerous nod, the latter shivered and they entered the house.

"My saviour, this way... they're coming with me."

Without thinking twice, Andre rushed further into the house to a particular room followed by his daughter and the boy while Constantine and the purple-haired beauty inspected the house.

"It is a humble place... but it is better than where I used to sleep."

"Not anymore, Zamira." He reassured her, unaware that she didn't feel complicated about this.

"Hmn... it doesn't really pain me as you might think~" She looked unexpectedly happy as he patted her back.

The 'department' was slightly run-down, it needed some attention, but hygiene had been carefully paid attention to.

"Sophia!"

They heard Andre's anxious shouts from inside the house and decided to follow them.

The bulky man leaned against a bed where an average-looking woman rested, panting slightly, her countenance was rather blushing in clear fever, but a kind and reassured gaze never left her face as she looked at her man.

She was only happy that he was back.

"Dear, you're back... I thought-" She sobbed, he said he'd be back in weeks but three months had passed, she thought her husband had died and left her alone with their child, such a thing wasn't uncommon, but it didn't mean she desired it.

Especially with her current condition.

"I am okay, Sophia, when did the symptoms start, is it only a fever?" He asked, placing his hand on her forehead, it was so hot... a common fever is not this hot.

"Two weeks ago... it is just a fever." She said, not believing her own words.

"A common fever won't last two weeks Sophia, what have you been taking?" He started to shiver when he heard her say 'two weeks'.

"We have gotten medicine for her with the money you left Daddy, but... it is not doing anything." The girl, Anya, interjected, holding both her hands together as if in prayer, Constantine wondered which God she was praying to.

"It is the first symptom, periodical long-lasting fevers, it decomposes a person's immune system and renders them vulnerable, this last for one or two years before the second symptoms come forward... the red marks" Zamira said bluntly, she thought it would be worse to deny the evidence at this stage; this only increased Andre's panic.

"N-Not... Rotborn..." His body shivered, perhaps not even a fight against a bear would cause him the fear that the Curse, Rotborn, was currently causing him... it happened decades ago with his parents, and now it is happening again.

[Foolish human, he already knows this is going to happen, why is he afraid?] Zebellia commented much to Constantine's surprise, however, he didn't take kind of her words.

'How can a divine being like you understand what it feels like to be human? to know that you're going to lose a person important to you, without being able to do anything... no matter how strong you are, is the worst thing ever.' He growled inwardly at her inconsideration, having already come through this scenario six times in his previous life, each worse than the last.

[I understand... more than you think...]

'How?' He frowned, why would a being like her, able to even stop time... ever feel 'weak', that words don't go along with her.

[...]

She didn't answer again.

...

He could place himself in Andre's shoes very well, thankfully for Andre, not all hope was lost.

Aurelianne came into his mind and with that the blessing she had given Zamira.

*COUGH*

"Don't worry, it will pass, could you tell me who are these people Andre?" She shamelessly deviated the subject, so brazenly that her husband could only clench his hand.

Sophia figured if he brought them here, they must be trustworthy acquaintances of his as for a mercenary, others knowing the location of their home is a great weakness... Andre hadn't ever brought anybody here.

Her gaze then rested on Zamira, and when she saw that 'beautiful' face of hers... she felt relieved.

'Obviously, Andre wouldn't get interested in such a face.'

Zamira felt like she wanted to kill someone out of nowhere.

"This is Constantine, Sophia... he saved my life, if not for him I wouldn't have come back... Zamira, she formed part of the exploration group I was in, we were captured in a divine cave and he appeared like a God's envoy to save us!" Andre spoke with thrill and held her hand tightly as if transmitting his enthusiasm.

Sophia, Anya and the boy's eyes shone when they regarded Constantine, suddenly his pretty face didn't look as gruesome.

"I-Is that so, I apologise for my incapacity, thank you for bringing my husband back to me, it is nor something our family will ever be able to repay!" Sophia wanted to stand up, but Constantine shook his head and waves his hand in denial.

"There is no need to worry yourself, madam. Rest assured that Andre assisted me in escaping from that cave as well. He's a very capable man, you're lucky to have married him"

!!!

"R-Really?" Andre was left struck by such valorisation, he didn't even believe he heard right at first.

"Yes~" Constantine smirked and he saw how Sophia's eyes shone when she looked at her husband.

"Sorry, I wasn't able to introduce my family properly, I was anxious... this is my wife, Sophia and my daughter, Anya..." Andre scratched his head and presented his two motives to keep living, his gaze then turned poisonous and he harshly pulled the boy who looked troubled and scared.

"Come here brat!"

"Yes, sir!"

"This is my daughter's childhood friend, Malik... he is the neighbour's son, but they passed away not too long before I set off, we decided to keep him as he's quite capable and trains properly, SO YOU BETTER DON'T DISSAPOINTMENT ME BRAT!" It was as if a different Andre came forth the moment he talked with the boy.

But Constantine merely placed his gaze on Andre and sighed, recalling some memories.

'You're fooling no one, Andre... I am a father too'

He could still recall how many times he had beaten his sons-in-law before they married his daughters, it had been fun until he was locked away by his five wives, only being released the day of the wedding.

As for how they locked him as the Emperor? well, Caroline had always been the wife that knew him the most, she had the wicked yet brilliant idea of locking the six of them naked in a secluded tower on the outskirts of the empire to 'make time'.

They ended up making more than just 'time' though, five more children were produced during that week.

'Caroline you seductive vixen, you really did me good back then... wait 'till we meet again' He growled at the memories, did he regret it? not a single second.

...

"YES SIR! I WON'T EVER DISAPPOINT YOU!" Malik stood straight while Anya and Sophia both giggled at their attitude.

"I BETTER NOT KNOW YOU TOUCHED MY DAUGHTER OR YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!"

"I DIDN'T SIR!"

"ARE YOU SAYING MY DAUGHTER IS UGLY!?"

"I D-DIDN'T SAY THAT SIR!"

"THEN WHAT DO YOU FUCKING MEAN! HUH!? HURRY UP AND SAY IT!"

Malik only wanted to cry in a corner.