Deception Rising

Chapter 10 The Hero asks for help

Lierin and I headed back to the shrine after meeting with the hero, his party, and Megan, who denied his request for help in the search for me. "He sure was bold, asking for help to search for the demon queen." Lierin said. I nodded in agreement as we arrived at the shrine. I went to work helping the citizens discover more about their blessings and giving them their fortunes if they asked for it. By the end of the day, I was cleaning up and helping Nami with some minor tasks that she needed done before I saw Oliver walking up to the Shrine's gate. "Oh Jamie, I hoped that I'd be able to see you here." Oliver said. I smiled before walking over to the gate to speak with him. "It's great to see you, sir hero." I said, bowing to him slightly.

"I was wondering, would I be able to talk with you some today?" Oliver asked. I shook my head before informing him that the shrine was closing for the day and that he could come back the next day to talk with me if that's what he wished for. I also let him know I couldn't give him my full schedule, since I had other duties to perform while I was there. He agreed to that and headed out for the day, letting me finish up before heading home with Lierin to guard me. We spent part of the night just relaxing since we were still adjusting to working so much. As we were heading to bed, I mentioned the hero was coming to talk to me tomorrow at the shrine, just so Lierin would know now to kill him if she saw him near me. Lierin groaned before looking into my eyes. "If he touches one hair on your head, he'll lose that arm, or maybe his head." Lierin threatened. I sighed, knowing that I couldn't do anything about Lierin's attitude towards the hero since he was trying to find me and kill me. I ended up having to calm Lierin down before we could go to bed, since she was getting a little angry that I agreed to meet with the hero. Once she calmed down, I snuggled up to her and we both quickly fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next day I woke up earlier than Lierin and spent some time playing with Garmir since he wasn't coming out as much. "I wonder if I could talk Nami into letting you stay in my little workroom with me as an extra layer of protection?" I asked, petting his muzzle. Garmir barked, clearly happy to hear that I wanted him to stay around me. Once I finished playing with him, I went inside and prepared some breakfast for Lierin and myself before taking a shower while she slowly woke up. After breakfast and changing clothes, the two of us headed to the shrine early enough that the crowds of people weren't gathering yet. Lierin and I spent some time training with the guards before I went and talked with Nami about keeping Garmir inside the room I worked in or if I shouldn't let him be out. Nami loved the idea and even suggested that I allow him to roam through the shrine so people can admire him and truly continue to believe that they picked me for my position. Once I finished talking with Nami, I headed back to the room I was working from and summoned Garmir before explaining what Nami told me he could do in the shrine.

As I finished explaining what I was told to Garmir, the first person came into my room to talk to me. I looked up and spotted a young wolf beastman boy around the age of eight, clearly shy, before seeing his parents standing at the entrance of the room. "Hey there, what's your name?" I asked, smiling at the boy. The boy introduced himself as Jeremy before looking away from me. I giggled before getting up and walking towards him. I knelt down in front of him and gently grabbed his hands. "So Jeremy, what would you like to ask me for?" I asked.

"My parents want me to know my blessing and maybe a fortune if you can." Jeremy said. I nodded and sat down in front of him, still holding his hands. "Ready to find out your blessing?" I asked. He nodded before I chanted the spell that I learned from Nami. Once the spell activated fully, I heard what his blessing was in my mind. "Your blessing is wind magic. It'll help you attack from a distance or let you move faster than the wind." I said, smiling at him. Jeremy smiled at me before thanking me for figuring out what his blessing was. I smiled back at him before hugging him. "Now you asked for a fortune, right?" I asked. He nodded as I let him out of the hug. I closed my eyes and prayed for a fortune for Jeremy. The fortune came to me, which mentioned him becoming an adventurer or a soldier to protect the kingdom. "Your fortune is leaning towards using the skills you will learn to protect people or go on amazing adventures." I said, patting his head. He looked a little disappointed in his fortune that I gave him before looking at me. "Is that really all I will do with my magic or life?" Jeremy asked.