Chapter 326: Slapping Sense

After Cerberus had eaten the players and cleaned the floor, he went back to the shadows.

"You all should go too. Zach has probably noticed the MP fluctuations. So let's not make him worry more. I don't want to ruin his time with Aurora," Aria uttered.

The demons slowly walked towards the altar with heavy and loud steps and disappeared into the dark.

Aria turned to Ninia and said, "Have you calmed down?"

Ninia quietly nodded and said, "Thank you for saving me."

"..."

"I am a useless NPC who can't even—"

SLAP!

The sound of a slap echoed in the church.

Ninia placed her hand on her cheek and stared at Aria with a baffled look on her face.

Aria had slapped Ninia out of anger.

"Listen! You have to drop this mentality of the weak! You are not weak! You are an alive person! You don't have to do what you are asked for! You can do whatever you want!" Aria yelled furiously at Ninia.

"But we are ordered to—"

"Who the fuck cares?! What about everything you have been doing so far? Eating out with Zach. Becoming his prophet. Sneaking into his room. Sliding into his bed! Making moves on him! Falling in love with him?! What about all that, huh?!"

"I…"

"Were you also ordered to do that? Was all your actions and feelings for Zach fake?!"

"No! I would rather die than do something like that!" Ninia wallowed.

"So then why?! Why can't you do other things?! Get out of your comfort zone! We won't always be there for you! You have to stand up on your own and learn to protect yourself! Do you understand?!"

"..." Ninia was still perplexed by everything and couldn't say anything, or rather, she didn't know what to say in such a situation. Her feelings for Zach were made obvious by Aria in such a way that instead of getting embarrassed, she was scared.

"I asked. Do you understand?!"

"I … do…"

"Good!" Aria placed her hands on Ninia's shoulders and said, "After we wake up, I am going to train you in a sword fight!"

"But I have to do other—"

"Don't talk back to me! You will have to do as I say. Zach may have promised you and the other NPCs that he would turn them into players, but that wouldn't matter if they don't learn to fight! He is not going to teach them everything! When you go to a restaurant, they serve you the food, but they don't feed you! It's just like that!"

"Okay, okay! I understand. Now please stop yelling. You are scaring me…" Ninia uttered in a low voice.

"It's because you are so stupid! Just because you look beautiful and hot and act clumsy and cute around Zach doesn't mean that will work on me. I don't care about anything. But I care about Zach. If anything happens to you, he will be sad. Do you want to see him sad?" Aria asked in a demanding tone.

Ninia shook her head violently before saying, "Never!"

"So you better become strong."

Aria let out a loud and weary sigh before sighing a few more times. She looked at Ninia, who was staring at her with a curious and innocent look on her face.

"Go sleep. We will talk after we wake up."

Ninia nodded and walked towards her chamber, but she stopped and turned around to say: "Umm… Elina…?"

"She will sleep with Victoria or me. You need rest. Go, or I will start yelling again."

Ninia hurriedly walked into her chamber and closed the door.ᴘ.ᴀ.ɴᴅ.ᴀ n.ᴏ.ᴠ.ᴇʟ

SIGH!

"What a troublesome girl. But I guess I was worse than her when I first met Zach…" she murmured.

"I should check up on Victoria and Elina. It's been a while since they left."

Aria rushed outside the church while saying, "Victoria, you can come back—"

She stopped when she saw Elina sleeping while leaning on Victoria's shoulder.

Aria furrowed her brows and said, "I am not going to carry her to the room."

"You were yelling so loudly. Are you an idiot?"

"If slapping sense into someone makes me an idiot, then yeah. I am an idiot," Aria replied haughtily.

Victoria squinted her eyes at Aria and said, "You have been acting so high and mighty since you had your 'time' with Zach today."

"Whatever do you mean?" Aria shrugged her shoulders and said, "I am the Goddess of death and destruction. I always act high and mighty."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't forget that you were able to have 'fun' because of me," Victoria remarked.

"Hmph! I am so jealous of you."

Confused, Victoria pondered for a few seconds before asking, "Wh…at? Why would you be jealous of me? I don't even have anything you should be jealous of."

"Shut up. You have known Zach for longer than me. And you have had his first time too. I wish I could have gone to school with him…."

Victoria stared at Aria in disbelief and uttered, "The old Zach was…. Complicated and hard to deal with. Believe me, only I know how I fell in love with him."

"Whatever." Aria rolled her eyes and said, "I would love Zach matter what he does or how he becomes. That's how strong my love for him is. Unlike a certain someone who dumped him for a few stupid reasons."

"Oh?" Victoria's face twitched from all the sides as she uttered, "On what part of your face did Zach punch you when you first met him?"

"Che!" Aria clicked her tongue and said, "Let's go sleep now. You are wasting time."

Victoria hit the mark and won the debate, so Aria closed the topic and went back to her room.

"...." VIctoria sighed in disbelief and muttered, "She really left me alone. How am I supposed to carry her?"

She said while looking at Elina.

Victoria tried to carry Elina, but she woke up, while in truth, she was awake this whole time.

"I will walk," she said.

"Oh, great."

Victoria and Elina went back to the room and slept in Victoria's room.'

'I don't understand them. Sometimes, they get along so fine, and the next moment they start fighting. I thought the adults were mature, but they are acting more childish than the children themselves,' Elina uttered inwardly.

***

Total players in the game- 1,482,174

0 new players logged in.

3 players died.

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Thanks, @Fallingup89, and @Onyinyenchi_Mary, for the gift!