Reincarnated as a step-dad in a fantasy world

Chapter 312 : He handed him his ass

"Be direct. What do you want from me? I don't like people who beat around the bush," Osmond pressed.

Fiore took a deep breath, steadying himself. Meeting Osmond's piercing blue gaze with his swirling black eyes, he replied, "The reason we are here is to ask you and your people to join forces with us so that we can create a place where the human race can live without fearing death every single day."

Fiore went into more detail, explaining their ideals and the kind of sanctuary they hoped to create for humans. Osmond listened intently until Fiore finished speaking.

"The place you're trying to build doesn't sound as thrilling to me as life here," Osmond said after a brief silence. "Nevertheless, feel free to ask the others. If they're on board, they're welcome to join you."

"Everyone here refuses to leave without you," Fiore said, frowning slightly. "They've made it clear—you're their leader and they won't leave unless you do."

Osmond let out a long, exasperated sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Those guys are stubborn as hell. I've told them time and again—I'm not their leader," he muttered under his breath.

"If I may ask," Fiore began cautiously, "why do you insist on staying here? This forest isn't exactly hospitable to humans, and danger seems to lurk around every corner."

"Exactly!" Osmond replied with a wide grin, his deep blue eyes gleaming with excitement. "I love this constant feeling of danger. The thrill of survival, the rush of staying one step ahead of death—that's what keeps me here. The kind of life you're dreaming of—peaceful and orderly—would bore me to tears."

"I understand," Fiore said, nodding thoughtfully. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he added, "But then again, the peaceful times we aspire to create for humans are still a long way off. Right now, we're locked in an endless state of war."

"Oh, is that so?" Osmond said, his tone shifting slightly as his ears seemed to perk up. His lazy grin faded, replaced by a spark of interest. "Now that sounds... interesting."

Seeing that he'd gotten the attention of the battle-hungry man before him, Fiore didn't waste any time and went on to explain the kind of troubles they were facing since the establishment of the human settlement. The more Fiore spoke, detailing the relentless attacks and challenges, the brighter Osmond's expression became, his grin widening with every word.

"I'm in!" Osmond shouted excitedly as he leaped from his branch, landing gracefully before Fiore. Without hesitation, he knelt down, placing one hand over his chest. "As long as you can provide me with battle, I will be your most loyal subordinate!"

"I would rather prefer you becoming my friend," Fiore replied warmly, extending his hand toward Osmond.

"Yes!" Osmond exclaimed energetically, clasping Fiore's hand in a firm shake.

It was on that note that the curtains fell, marking the end of the scene and signaling the transition into a new phase of the play.

During this brief pause, Freya turned her gaze toward Alex, and her heart clenched when she saw the shadow that had fallen over his face. His expression was darker than before, his jaw tight and his silver eyes practically smoldering with restrained fury.

"Is something wrong?" Freya asked cautiously after a moment.

"It's not what happened," Alex muttered under his breath. "What the heck was that fucking soap opera they just played?"

Freya blinked, confused. "Huh? What did you say?"

Alex seemed to snap out of his frustration at Freya's query. He exhaled slowly and shook his head. "I was saying that they've twisted the original history into...this soap opera nonsense."

"What is a soap opera?"Freya blinked, tilting her head in confusion. The term was completely foreign to her.

Alex hesitated for a moment, 

"Ah, um, forget about that," Alex waved a hand, realizing that explaining the concept of a melodramatic serialized drama from his previous world to someone unfamiliar with it might be a challenge.

"Okay," Freya nodded, "what did you mean though when you say that they changed the original story? From my understanding, this is a pretty accurate version of what happened. Actually, this is the most accurate depiction of the events that happened during the empire's creation that I have witnessed."

This time, it was Alex's turn to stare at Freya in confusion. "What do you mean the most accurate depiction of the events that happened during the empire's creation? This is clearly not the case!"

Alex knew that the history his father had told him wasn't the one known by everyone, and now that he thought about it, he shouldn't have been surprised that what he knew and the actions of those actors didn't align. Still, he found it shocking that even Freya, an Earl of the empire, didn't know what truly happened.

Freya fell silent for a moment before saying, "So the story I know isn't truly what happened," she inquired with a straight face.

"If what you know is the exact story of what those people are depicting, then yes," Alex replied, his voice serious as he met her gaze.

Freya remained silent for a moment, brooding over something, and then she turned to Alex, not just her head, but her whole body turning toward him. She placed her left leg on the couch to make herself truly comfortable.

She looked at him and said, "Instead of watching a play that is based on a false story, I would rather hear the true story from you. What do you think?" she inquired, her rosy lips curling into a captivating smile.

'Damn, she is beautiful,' Alex thought as he also shifted his body and comfortably sat on the couch, staring directly at Freya.

Since the two of them had been sitting so close to each other from the beginning, now that they shifted positions to stare at one another, their faces were dangerously close. Yet, neither of them seemed willing to pull away from the other. Their eyes locked, neither making a move to break the moment, as if the space between them had suddenly become too small to matter.

'I'm supposed to start speaking now, but I just want to press my lips against hers,' Alex thought, his eyes tracing the curves of Freya's inviting lips. 'I don't think that's a good idea to remain so close to her,' he admitted. Right now, he could feel the attraction and desire he had for Freya, emotions he had been suppressing, beginning to stir within him.

He wasn't the only one in this predicament, though. Freya was feeling the same, or arguably even stronger feelings than his own. Unlike him, however, she had been dealing with these desires the entire day! That was why, although she felt an overwhelming urge to leap at him, she could still restrain herself. After all, she had managed to resist the entire day. Still, the situation now was slightly different: at this moment, they were staring directly at each other, closer than they had been all day.

A few seconds later, Alex managed to suppress his feelings and smiled. "I can definitely tell you what truly happened, although..." His expression became serious, and he continued, "...I would suggest you don't go telling everyone. It might cause you problems, especially with the imperial family."

"You don't have to worry. I won't tell a soul," Freya promised, her expression matching his seriousness.

"Good," Alex nodded. He glanced back at the stage where the play had resumed, then refocused on Freya. "Although I said they changed the original story, from what I was told by my father, it would seem that the play was mostly accurate. The part... where the divergence begins is when my ancestor came into the picture."

"You see, Fiore might have been the first to create a human empire, but he was certainly not the first to establish a large settlement for humans. My ancestor did that before him," he revealed.

Freya seemed surprised to hear that, but she only nodded and didn't interrupt him.

"Just as was depicted in the play, after the creation of their settlement and the problems they encountered, Fiore learned of the first human settlement that existed. Don't ask me how they didn't know about it until that point—honestly, I don't know. What I do know is that Fiore and his men actually visited that first human settlement, and they met my ancestor."

Alex and Freya glanced over when they heard applause and cheering from the audience below. They then witnessed that the reason for the cheering was because Osmond and Fiore were single-handedly repelling an orc attack against their settlement. The two of them were weaving in and out of the enemy ranks with a skill that belied their years of experience.

Alex frowned at the sight and said, "Contrary to what this play showed, Osmond and Fiore didn't hit it off right from the start and Osmond definitely didn't decide to become Fiore's subordinate because Fiore promised him battles." Alex chuckled at the ridiculousness of that claim and continued, "In fact, the two of them didn't like each other, and a fight actually broke out at their first meeting."

"Oh?" Freya raised an eyebrow. "Who won?"

Alex offered her a proud smile and answered, "My ancestor won, of course. He handed Fiore his ass."