Benjamin continued to kiss her neck and her collarbone, pressing his lips against her soft skin in deliberate motions, trailing warmth and affection across the sensitive areas of her throat and her shoulders...

She soon caved to the pleasant sensations and the familiar comfort of his touch, her resistance melting away like snow under the hot sun.

"Hmph. This is the only time I will forgive you for making me wait so long, do you understand?! Th-There will not be a next time where you ignore me for hours!" She wrapped her arms around his body tightly, pulling him closer against her, as he giggled softly at her tsundere threats and her obvious relief at having him near her again.

Then, without any further delay, he transported them both seamlessly, using his teleportation ability, from the hidden spot behind the tree into the interior of her own house.

Lotus’ private space where no one would interrupt them.

[Goodness gracious... I have fallen so deeply and completely in love with this man that I do not know if I should be happy about it and celebrate my good fortune... or if I should be afraid of what that level of attachment means for my future and my emotional wellbeing.

[I... I am willing to do absolutely anything for him, any task no matter how difficult or dangerous, and I would give him my very life without hesitation if he asked it of me! That is a terrifying amount of devotion to feel for another person, especially for someone as experienced as I am.]

Lotus supposedly thought cautiously, but was gleefully squirming in her own thoughts.

Her body wiggled with joy and overwhelming affection, as Benjamin pleaded with her to stop squeezing him too hard, since she was crushing his ribs with her enthusiastic embrace.

They sat together on her large bed, the familiar space that held so many memories of their previous encounters and their growing relationship.

Then they began recounting to each other all of the things that had happened during their time apart.

They talked about how much fun they had missed sharing with each other, the laughter and the quiet moments of companionship that made their bond so special.

Also, they discussed the shocking revelation that Benjamin suddenly had children who were already so grown and mature, despite only having been conceived a short time ago.

They marveled at the fact that Benjamin had become a demigod during his evolution, ascending to a level of power and existence that few mortals ever achieved in thousands of years.

And they touched on many other topics and events that had occurred while they were separated.

"It was truly a daunting and exhausting task, what I did to retrieve you," Lotus explained the process of how she had intervened to redirect his teleportation and bring him back to Verdant Spire instead of allowing him to be sent to Goliathens. "I had to use extremely forbidden magic and sorcery, the kind of spells and rituals that are banned because of their dangerous nature and their unpredictable consequences, to interfere with space and time themselves.

"I had to reach into the fabric of reality and pull on the threads that connect one location to another, rerouting your path without tearing the underlying structure apart. If I had done even a single step wrongly, even the smallest miscalculation or misalignment, Elyndor herself would have caught and punished me for my transgression. She does not appreciate mortals tampering with the fundamental laws of reality, no matter how noble their intentions or pure their motivations." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Ah, and I was completely without any spatial resistance at that time too," Benjamin was lying on her lap now, his head resting comfortably against her thighs, while she stroked his hair gently with her fingers. "But you succeeded in redirecting me easily, despite all of those challenges and obstacles?"

"Easily is not quite the right word. That makes it sound effortless or simple, which it most certainly was not," Lotus thought carefully for a while, searching for the right way to express what she had accomplished, and then she said, "It was something like this: you also strongly wanted to return to Verdant Spire, deep in your subconscious mind, and your own desire to come back to this place added to the pull that I was generating from my end. That combined force made the task more possible.

"But the process itself, the actual act of reaching into space-time and redirecting a moving target, was as difficult and painful as holding up a heavy, red-hot piece of metal with your bare hands, feeling it burn and sear your flesh, while refusing to let go no matter how much it hurt. And I had to remain constantly at alert, every single second, every single moment, watching for the slightest movement or fluctuation in space-time that you might make, ready to adjust my pull and my positioning to compensate for any unexpected changes."

Benjamin had a face of reverence for a moment, then he smiled up at her, his blue eyes grateful and full of love.

He said in a soft and sincere voice: "Then you did an amazing job, Lotus. You succeeded against incredible odds, and you brought me home safely. I am here now, with you, because of your efforts and your sacrifice. Thanks for not giving up on me, okay?"

She blushed deeply at his words of praise, her golden eyes shining with emotion, and then she brought her face down toward his, lowering herself until her lips met his in a deep and passionate kiss.

Her mouth pressed against his with a hunger that had been building for weeks of longing, separation, and unmet desire.

Her tongue slipped past his lips and found his, sliding against it in a slow and intimate dance, tasting him and exploring him and reacquainting herself with the familiar flavor of his mouth.

Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, while her other hand cupped the side of his face, holding him in place as she poured all of her love and longing into the connection of their lips and their tongues and their breath mingling together.

The kiss was sensual and desperate all at once, a physical manifestation of everything she had been feeling during their time apart, every worry, fear, and hope, compressed into a single moment of contact.

When they finally broke the kiss, both of them breathing heavily and their faces flushed with desire, Benjamin had a little sad look on his face, a small frown creasing his brow and pulling down the corners of his mouth.

"Hm? Is something the matter, Benjamin? Why do you look so troubled after such a wonderful kiss?" Lotus asked him, her voice filled with concern, her hand still resting gently against his cheek.

"No... It’s not that, exactly... It’s just..." Benjamin then sat up from her lap, shifting his body so that he was facing her directly.

Then he put both of his hands on Lotus’ shoulders, gripping them firmly as he looked into her golden eyes with intense sincerity. "I love you, Lotus! I love you so much, and I also want to marry you... and have lots of children with you..."

Lotus began to blush intensely again at this unexpected declaration, her eyes going wide and flustered, her mouth opening slightly in surprise at the sudden shift in tone and the weight of his words.

But Benjamin then frowned again, his expression turning serious and more concerned. "So... So what I’m trying to say is: please, don’t beat yourself up about the situation."

"Wh-What situation are you talking about, Benjamin? I do not understand," Lotus asked, a bit puzzled by his cryptic wording and his obvious discomfort.

"You know," Benjamin scratched his neck nervously, avoiding her eyes for a moment before forcing himself to meet her gaze again. "I heard that you didn’t get pregnant like the other women did, that you were left out of that experience even though almost everyone else was included. I know that must feel very painful and isolating for you, and I want you to know that it doesn’t change how I feel about you... or how much I value our relationship. We can still—"

"What are you even talking about, Benjamin?" Lotus tilted her head in genuine confusion, blinking at him slowly. "I am pregnant as well. I am carrying your child inside my womb, just like the other women."

"..."

Benjamin had frozen completely, his body turning as stiff as if he had been transformed into a pillar of salt, his face blank and his eyes unblinking, his mouth slightly open but only his soul was coming out.

"There was a false rumor flying around the village that I did not get pregnant, and I am currently doing my best to catch the perpetrator who started that terrible lie — I have a strong suspicion that it is Martha’s doing, because she has always enjoyed stirring up trouble and watching the chaos unfold," Lotus explained to the completely frozen and unresponsive man sitting across from her, her voice calm and matter-of-fact. "Nevertheless, setting aside the issue of the rumor and its source, the important news is this, Benjamin: we are going to have a baby together. Is that not wonderful?"

"...H... Hurray for the baby news..."

Benjamin raised one hand weakly in a gesture of mild celebration, his voice flat and his expression still dazed.