Strange Allies

Roderick would not betray Abbendis's sincere feelings, but they were tangled up with many complicated interests, leaving him somewhat lost.

A Space Marine's principles of combat were simple, decisive, brutal, and direct.

Those traits suited battle, but they were difficult to apply to matters between men and women. Without the Astartes's reminders, he often had no choice but to put on a calm, expressionless face before Abbendis.

A smile was enough. That was a privilege unique to girls.

Humanity truly was a miracle of the Creator. Even with memories of thousands of years of battle, personally smashing the heads of those Undead soldiers still filled him with heartfelt excitement.

And as he held Abbendis's soft body, kissed her, and caressed her, the dopamine in his brain uncontrollably stirred a different kind of excitement.

Intense sexual desire, the satisfaction of being depended on, the conquering thrill of making the opposite sex yield, close physical contact with a woman he liked, mixed with other indescribable feelings—this was love, one of the most widespread special emotions since humanity's birth.

Roderick still missed what had happened earlier. He wondered whether Abbendis had fallen asleep by now. It was an instinct buried in the deepest part of human genes, one even powerful Space Marines could not escape.

Outside Tyr's Hand's gates, Roderick and Augustine were heading for Light's Hope Chapel, preparing to return to Southshore. Abbendis and Tyr's Hand's senior officers had all come outside the city to see them off.

The delicate, charming girl who had fallen into his arms and acted coyly yesterday had vanished. Abbendis wore a full suit of armor, her neck wrapped tightly as well. Usually, she loved smiling at Roderick, but today she broke from habit, her expression taut and giving off an air that warned strangers to stay