Once outside, he lightly hopped into the air and floated above the manor. Flight was a simple matter for a magic guru like him or any god who bothered really. However, he was certainly better at it than most, using little to no mana even at fast speeds. And because he was a magic god, he didn’t need to say a chant or anything to use his magic.

  Of course, there were mortal mages on some planets that could achieve that as well. But that was if they had a natural affinity for magic. Even gods who weren’t specifically magic gods needed to chant to cast spells. Well, except for the Supreme gods, they could practically do whatever they wanted, they were simply that powerful.

  As Ardonis was now, he could destroy a planet using half of his power, but those were beings that could erase entire portions of universes. Thousands of galaxies gone in an instant with only using half of their own power. Supreme gods were the true gods of gods, and like every god, it was an innate power that one must be born with. Or rather, the potential of it.

  Ardonis wasn’t sure if he was one, as the only way to know was to try, a hidden potential that couldn’t be detected by any being. Beyond being a true God of Magic, his true goal and aim was to find out whether or not he was a Supreme. Big dreams even for a god, but he would do whatever it took to reach that level.

  He shook himself out of his reverie as he looked down at the city from his flight and teleported in front of a certain shop. It sold books and magic artifacts that one couldn’t pass up. From books of fiction and myth to ancient gods and history of the multiverse. They even had some books on cooking.

  This was one of his favorite shops to get supplies and other things. Gods didn’t need to eat, drink, or sleep, however, some still did. Either as old habits from living in the mortal realm, or just because. With food, it was because it tasted good, the same thing with certain drinks. And sleep… well, that was because many enjoyed the feeling of waking up next to their loved ones.

  “Still get lost in your thoughts that quickly huh?” a teasing voice asked as he felt arms wrap around him. He didn’t get a chance to respond as he found his lips pressed against familiar softness.

  “Lucy,” he said after pulling back slightly from the kiss, wrapping his own arms around her. A woman who was nearly a head shorter than him looked up at him lovingly. Her eyes were a purplish twilight, her long hair a slightly glowing and shimmering purple, and her skin a fair tan completed the look of the prospective true magic goddess. “I hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”

  She giggled, “Of course not. I came here early because I actually wanted to browse a few things here. This shop is one of your favorites after all. And there are certainly some interesting selections, to say the least. Did the talk with your parents go as expected?”

  He chuckled, “It did, even your prediction of that damn teacher bringing up my ‘crush’ on you. Somehow I managed to pull off a convincing innocent act and got some advice from Mother Anny. Though it was advice that I’m already following.”

  “You sure she of all doesn’t know? She is a Goddess of Love after all, I’m not so sure you can hide something like that from her.”

  He shrugged, “If she does know, she hasn’t given a hint or said anything about it. Which I will gladly take her silence over the rest of them finding out.”

  She quirked an eyebrow at him, “Is it really that bad if they find out the two of us are going out? I mean, we’ve already been together for twelve years now.”

  “Unless you want to get married on the spot, because trust me, they will find a way to make that happen, I don’t recommend it.”

  “Being married doesn’t sound too bad, don’t you want to be with me forever?” she teased.

  He rolled his eyes, “If memory serves, it was you who rejected my proposal a few years ago, I was honestly scared you were going to break up with me until you explained your reasoning.”

  “A man and god like you deserves a harem, and I won’t have any marriage until you have at least three other girlfriends. That it is true now as it was then and I won’t budge on it, even if my heart already considers you a husband and vice versa.”

  Ardonis simply shook his head with a small smirk, “Come on, let’s stop giving other customers a show and get some things we came for. We will be leaving tomorrow after all.”

  She let go of him and they held hands as they went through the medium-sized shop. The layout of it, though far older than some modern planets, was the same as them. Apparently, billions of years ago, a Supreme god peeked into the future of mortals and took the idea.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  After grabbing some supplies and a few books, they headed out of the shop to continue their date. “You really enjoy cooking huh?” Lucy asked as Ardonis skimmed through a cookbook, one of the purchases made at the shop. Though it wasn’t just any ordinary cookbook, the recipes in them used magic, and some pretty advanced methods as well.

  “Of course, cooking is fun, and I enjoy seeing others enjoy what I make. Besides, not just anyone can cook these high-level recipes. I’ve long since decided to conquer all things magic, if there are magic recipes, I will master them. Besides, when you have a mother who is a Goddess of Cooking… that’s going to have a bit of influence.”

  She giggled, “I didn’t say I didn’t like it. I actually love this side of you, it reminds me that you are a scholar through and through. Despite having the physique of a war god. You know me though, I’ve never really been good at studying.”

  “Despite your magic needing more study than even mine? Arcana is very volatile, and even I can barely get a grasp on it,” Ardonis said as he closed the book and teleported it to his room.

  “That’s just it though,” Lucy said more quietly, a complex magic circle appearing in her hand. “I’m intuitive when it comes to arcana, able to do what is considered hard and complex with the wave of a hand. It’s just how my innate power is, I may be a Goddess of Magic, but more specifically I’m a Goddess of Arcana.”

  Ardonis grabbed her hand, “And that is part of what makes you so special, it’s what captivated me the first time I saw you all those decades ago. Honestly, I want to see how far you can go, despite our goal of becoming the true god of magic being the same.”

  She smiled brightly, “That’s my line, I already promised years ago that I would support you. I won’t make it easy of course, but if it truly came down to it, I would let you become the true god over me. I just don’t want that bastard to take it instead.”

  “No love lost between the two of you huh?” he asked rhetorically.

  “He may be the other prospective true God of Magic, but that doesn’t mean I have to care for him.”

  Ardonis raised a brow, “I suppose it’s good for me that you hate your ex so much, but could you at least be truthful about hating him for that? Rather than the pretense that you don’t have to like him?”

  She pouted, which made Ardonis smile, “He doesn’t even care about love, he just wants to be a playboy and screw women. I want to be part of a harem, something with genuine love. I amount his being a playboy to being a cheater. I’m just glad I realized and left him before giving him my maidenhood. I’m much happier with you having taken it instead. You really helped me through a dark time back then, I knew you were always a good and upstanding man. And unlike him, you didn’t help me with any ulterior motive. You simply did it because you are just that kind of person.”

  He chuckled slightly nervously, “Well it wasn’t an ulterior motive per se, but by that point, I already did have a crush on you. So that most likely motivated me to help you out more than others. And I can’t lie, the small hope of us getting together was there.”

  “But that’s just it, you didn’t do it to try and get in my pants. Serving as motivation is different from having an ulterior motive. Well, the kind that I’m thinking about anyway.”

  “Well, in any case, I’m just glad that we are here today with our current relationship. I know your parents know about us… maybe I should tell mine.”

  She giggled, “Don’t forget the difference between our parents. Even though mine want me to marry you, especially Mother, they aren’t pushing it that hard. Well, my Father is just doing a great job of holding her back.”

  Ardonis laughed, “It’s because of the food, isn’t it? Whenever I come over, I always end up either cooking something or helping your father cook something.”

  “If Mother wasn’t so in love with Father, I’d accuse her of trying to steal you from me. A complete foodie who loves all things food, then again, she is a Goddess of Food, so it makes sense. Though she can’t cook to save her life,” she said.

  “The price to pay to have a bottomless pit for a stomach, which I am a bit jealous of,” he said as they continued slowly walking through the park, hand in hand.

  Lucy raised a dubious brow at him, “Can’t you just magic away the food, or have your body burn all of it away? I’m fairly sure I’ve seen you do that before to eat something you really enjoyed a few times over.”

  “Sure, but it isn’t the same as having a bottomless stomach. It is merely an imitation Lucy, an imitation I tell you,” he said, exaggerating it with finger-pointing, making her burst into laughter.

  She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, “I seriously do love you Ardonis. I know that it hurt, and slightly still stings that I rejected your proposal. Feelings differ from logic after all, but I want you to know that it did make me extremely happy. If I didn’t keep myself in check I would have jumped in your arms saying yes. A man like you deserves a harem, and I don’t want to be more than just your girlfriend until that happens.”

  He was a bit surprised by her sudden change in tone, but he wrapped his own arms around her, “I love you too Lucy, no matter what happens, we will be together.”

  This time, he was the one who kissed her, “Let’s make a deal then, as long as it isn’t Eradis, it could be either of us that becomes the true God of Magic. Whichever of us doesn’t matter, I’m sure we’ll be happy either way, no matter the outcome.”

  She beamed at him, “That is a brilliant idea. Now come on, I’m in the mood after all of this and I’d like you to myself for the night before we leave.”

  “If that’s what the lady wishes, the lady shall get,” he said playfully. She giggled and they made their way to her home. Normally, one would think that is a bad idea for what they had in mind. However, a soundproof room was a simple task even for mortals to make with magic.