Fran, and the other Izurds, could only watch in awe as rains of thunder, fire, and wind obliterated the fey army. Courtesy of a single human mage.


    The feys tried to counter with their own magic but they never stood a chance. Their plant shields were swallowed by his flames and their puny fireballs and icicles could never go through his whirlwinds.


    Felicia and her group stopped in their tracks, not wanting to accidentally enter the range of Hugo''s spells. A big, relieved grin adorned the ex-necromancer''s face. She knew he would recover sooner or later.


    Myrilla, on the other hand, admired the immense amount of control he possessed over his spells. Sure, she could create those tornados herself. But she wasn''t confident enough that she would be able to keep her allies from getting swept into it as well.


    A surge of energy suddenly covered the battlefield. Or rather, an instability of the mana permeating in the air.


    Their surroundings began to shake. Slowly, bit by bit, the scenery around them peeled and cracked, revealing a forest behind it.


    "Aahhhh! The Lady is defeated!"


    "Defeated! Defeated!"


    "We have to run! Ruunnnn!"


    The fey, realizing the fall of their mistress, scattered into the four winds. The fairies and sprites vanished with a poof while the dryads and treants escaped through the spatial cracks back into the fairy forest.


    And then, the entire thing shattered in a deafening roar.


    When the shaking stopped, the plains around them had disappeared, replaced by a forest.


    The final proof that the Archfey had been defeated.


    "Aahh, Master Hugo! He''s falling down!"


    Myrilla looked up.


    And sure enough, Hugo was falling rapidly, with his back facing the ground.


    He had returned to unconsciousness, having exhausted his still recovering mana reserves.


    Myrilla erected a wind spell to slow his fall before catching him with her arms.


    The two fell to the ground, with him landing on top of her.


    His hands landed on her chest. But she didn''t care. After all he had done, a little grope like that couldn''t bother her in the slightest.


    Smiling, Myrilla sat up, placing his head on her lap. Without thinking, she began to rub his head with her hand.


    "Milord!"


    Her reverie was interrupted by the arrival of Felicia and the others. Swiftly, she removed her hand from his head, blushing in the process.


    She couldn''t do that in front of them. It would cause… misunderstandings.


    "Lord Hugo! Is he alright?" Felicia panted from her sprint, her hands on her knees


    "H-he''s fine. He''s just… tired. Ran out of mana from all those spells he cast."


    Gently, she lifted him up using telekinesis before standing up herself.


    All of a sudden, two other figures fell from the sky, landing right beside them.


    They were, of course, Sherry and Quania.


    "Hugo!"


    In a move that definitely angered Felicia, Sherry got to Hugo first. She promptly pulled him down from Myrilla''s telekinesis before giving him a big hug, burying her face in his chest.


    "Oh Hugo… I''m sorry! I''m so sorry!"


    "H-hey, get off him! You''re crushing him!"


    Felicia rushed forward and tried to pull the demoness away from him, to no avail.


    Seeing this display of imbecility, and sensing the selfishness inside their minds, Myrilla had had enough.


    "Enough you two!"


    They froze, each looking towards the demoness.


    "You both love him, right?! Then you should know better than to act like this! He needs rest right now more than anything! And you''re fighting over him?! How selfish can you be!"


    The two were speechless.


    She was right. What were they doing, bickering like children like this? Just earlier, they were blaming themselves for Hugo''s arm getting decapitated. Yet now, once they had gained victory, they were back to their old ways.


    "She''s right. As his future wives, you should learn to share him, starting from now."


    A soft voice interjected into their conversation, belonging to Tira, who had arrived with Felicia. A serious look was drawn on her face, almost like an expression of a mother lecturing their daughters. Strangely enough, despite her diminutive figure, it was still effective on her.


    "I cannot say I know how two women can share a man." She continued. "But I know that if you two continued the way you acted today, he would suffer. You were lucky that his summons could restore his arm."


    Both of them looked down, away from the small elf''s piercing glare.


    "Now, carry him. Together."


    The two could only nod in agreement.


    Myrilla, remaining silent through the whole exchange, was impressed. She didn''t expect her to be capable of silencing them like this.


    Perhaps with her around, Hugo could have the help he needed in managing his household in the future.


    As for herself...


    ...No. She had no place with him. After he was safe, she would leave him and return to her wanderings.


    Or else… her foolish, sentimental heart might end up seeing him as his father. And she would fall for him all over again.


    --------


    Myrilla


    Shaking off that foolish thought from my mind, I led the group to the village.


    As I predicted, when we arrived there, we were greeted as heroes.


    Or rather, he was greeted as a hero. I wouldn''t blame them. What he did was certainly far beyond extraordinary.


    What I didn''t like, however, was the thoughts some of these Izurds had for him. They actually desired him as a mate now. Hmph. Typical women.


    The males, on the other hand, all admired him. Even that kid who had a crush on Sherry. Fran''s son. Emel was his name, if I wasn''t mistaken.


    Fran then told us that we could bring Hugo to her house. She wouldn''t go with us though. She had to make sure the village was safe. It had been transported inside the Great Fairy Forest after all.


    And so we walked to the center of the village. Seeing all the trees that had materialized in the place, even though I hadn''t been here in a while, I could say that the Izurd definitely had a lot of cleaning to do.


    Arriving at Fran''s house, I instructed that only Sherry and Felicia are allowed to be in the same room with Hugo. Any more than that and he wouldn''t be able to rest properly.


    "Awww, but I want to be with Master Hugo!" Kiri protested.


    "Yes. As his familiar, it is our duty to be with him at all times." Aria followed.


    Of course, these two simple-minded feys would want to come with him. But adding two other girls who liked him in the mix… those two would never have the heart to heart chat they desperately needed.


    "You two should come with me instead!" Tira clapped her hands with a smile. "I''ll tell you everything you need to know in being a good familiar! You can stay with him indefinitely now, right? Then you should learn how us mortals live!"


    The elf gave a cheeky grin in my direction.


    As I went ahead with Felicia and Sherry, the last thing I saw was Theo shaking Aria''s hands. And his girlfriend fuming at him staring at her cleavage.


    I sighed.


    --------


    Felicia and Sherry


    With Myrilla''s guidance, Felicia and Sherry quickly brought Hugo to a warm, soft bed. The former then left, though unbeknownst to them, she was still nearby, close enough that she could still read their thoughts.


    Felicia then performed a thorough medical check-up on him. Sherry could only grumpily stand behind her, feeling annoyed that she got to touch him all over. But, she didn''t voice any complaints. She still remembered Myrilla and Tira''s words. The woman had only the best intentions for him. And she shouldn''t let her jealousy get in the way.


    Thankfully, it didn''t last too long. With a smile, Felicia turned to her and said, "He''s perfectly fine. He really just needs a good, long rest."


    Sherry breathed a sigh of relief before walking closer to the bed.


    BA-DUMP


    Her heart skipped.


    She was now seeing his bare chest as Felicia had yet to button his top.


    Her feet turned to jelly. Her cheeks turned bright red. Her hands immediately went between her legs.


    He was nothing like the kid she left him as. He was now a full grown adult, with a wide, firm chest that she just wanted to be embraced with.


    She had forgotten but the effect of the archfey''s aphrodisiac was still there, increasing her arousal significantly.


    Felicia, noticing the change, raised an eyebrow.


    "Are you serious? You''re this turned on just by seeing his chest?"


    And then, she noticed—the wetness that had spread between her white trousers.


    A smirk appeared on her face.


    "Oh my… you really are aroused."


    "S-shut up! T-this is… this is because of that aphrodisiac that archfey gave!"


    "Oh really…" Felicia walked up closer to her. “Tell me then.” She put her hand on her head and whispered. “How bad do you want to do it with him?”


    “W-what! Why are you asking—”


    “Because I wanted to do it with him!” Felicia’s teasing smile disappeared, replaced by a face of anger. "Every single night we slept together! Do you know how hard it was for me?! I only never forced the issue because of you! You and you alone! You have no idea how faithful he is to you!”


    She was still leaning down in front of her, looking her right in the eyes. She was shouting, yet still whispering at the same time.


    Felicia straightened herself before folding her arms under her chest. "You know nothing about sexual intercourse, do you? I can see it from your reaction. A virgin, through and through. Hmph. You won''t be able to please him in bed."


    Sherry was speechless. This was definitely not where she expected the conversation to go.


    "I… you… y-you''re saying you''re not a virgin?" She pointed at her, flabbergasted.


    "I''m not," Felicia''s look turned melancholic. She averted her gaze. "I had experience. Too much of it. If not for my fateful meeting with Milord, I would still be in those dark days…"


    Once again, Sherry didn''t know what to say. The pained look on her face looked terribly real but just before that she bragged of her experience.


    "Milord? You mean Hugo?"


    "Yes." Felicia looked back at her with a wry smile. "I… used to call one of the men I seduced the same thing. And Milord deserves that and so much more."


    Seduced?! Sherry couldn''t believe what she was hearing!


    "Now, before you judge me with those eyes of yours," Felicia continued, still with the same wry smile. "I shall regale you a tale. A tale of a foolish girl and her even more foolish quest for immortality."


    Sherry fell silent.


    Somehow, she felt she had to hear her story.


    And so, after Felicia took a seat on the bed (the bed was wide enough for her to do it without disturbing Hugo), she followed suit.


    …


    …


    ...


    "And thus, she was saved from the darkness. From the hell she had inflicted to herself. The end." Felicia ended her story into a small smile.


    "Now, you should understand why a woman ten years his senior is this infatuated with him."


    And Sherry understood indeed.


    To think she had gone through such a terrible childhood… she couldn''t even blame her for turning to the dark.


    She thought her childhood was terrible. It was nothing compared to hers.


    And both of them had Hugo to thank for saving them.


    "So, how about it? Are you willing to share your dearest with a filthy seductress like me? Other men had put their manhood inside my womb. Your Hugo won''t be the first."


    With a pensive look, Sherry replied, "Hugo… does he know all this?"


    "Of course." Felicia''s smile widened. "And he, like the noble creature he is, accepted me anyway."


    Sherry glanced to her side, towards the man that was still sleeping on the bed.


    She remembered—how he refused to give up either of them at the fight against her grandmother.


    Now she knew. He was too kind to abandon her. She knew she would be heartbroken if he did.


    “...I’ll think about it.”


    “I’m sorry?”


    “I said I''ll think about it!" She gave Felicia an annoyed glare. "But don''t count on it! And I still want to do it the first time with him!"


    "That applies to me as well," the ex-necromancer replied with a confident smile. "It''s all up to him." She looked at Hugo as well. "I''m sure he will choose me as his first."


    "But for now, we will wait until he recovers. Agreed?" She looked back at her.


    Sherry nodded. She can live with a truce for now.


    —------


    Hugo


    "U-urghhhh…"


    My eyes fluttered open. I was now no longer outside. It seemed I was inside a wooden room, lit dimly only by the candles placed on the walls and the moonlight seeping through from the window.


    I then felt the soft bed under me.


    Slowly, I sat up.


    Or I would, if not for two heavy objects pinning down my arms.


    They were not objects at all.


    They were Sherry and Felicia, both hugging my arms as they slept.


    *Boing* *Boing*


    I focused my mana to my sight, scanning my newfound surroundings. As much as I could with my limited sight anyway.


    Slowly, I slid my left arm from Felicia''s embrace.


    Once my left side was free, I flipped around my body to be on top of Sherry''s. She was still wearing that white she wore in the fight.


    As expected, her scent was quite noticeable. She must have fallen asleep without changing.


    I quickly sat up, ignoring the perverted tent I had made on my crotch.


    I glanced at Felicia.


    And so, I lifted Sherry with my arms, carrying her like a princess.


    Then, we left the house. Not that far. Only to the hill overlooking the village.


    Once there, I put her down before sitting her up. Crossing my legs, I sat beside her, gently shaking her body as I supported her.


    "Mmmm… stupid Hugo… my boobs aren''t that small…" She mumbled right into my ear as she leaned to my side.


    I chuckled.


    I had to quickly look away though. Those tiny lips of hers… I nearly succumbed to kissing her.


    After a few more shaking, her eyes fluttered open.


    "H-huh? Hugo?"


    "Finally." I gave her my brightest smile. "I thought you''d never wake up.


    "...W-whaa!" Blushing, she pulled her body away from me. "Y-you''ve waken up? W-where is this?" She looked around frantically, nearly falling backwards in the process.


    "It''s just behind the house." I replied. "I brought you here."


    "You… you carried me here?! Why?!"


    "Because I want to talk to you. Just the two of us. Without Felicia."


    Her expression quickly soured.


    "...That woman…" She looked away. "You really love her, don''t you?"


    "I do. I''m sorry, for not loving you exclusively."


    "...Hmph! You broke your promise! Said you wouldn''t kiss another girl!"


    "I did. And for that, I can only ask for your apology."


    "Apologies won''t be enough!"


    She threw her head away, pouting and huffing in the process.


    Without hesitation, I bowed down and put my forehead on the dirt.


    "I''m sorry! I cheated on you because I''m a weak, useless man who can''t resist a hot woman throwing herself at him!"


    I buried my head to the ground, not even stealing a look to see her reaction.


    I cheated on her. There was no questioning it. Even if we made our promise in childhood, I still broke and spit on it.


    I waited for her response, staying in that pose for what seemed like an eternity.


    "...Idiot." Sёar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Huh?"


    I looked up and saw her standing over me with her arms folded.


    "I said you''re an idiot! You should have said how much that woman needs you! She told me everything you know! How you saved her and how you failed to save Leila!"


    I froze.


    "Then you sought her comfort! You both had nightmares and to make them stop, you both slept together! And then you, being the pervert that you were, used the opportunity to grope her!"


    "Grrr, it should''ve been me!"


    She stepped forward and yanked me up by her hair. Tears were now brimming in her eyes.


    "I should''ve been the one comforting you! Just like you comforted me all the way back then! But no, she got to do it instead! That''s why you fell in love with her!"


    Before I could say anything, she dragged me down, all the way to her level, stopping right in front of her face.


    Before pressing her lips into mine.


    We both fell down to the ground, my back cushioned with a bed of hair she had created in an instant. She was now on top of me, and still kissing me as best as she could.


    It was nothing like Felicia’s sensual kiss. It was terribly sloppy and amateurish—childish, even. It was the kiss of a girl who never knew how to kiss properly.


    And yet, she displayed her passion through it all too clearly.


    There was no need for her to say a word.


    She still liked me. I knew that for a fact.


    When she finished, her face was beet red. She bashfully looked away before saying, “T-there. That’s the kiss of our reunion. I left you with one. So I figured I should give you another one once we met.”


    I didn’t need to gush on how cute she was at this moment. No words would suffice anyway.


    She then climbed off me before snuggling into my chest, resting her head as she tilted it upwards to look at my face. Giving me a serious look, she then asked the one thing I was dreading to tell her.


    “Tell me. How Alan and Renee died.”


    I could only oblige.


    ------


    A/N:


    Next chapter is finally the stuff you''ve all been waiting for.